5 gal water bottle skimmer? - Page 12

RandyStacyE · #**276** 03/14/2006, 02:19 PM

I recently purchased a GX-2400 from Custom Aquatic. I love the venturi and it even rips when put on a Euro-Reef Sedra.

The funny thing about this venturi is that the interior has a little restrictor in it. Itâ€™s more like a little lip inside. Most other venturis Iâ€™ve seen have a smooth hole straight through the center. Well a picture is worth a 1000 words. The little red dot is where the air hole is:

Reefdaddy1 · #**277** 03/14/2006, 02:38 PM

I am building one these for my 180. But Iam going to use the Sedra 3500 's I think the Venturi is one of the best out there. Just dont care to much for amount of watts it pushes. Maybe Red dragons would work better. But that would get expensive.

RandyStacyE · #**278** 03/14/2006, 04:38 PM

From what I've seen the Sedra 3500 is pretty small. The impeller looks like tooth pics on a disk. You could likely get 2 GenX 2400 for the price of 1 Sedra. I only say it's small because it's such a big jug in comparison to the size of the skimmer it is rated for.

55Reef · #**279** 03/14/2006, 07:54 PM

Way to go Prugs!!

That thing is Badass!!!

Can't wait to see it run.

Roland Jacques · #**280** 03/14/2006, 09:15 PM

Try that venture backwards. I think it pulls more air that way. But youâ€™re going to have to restrict the air with a valve or it will just cavitate.

I donâ€™t have any good test equipment (it in the works). I did a very subjective test. It worked great with the gen x 6000 and the 4100. I think it is going to be hard to beat that venture backwards for air volume but a little hard to hook up that way.

H20ENG · #**281** 03/14/2006, 09:41 PM

Prugs,
What size are your unions that the 1" male adapter fit over? Sweet! I love when you can steal an inch here or there!

Also, If your airline is vinyl, you can use or make a pinch clamp rather than buy a ballvalve...

Randy,
That must be a new venturi that the GenX pumps are coming with. The doo-dad that came with mine was simply a place to connect an airline. I never even tried it, just tossed it in the parts bin and made my own. What a concept to buy something that works without modifying it first!

Gem Tang Rider · #**282** 03/14/2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by yourfishman
did you compare your venture performance to the one that the gen x comes with?

Th original genx venturi's that came with the pumps are now in the trash. They were terrible. Not even worth trying to modify. Now the pumps are really nice & quiet.

Gem Tang Rider · #**283** 03/14/2006, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reefdaddy1
I think its awsome Prugs, How you going about fine tuning the bubbles,? You opening it up a bit and if you do will cavitate the GenX?

In the last photo of the skimmer in the sump. You can see some small ball valves hooked up to the venturi air lines. With the air lines wide open, the pumps did not cavitate. But the bubbles were way to large.

Gem Tang Rider · #**284** 03/14/2006, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zapata41
would be interesting to see how much airthe venturis as really pulling, got a floweter lying around by any chance

Tim

Do you have a good source for a flow meter?

Gem Tang Rider · #**285** 03/14/2006, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by H20ENG
Prugs,
What size are your unions that the 1" male adapter fit over? Sweet! I love when you can steal an inch here or there!

The inlet t the genx 2400 is a 1" mpt. I used a 1"mpt to a 3/4" slip fit adapater, some thin wall 3/4" pvc to connect to the 3/4" union. I turn down the union on the end to save some space.

H20ENG · #**286** 03/15/2006, 12:06 AM

Nice.
I use a Dwyer flowmeter. My genx 2400 sucked about 13scfhIIRC.

vic8361 · #**287** 03/15/2006, 06:34 AM

does any one know how much air gets sucked in from a sedra 5000 with it's own venturi.
Thanks,
Vic

zapata41 · #**288** 03/15/2006, 01:51 PM

i use a flow meter that i bought off ebay, made for medical applicationjs but works great for what i need, goes from 0-15lpm. i picked up a pair of them for 10$. i dont know the conversion for LPM to scfh so cant comment on the seda 5000.
Tim

douggiestyle · #**289** 03/15/2006, 02:01 PM

http://www.onlineconversion.com

douggiestyle · #**290** 03/15/2006, 02:03 PM

standard cubic feet per hour (scfh)

douggiestyle · #**291** 03/15/2006, 02:05 PM

13 scfh = 6.14 lpm

vic8361 · #**292** 03/17/2006, 03:40 AM

thank's for the info

Vic

Roland Jacques · #**293** 03/17/2006, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by H20ENG

That must be a new venturi that the GenX pumps are coming with. The doo-dad that came with mine was simply a place to connect an airline.

Yeah they sent 2 different types of ventures to me. the one you got was probable for the single pass in sump type.

Roland

Roland Jacques · #**294** 03/17/2006, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by H20ENG
These werent on any water bottles, but
Heres the venturi I made for a NW.

Heres how it looks inside:

Here you can see the 3/8" tubing pushed into the fitting. The end is sliced at an angle to open the tube up to the pump suction. This could be all in my head, but it seems to help

When I first saw your venture drawing I thought you might be restricting to much water causing premature cavitations with a tube that big in the water flow path.

The more I looked at your venture I realized it can be adjustable in the very best way

. The compression fitting in your drawing will allow me to rotate the air tube regulating the amount of water restriction that it creates. Am I seeing this right? If so that would be the very best way to get max air to water ratio and achieve max air intake.

(A pump will always pull more air though a venture when water is less restricted. At the same time you have to restrict water flow to create the low pressure to pull air. It a fine line balancing act. IMO. with this venture you can do it.)

If Iâ€™m not missing something, this is huge. All I have to do is find the best angle for the tube, maybe even a compound angle. I donâ€™t have try and match a venture to each pump flow rate any more. With these venture you can fairly compare NW pump performance without out worrying if the right venture was matched up. I need some confirmation H2OENG am I right here or What?

Roland

H20ENG · #**295** 03/17/2006, 08:13 PM

Yep, you can also move the tube in or out of the flow path (to a point that the angle does not interfere with sealing).
I chose the 3/8" over the 1/4" so that the flow would be reduced behind it, allowing the pumps suction to draw in more air. Seems to have worked

With the angled tee fitting, I added a reducer bushing on the suction side of the fitting to accomplish the same thing. That fitting is 3/4", so I bushed it down to 1/2" to get the same amount of restriction.
With the GenX 2400, it made tons of foam, but at slightly larger bubbles. I barely had to pinch the air to get them smaller, but still plentiful. It also made a giant sucking sound

Gem Tang Rider · #**296** 03/18/2006, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by H20ENG
Nice.
I use a Dwyer flowmeter.

H2OENG,
Does your meter have a model # on it?
Thanks

Roland Jacques · #**297** 03/18/2006, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by prugs
H2OENG,
Does your meter have a model # on it?
Thanks

yeah and what is the range of it ? did you get it from Grainger?

zapata41 · #**298** 03/18/2006, 12:22 PM

well then the OR 3500 doesnt do to bad for pulling in air, someone should hook a few of them up to the water bottle

TIm

zapata41 · #**299** 03/18/2006, 12:22 PM

you can also get the flowmeters on ebay, go to dweyer instruments to find the model number and complete specs on them.

H20ENG · #**300** 03/18/2006, 02:19 PM

I dont have it in front of me, but it is a Dwyer mini master I believe. I got directly from Dwyer.

It only goes to 25 SCFH, which is too low for testing skimmers. Each of my injectors (pressure) buried the meter, with a Mak4 running both of them at once. I believe a single Beckett will pull 35-40SCFH with a big pump.

Zephrant tested several pumps on a Beckett one time. I think this is where I remember these #s from.
HTH
Chris