EuroReef Club - Page 24

babogart · #**576** 11/19/2007, 08:18 AM

With the 90 degree off, there is too much splashing. So I added another 2" of water bringing the level up to 8" (approx. 1" over the elbow from the pump.) I then cut the drainpipe to be 1" over the leve l of the water in the sump. It is quiet now and I do not get the "surging" inside the skimmer.

I have noticed that the skimmer does not seem to be quite right yet. There is dark green skimate at the top of the neck, but there is so much turbulence in the neck that you can actually see the the skim get pulled back down into the neck and into the body of the skimmer. It does not seem to be forming that foamy head that I believe it should.

If you look at melev's pic above and the pics of when I first put the skimmer in the sump, there is a nice foamy head. You can even see it in the pic I posted with the MTC skimmer.

It is odd. It is almost like the skimmer builds up this foam head and then it collapses.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help!

gastone · #**577** 11/20/2007, 09:09 PM

Just mesh modded my old ER 8-1 that I picked up from my buddy a few years ago. I'm not sure if he purchased new or used. Anyway, didn't pay attention to the pump until after I modded the needle wheel. Come to find out it's a Sedra 9000. Now it's overflowing the collection cup like crazy. No amount of tweaking seems to work. Checked ER's site and this pump was only used on 12-4 and larger bodies.

I used three layer of enkamat for the mod, would removing one (or two) help?

Thanks.

Garrett.

corywilson · #**578** 11/22/2007, 11:45 AM

Help!!

i took my rs135 pump apart and now i can't seem to figure out how the pieces go back together. does anyone know the order of the bushings/washers/impeller/spacer? i've tried to put it together several ways, but it still doesn't seem to be functioning correctly.

Fishbulb2 · #**579** 11/22/2007, 01:00 PM

Hey Corey,
Look here on the ER website http://euro-reef.com/PSPR.shtml . I believe it will take you through how to do it. I think it goes rear rubber stopper, impeller shaft, slide impeller on, washer, bushing, front rubber stopper. Good luck.

PS. Did you go to Harrison High by chance? I used to know a Corey Wilson there.

corywilson · #**580** 11/22/2007, 03:54 PM

i thought that was how it went also, but on there website it lists the assembly as having 2 washers and 2 spacers, so i'm not sure...

corywilson · #**581** 11/22/2007, 04:28 PM

oh, and no on the harrison high question, i went to school in ohio

Fishbulb2 · #**582** 11/22/2007, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by corywilson
i thought that was how it went also, but on there website it lists the assembly as having 2 washers and 2 spacers, so i'm not sure...

It will depend slightly on the size of the sedra pump. My 3500 for my RS100 did not have 2 sets of washers and spacers. It only had one.

Landon B. · #**583** 11/23/2007, 12:50 PM

My RC-135 has been set up for a while on my 110 reef. I'm currently running it externally with no valve on the air intake. What I'm wondering is how I can get the skimmate in the cup instead of all over the riser tube. Is this just the way its supposed to be. Seems the liquid in the cup is a light color while the tube gets coverd in gunk. Any suggestions on how to change this or should I just keep chillin with what I'm getting?

Heres a pic of what I'm talking about.

Tennsquire · #**584** 11/23/2007, 10:55 PM

My RC135 looks like that, although I get fairly dark skimmate. The top of the neck and the bottom of the lid get pretty "gunky" as well. Does your skimmer ever overflow? Mine's in my sump, but it's overflowed a few times already for no apparent reason. It also has a different connection where the cup joins the body.

sjm817 · #**585** 11/23/2007, 11:01 PM

Maybe its the pic, but the foam head looks very thin. How are you feeding it and what is the GPH? If you turn off the recirc pump, where is the water level in the body?

NewSchool04 · #**586** 11/23/2007, 11:16 PM

I have a RS180 and have a similar problem. I get really dark skimmate but the neck gets covered so much, that the skimmer stops producing with only about 1/4" in the cup.

I'm also having a hard time getting adjusting it so it just skims the same every day. I get it set and it starts cranking, and I either have to clean the cup and neck and it totally skims differently, bubbles change so I have to start adjusting again. I also have to clean out the air valve once a week, when I do that I have to start again on my adjustments.

melev · #**587** 11/24/2007, 02:55 AM

Here's what I do a couple of times a day - I put my fingers over the end of the venturi tubing to stop air from entering the pumps. That makes the water level rise in the skimmer and pushes the dirty foam up and into the collection cup. If you do this a couple of times a day, it gathers skimmate and the neck has less gunk accumulation.

Of course, cleaning the cup and neck daily is your better option, imho.

sjm817 · #**588** 11/24/2007, 09:07 AM

NewSchool, how are you running the skimmer now? Water depth?, and is it a stable level? How is the outflow set up? It should not be hard to get it working consistently. IMO, run it with the air valve removed for best results. If you are getting salt in the airline, an airline silencer with some filter floss in it does a good job of keeping it clean. For a quick clean, just let slimmer suck some RO water through the airline.

If the neck is getting gunked up instead of filling the cup, raise the water level by closing off the outflow a little.

NewSchool04 · #**589** 11/24/2007, 09:56 AM

The water is stable as can be and the skimmer sits in 8" of water. I'm only using the 90 elbow for the out flow tilted slightly. I still haven't built one of the air silencer, that is a project for the weekend. Without the airvalve on the skimmer, the milkshake slurping sound is just way too loud.

That is my main problem, getting the bubbles high enough in the skimmer neck to actually spill skimmate into the cup. If I set it all the way at open, the neck would get filthy dirty but after 24 hours i'll hardly have a drop in the cup. I have to have it almost set to closed to get my bubbles breaking high enough to produce skimmate and I know this can't be right. Just seems to be the only way that I can produce skimmate quickly. It's nasty stuff so I'm happy about that, I just know that I'm not using the skimmer to it's ability.

melev, if I cleaned the cup every day, I doubt I'd get an ounce of junk in the cup. It seems to work better after a day and with a little dirt on the neck.

Another thing different than my other two ER's is the amount of bubbles in the actual cup. Tons of them, so many you can't see the neck.

I just took these pics, about 2 1/2 days since I cleaned. Notice the cup full of bubbles!

sjm817 · #**590** 11/24/2007, 10:08 AM

It looks like it is working well, but yeah, I dont like to have skimate all the way down the neck like that either. You need to run it wetter to keep it clean.

What is it that is on your airline?

This was my RS250. I ran it so that just neck was clean except for ~ the top 3" or so.

sjm817 · #**591** 11/24/2007, 10:22 AM

You dont need to get too fancy with the silencer. Take a film canister or a pill bottle, drill a hole in each end. The airline should fit snug in the hole, but not restrict the flow. Put some filter floss in the container and you are done.

NewSchool04 · #**592** 11/24/2007, 10:41 AM

That is the airvalve that came with the skimmer. I have it all the way open but it still restricts air just having it on.

That skimmate on the neck is nothing. If I run it dryer, it's caked on the neck. Did you see how far I have it closed? I don't think I could run it much wetter than I have it set now and I'm still getting thick skimmate.

Landon B. · #**593** 11/24/2007, 11:10 AM

Wow thats some nice skim you guys are getting. I definately need to fiddle around more. I have never had anything that gross in the cup. I'll get some more pics and info up on this. Seems I'm not getting the full potential out of my skimmer.

NewSchool04 · #**594** 11/24/2007, 11:47 AM

Im not familiar with recirc skimmers Landon so I'm no help to you.

OK, so I cleaned out the skimmer, air valve and just started it up again. Without having it almost totally closed (see pics) the bubbles don't start until the top of the main body. I need to close it to raise the bubbles to where you see them. This can't be right.
I get good skimmate but still it can't be right. It's almost as if the pump isn't big enough for the body.

sjm817 · #**595** 11/24/2007, 12:31 PM

That new air valve looks restrictive compared to the old style. The way it is running looks OK to me. That skimmer has more neck than my RS250 did. Close the outflow valve until the level is high enough to get the type of skimate you want. You want it so the bubbles break about 1/2 way up the cup. It may be a very small adjustment change. You could also put it a little deeper into the sump.

melev · #**596** 11/24/2007, 12:47 PM

I would remove that air valve, and raise the water level until it is just below the collection cup ~1" higher. And be home when you do this so you can keep an eye on it.

The wetter you run a skimmer, the closer it comes to overflowing the cup if something gets a little nutty.

NewSchool04 · #**597** 11/24/2007, 01:23 PM

Don't you guy's think it's odd that I have to have the skimmer almost all the way closed to get the bubbles breaking where I have it?

If I have it all the way open, the bubbles break at the seam where the body connects with the neck, that seems super low.

sjm817 · #**598** 11/24/2007, 01:37 PM

I've never had one with that style outflow. I'd put it 1" deeper into the sump.

NewSchool04 · #**599** 11/24/2007, 02:13 PM

9" you think? That will help raise the water?

melev · #**600** 11/24/2007, 02:50 PM

The water level is controlled by the riser tube outside the skimmer. Which to me looks like where you have an elbow. The elbow and that section should be lifted higher.

Because I have a gate valve on mine, I simple close the output more and that causes the skimmer to be more full.

Btw, the foam in the cup is perfectly fine. Mine does that all the time. If you don't want to clean the cup daily, at least take a paper towel to wipe out the neck daily. That area should be clean and clear to see through.