5 gal skimmer build (built)
- Thread starter musty baby
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musty baby
New member
I have pumps capable of 1600 gph, not much more than your one pump, and 3" is admittedly a little too small. If 3" ends up being a tad too big, that shouldn't honestly be a problem since you (I assume) can raise the output height from your skimmer and lessen the difference in height between your output and top of your riser neck.
jtesdall
Premium Member
Well I am looking forward to trying it. I just double meshed the pump Friday night, I get finer bubbles but now I get more wet clear skimmate. So in essence it doesn't work as well.
Hey, do you gain access to the inside of the skimmer through the top? I haven't tried a coupling, but no way will my hand go through the 3" PVC. I cut a whole in the bottom and have it glued and sealed back together so I am hoping not to tear that apart. I guess my hand should go through the 3" hole before I glue the coupling.
Hey, do you gain access to the inside of the skimmer through the top? I haven't tried a coupling, but no way will my hand go through the 3" PVC. I cut a whole in the bottom and have it glued and sealed back together so I am hoping not to tear that apart. I guess my hand should go through the 3" hole before I glue the coupling.
musty baby
New member
If it's making more and finer bubbles then the skimmer is working better, it just needs to be adjusted correctly.
Skinnier folk can get their arms through the 3 to 4" coupler on the top of my reaction chamber, so I borrowed them the 1 time I needed to get inside. I won't have any troubles if I ever get around to upping the neck to 4".
Skinnier folk can get their arms through the 3 to 4" coupler on the top of my reaction chamber, so I borrowed them the 1 time I needed to get inside. I won't have any troubles if I ever get around to upping the neck to 4".
musty baby
New member
Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly how she wants to be involved in your hobby.
"Hey hon, can you please come here and stick your arm in the poop machine?"
"Hey hon, can you please come here and stick your arm in the poop machine?"
musty baby
New member
It would be possible to make it much shorter wayne, if that'll help.
jtesdall
Premium Member
OK, I cut a 3" in today. Don't have enough silicone so it is just sitting on top loose. ;0) We will see how the foam does even though it will leak a bit. I am also going to restrict the intakes some more. I have venturis with a restrictor plate in it now though. So I am not sure how much more I can get, especially without the pump cavitating.
I found a 3" Rubber seal at Home Depot. Not as nice as a Uniseal and a little more money (5.50) but it seems to work. I will have to add a bead of silicone, I cut this hole with a knife (don't have that large of a hole saw).
I found a 3" Rubber seal at Home Depot. Not as nice as a Uniseal and a little more money (5.50) but it seems to work. I will have to add a bead of silicone, I cut this hole with a knife (don't have that large of a hole saw).
musty baby
New member
How large is the air opening of the venturi?
Each of my little pumps has 1/4" ID tubing running into them, running wide open. The point, if you're going to restrict the intakes, is to pull as much air as possible without cavitating (with the mesh mod, this is a LOT of air). If you can do that with your venturi, great, but most don't allow that much airflow.
Each of my little pumps has 1/4" ID tubing running into them, running wide open. The point, if you're going to restrict the intakes, is to pull as much air as possible without cavitating (with the mesh mod, this is a LOT of air). If you can do that with your venturi, great, but most don't allow that much airflow.
musty baby
New member
I wouldn't cut off the fins. It'd be interesting to see if you got a positive result from cutting them down at some point, but until you have a spare impeller... 
Venturis by design are supposed to be efficient at pulling air into water, but by restricting the pump intakes you're going from efficiency to maximum air pull (which is good). It is easier to just run a hose into your intake tube and let the negative pressure from the pump pull the air directly in. The negative pressure (and how much air is pulled in) is managed by varying the restriction on the intake.
What did you use for mesh, Joel?
Venturis by design are supposed to be efficient at pulling air into water, but by restricting the pump intakes you're going from efficiency to maximum air pull (which is good). It is easier to just run a hose into your intake tube and let the negative pressure from the pump pull the air directly in. The negative pressure (and how much air is pulled in) is managed by varying the restriction on the intake.
What did you use for mesh, Joel?
jtesdall
Premium Member
I was just wondering on the venturi because I put restrictor plate in the intake just before the venturi. It will be interesting to play with restricting the intake. I use a valve on my airline and I have to turn it almost off to get get the maximum bubbles in the bottle. So it seems it should be able to pull more air if water flow was restricted more to create more negative pressure.
I used Enkamat.
I used Enkamat.
musty baby
New member
Since you have a single pump, it might be worth your while to get a plastic gate valve for the pump intake so you don't have to mess with testing different sized holes.
Enkamat, I think, is the same as the pf4 that I used. Looks the same, anyway. I tripled up and cut the mesh to the maximum diameter possible. The way genx needlewheels are set up allowed me to remove half of the needles without destroying the impeller, so I did do that. A mag12 has a fairly good sized impeller, did you cut the mesh any larger than the impeller? Just curious how you did it.
Enkamat, I think, is the same as the pf4 that I used. Looks the same, anyway. I tripled up and cut the mesh to the maximum diameter possible. The way genx needlewheels are set up allowed me to remove half of the needles without destroying the impeller, so I did do that. A mag12 has a fairly good sized impeller, did you cut the mesh any larger than the impeller? Just curious how you did it.
jtesdall
Premium Member
I used Enkamat PF4, I think they are the same thing. I put a layer on top and a layer on the bottom of the fins. I didn't even have to tie it it just looped over the fins. I cut it to about the same size as the impeller. The gate valve on the intake is a great idea. I am going to replace the ball valve on the outlet of the skimmer anyway so I will have to buy two. Home Depot doesn't carry SCH40 3/4" PVC Gate valves, does lowes? I know they carry CVPVC Gate valves I have some for the house.
Thanks for the gate valve on the intake idea. That is a wonderful thought. I will have to redo my intake or put the valve on the inside though. ;0) Nah I think I will just replace the exterior coupling I made into a venturi.
Thanks for the gate valve on the intake idea. That is a wonderful thought. I will have to redo my intake or put the valve on the inside though. ;0) Nah I think I will just replace the exterior coupling I made into a venturi.
jtesdall
Premium Member
Ball valve was a flop. But I am getting one he$$ of a head of foam now. It creates a huge 3" ball of foam all the way to the lid of my collection bucket (Ice Cream Bucket). I am trying to fine tune it now, but I am not getting much skimmate yet as the foam stays together and doesn't flow over the edge. I will try to get some pics tomorrow.
musty baby
New member
You testing this in your system or in a big container of some sort?
Reason I ask is that I've seen it happen before where someone "gets great skimmate then it suddenly stops" and later realizes that with such a small volume of water as they were testing in that they had skimmed clean what they had to work with and there was nothing more to pull out.
Then there was the guy who thought it was a great idea to pour dish soap in to get great bubble production.
Reason I ask is that I've seen it happen before where someone "gets great skimmate then it suddenly stops" and later realizes that with such a small volume of water as they were testing in that they had skimmed clean what they had to work with and there was nothing more to pull out.
Then there was the guy who thought it was a great idea to pour dish soap in to get great bubble production.
musty baby
New member
Oh yeah. You should post a darn picture there, Mr. Tesdall.
jtesdall
Premium Member
OK OK
OK OK
Here you go Mr. Holl. This is running in my 200 gallon system, no dish soap here baby. Hey how about some new pics of yours with some foam head as well.
DIY 5 Gallon Recirculating Water Bottle Skimmer with a Mesh Modded Mag 12 pump:
Foam after three days
I am going to adjust a bit to see if I can get more foam to go over the edge. It seems to get wetter when I do that though and is quite touchy. I need a SCH40 PVC Gate valve instead of this ball valve.
OK OK
Here you go Mr. Holl. This is running in my 200 gallon system, no dish soap here baby. Hey how about some new pics of yours with some foam head as well.
DIY 5 Gallon Recirculating Water Bottle Skimmer with a Mesh Modded Mag 12 pump:
Foam after three days
I am going to adjust a bit to see if I can get more foam to go over the edge. It seems to get wetter when I do that though and is quite touchy. I need a SCH40 PVC Gate valve instead of this ball valve.
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