9400.04/9400.00 hydrofoamer pumps

[hahnmeister]

It seems that they are available finally, and ATI has their version as well now in a threadwheel form... but it wont be available for some time.
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1085

Anyways, I wanted to make my own recirculating external skimmer, something direct fed from the overflow and outside my sump, about 4' tall, 12" in diameter. My questions are...

How to plumb the intake/outlet for a recirc loop with this pump... is it possible?

How does the pump perform with height? All pumps lose some, but would this pump still perform in 3' of water?

 

[rvitko]

I don't think a recirc will be possible. The outlet is 3/4" NPT but the inlet is metric 25mm and it has an unusual taper. I am not sure of the effect of that much head, generally needle wheels don't handle head pressure well.

 

[hahnmeister]

Well, some, like the Oceanrunners, can handle back pressure rather well... it depends on the pump. Those threadwheel eheims can run on a 4' tall skimmer... granted, not as much air throughput, but they still work.

Okay, good to know... the plumbing may not work. But I might be able to machine that anyways or bond on the extra parts needed. How about for a 30" tall skimmer? I suppose the most critical part then is just that the volute/pump is water-tight and wont leak if external.

On a side note, didnt I see these pumps rated at 1000lph of air at one point? I see now that they are rated at 800lph. Have their been design changes, or is it a 50hz/60hz difference or something?

 

[rvitko]

We always rated them at 800 l/h. The new rubber needle wheel unofficially does 1000 l/h but that is on a test bench and it drops with the head pressure in its actual application. Basically it will work with head pressure but it will not be as effective.

 

[hahnmeister]

Okay, nevermind. After seeing this thread...
http://www.meerwasserforum.com/thread.php?threadid=32226&threadview=0&hilight=&hilightuser=0&page=1

I realize that these pumps are not suited for external use at all due to other issues. Just wondering, are Tunze's versions of this pump actually made by Sicce & approved by their engineers? It seems that the ATI ones arent.

 

[rvitko]

The motor block portion is from Sicce, we worked very closely with Sicce to develop this pump but we do make many of the parts ourselves including the impellant venturi and drive unit. I am not sure as to the exact terms of the agreement but it does carry our standard 2 year warranty.

 

[hahnmeister]

I figured that you guys would do it the right way... thats what most would assume with Tunze. ATI on the other hand... I knew of their reputation in the EU before they even started selling in the US... and although they seem to be doing a better job than in the past, I still hear about them cutting corners from time to time.

In that article, the engineer and owner of Sicce stated that the pump is in no way approved for external use. Kinda makes me wonder how they intend to make external bubblemaster skimmers from it.

Which leads me to my next question... I love the idea of these pumps, and I like the new Master DOC skimmer design, but the problem I have is that the skimmer must be run external. So for the most part, Im looking at something custom/DIY, or a recrculating skimmer from Deltec, H&S, DAS, Royal Exclusiv, etc...
Does Tunze have anything in the plans for an external/recirc skimmer solution?

 

[rvitko]

We do, but at this time we are holding off on developing new products until we finish what we have already begun and get production up to the level of demand. It is a possibility for late 2008, early 2009.