Adding float switch to Skimmer cup?

[THE ROOK]

bluetang - You'll need to have the float in hand so you can determine the drill bit size. Most likely you'll be able to just enlarge one of the holes in the lid. Just make sure the float won't touch the side or center of the cup.

As I mentioned earlier, grab some sort of 2 wire connector. I'd go with a strong waterproof type. Hopefully it will last longer. Without this, you won't be able to remove the lid from the sump area easily.

I'd also look into boatbuilder's idea. Sounds like it worked for him & it's very cheap to try it out.

One more thought, how about drilling a remote overflow container & place the float sensor there?

 

[bluetang_2000]

The rook, that's an excellent idea. now why didn't I think of that, remote overflow container and float sensor, instead of drilling the lid. The container is much cheaper than the lid, so as the sensor. Best of two worlds.

boatbuilder, thanks for the overflow recommendation. picked up two last night.

 

[sunsetSPS]

what you try to achieve by adding a float switch detector? I don't see much different between stop skimming or keep skimming and let it overflow, the amount of overflow will be back to the sump as it has never been skimmed. At least let it overflow could give you a day or more of skimming (as the overflow level usually higher than float switch detected level). Either clean it regularly or having remote collector can, if you are lazy person then you can add 20G collection can and forget about it for a year or so.

 

[THE ROOK]

What if it's an external skimmer that could trash your stand and/or carpet by overflowing?

 

[sunsetSPS]

all skimmers usually have the collector drain pipe, and if there is a drain pipe you can hang it to the sump same level of the overflow if it's external. Why use F150 to kill an ant? I don't see why running external skimmer w/o a collection can, especially for lazy people.

Just throw my opinions around, I love new ideas too and many of my new ideas also crazy/stupid ideas too. ETSS skimmer has a collection cup that has a shut off feature that is a very simple design. I'm sure many people are thinking of way to detect their collection can overflow and after that they are thinking about the way to detect the failure of the system they built to detect their overflow collection can.....

 

[EnderG60]

For what you want its not a bad idea. Either the ball blocking the air intake method or a float switch as you want. The only problem I see is letting the float switch gunk up and stick.

But as for protecting against a skimmer going nuts and overflowing(which ive seen lead to MANY tank crashes when people dose kalk) Its a good idea!

I think the easiest thing to do is plumb an overflow high on the cup back into the sump. that way worse case you get some gunk back into the tank rather then drain it.

 

[bluetang_2000]

the skimmer is internal, so what ever overflows now is going back to the sump. But I think what I am going to do is connect the drain from the cup to another 1g container, and add the overflow switch to that container instead, that way, no need to drill the skimmer lid.

 

[Konadog]

I just found this thread.
I installed one in my ATB 1050 skimmer to shut it down if the collection cup becomes full. It's connected to my RKE and will also email me if it shuts down. The reason was if for some reason my skimmer goes nuts I want to know about it. I empty and clean the skimmer long before the switch would shut it down, but for the one day something dies, or happens, I want to know about it.

 

[bluetang_2000]

Ken, thanks for the pic.

 

[Konadog]

No problem. I just enlarged one of the vent wholes and use some leftover RO plumbing parts to hold it in place.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14787529#post14787529 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by uncleof6
For a skimmer to work efficiently, it must be cleaned no less than every other day. Allowing to the cup to fill to the point that it may overflow is a poor maintenance practice to begin with. Adding a float switch to turn it off is pointless. A far better "mod" would be to add a hole in the bottom of the cup, and run tubing to a remote collection point. But even this encourages poor maintenance practices. I hear people trying to increase the efficiency of the skimmer a thousand times over, yet they are neglecting this most basic concept. With skimmer efficiency, this is the second biggest reason for a lack thereof. The first is an improperly sized skimmer to begin with.

Regards,

Jim

All of this is only true if you skim dry. If you skim wet, its out the window.

 

[uncleof6]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14798463#post14798463 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
All of this is only true if you skim dry. If you skim wet, its out the window.

Well, ok...... in pulling out only two instruction manuals, at random-- and reading them, would suggest that you are uninformed.

Jim

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14798999#post14798999 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by uncleof6
Well, ok...... in pulling out only two instruction manuals, at random-- and reading them, would suggest that you are uninformed.

Jim

In what way?

For a skimmer to work efficiently, it must be cleaned no less than every other day.

When a skimmer is run wet, much less particulate builds up in the neck. It will continue to skim much longer before needing cleaning. A skimmer running wet is generally cleaner at 1 week than a dry skimmer is at 24 hours.

Allowing to the cup to fill to the point that it may overflow is a poor maintenance practice to begin with.

Unless you wet skim. When you wet skim, you can fill the cup up in a couple of hours.

Adding a float switch to turn it off is pointless.

Here, I agree.

A far better "mod" would be to add a hole in the bottom of the cup, and run tubing to a remote collection point. But even this encourages poor maintenance practices.

Unless, you know, you wet skim, when you actually need to run remote collection, or empty the cup every couple hours.

I hear people trying to increase the efficiency of the skimmer a thousand times over, yet they are neglecting this most basic concept.

Having a clean skimmer is certainly important. Wet skimming, keeps your skimmer clean for much longer, so theres not nearly as much cleaning needed. The skimmer skims efficiently for much longer periods.



So, pray tell, where exactly am I uninformed?

 

[bluetang_2000]

when you wet skim, would you want to monitor your salinity more closely since you are removing more saltwater and top off freshwater, unless you have a continuous water changing system. just my thoughts.

 

[uncleof6]

Posts such as the previous one are designed to be argumentative. I do not respond well to them for this reason. I am not here to argue over information taken directly from instruction manuals. Opinions are a different story. If you were to limit your comment to "every other day, is a bit much" I would probably say fair enough, however in the case of the above:

"Wet vs. Dry Foam
The decision to collect a watery, diluted waste product or a darker, pasty foam is a
matter of personal preference. Simply put, one is not better than the other! Wet
foam contains the same amount of waste products as dry foam, but is diluted with tank
water. In other words, the skimmer is removing the same amount of waste whether it
collects a cupful of yellowish liquid or a ¼” of dark gunk. Depending on how often you
clean and service your system, one might be better than the other. We recommend
frequent cleaning of your skimmer (2-3 times per week) and keeping it adjusted to
collect a reasonably wet, light green-brown foam product"



As I said, your initial response would SUGGEST that you are uninformed. It is the manufacturer that says how to run the skimmers efficiently, not the end user.

Regards,

Jim

EDIT: Referring to post prior to the last one

 

[RichConley]

The manufacturer suggests a baseline for the typical user. This baseline is based on multiple things, one of them being convenience. The idea that what the manufacturer suggests is the most efficient configuration is a fallacy. No sane manufacturer is going to market their skimmer suggesting that it needs to be emptied three times a day.

Posts such as the previous one are designed to be argumentative.

And how is ".Well, ok...... in pulling out only two instruction manuals, at random-- and reading them, would suggest that you are uninformed. " anything but argumentative?

Wet
foam contains the same amount of waste products as dry foam, but is diluted with tank
water. In other words, the skimmer is removing the same amount of waste whether it
collects a cupful of yellowish liquid or a ¼” of dark gunk.

Completely true. For about 6 hours. After that, because of particulate deposited in the neck of the skimmer running dry, the wet skimmer will run much more efficiently.

 

[bluetang_2000]

as far as what I am trying to achieve, adding a float sw to the skimmer lid, I think I have the answer.

As regard to dry vs wet skimming, and the effect of salinity, i still have to read up on this. Thanks to all for the helpful response.

 

[uncleof6]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14799622#post14799622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
The manufacturer suggests a baseline for the typical user. This baseline is based on multiple things, one of them being convenience. The idea that what the manufacturer suggests is the most efficient configuration is a fallacy. No sane manufacturer is going to market their skimmer suggesting that it needs to be emptied three times a day.




And how is ".Well, ok...... in pulling out only two instruction manuals, at random-- and reading them, would suggest that you are uninformed. " anything but argumentative?





Completely true. For about 6 hours. After that, because of particulate deposited in the neck of the skimmer running dry, the wet skimmer will run much more efficiently.

I raised an objection to the op's original question. I placed a premise on that objection, and explained why I said it the way I did, the subject closed, and the thread continued. Because you wish to pursue this further, the thread is at a standstill waiting to see which one of us will cross the line first with bad info.... I chose at random to remove bias, I have given supporting evidence to go along with my premise, and quoted directly from one of the random chosen manuals, this is the copyright info: AquaC, Inc. © 2005 All rights reserved. Got questions? Send them to info@proteinskimmer.com .And that is what I suggest anyone wishing information on skimmer effiecency regardless of brand, especially if the skimmer does not function as intended or as the manufacturer claims. As I said originally the idea has merit, or I would have blown the entire subject off....however, there are simpler ways to deal with the issue. Good Day Sir.

 

[hebygb]

Lets assume that not everyone has a controller. I am also a big fan of the waste container, all my systems have one. For those of us that use insump skimmers, here is a scenario which is quite realistic:

Your return pump fails, is shut off by itself, impellar blades snap... The sump level rises and in turn causes your skimmer to fill up, and overflow within a couple of minutes... regardless of how you choose to skim.

In this scenario, having a drain is a great idea, however could cause a crash as your skimmer fills the waste collector eventually leading to your ATO pumping in too much fresh water and quite possibly crashing your salinity and maybe even kalk levels.

In this case, a float switch to turn off the skimmer would be a good thing... A switch in the cup would render a drain hose useless... so it almost has to go into the waste collector.

I would select a height that is relevant to the size system you have, so as not to totally tweak your parameters.

my .02

 

[bluetang_2000]

hebygb, thanks for the scenario. That is exactly what I am trying to accomplish, whatever reason the skimmer overflows, the waste will go to the waste container, and the skimmer pump will stop by the controller when the level switch activates, also the controller could stop the ATO if this happens. Thus preventing a possible disaster until I come home to investigate what went wrong and reset everything.