CS-1 recirc skimmer pros and cons

[ctenophore]

I have some little conical rubber feet that we used to use on the old CS1 pump stand when it was a side-mount version. I will see if there is a way to use these on the pegleg version, and if so will send out some to those of you who need them.

 

[rainmkr07]

I have some little conical rubber feet that we used to use on the old CS1 pump stand when it was a side-mount version. I will see if there is a way to use these on the pegleg version, and if so will send out some to those of you who need them.

i would LOVE those!

 

[disaster999]

anyone have any problem with the nylon thumb screws binding in the acrylic?

it was pain to remove the screws holding the body to the bottom plate and the gate valve thread was binding pretty bad with the acrylic. im about to oil the thread to see if that will free it up.

 

[disaster999]

anyone have any problem with the nylon thumb screws binding in the acrylic?

it was pain to remove the screws holding the body to the bottom plate and the gate valve thread was binding pretty bad with the acrylic. im about to oil the thread to see if that will free it up.

 

[disaster999]

after several months of using this skimmer, i found some more interesting facts about it.

one major issue is the recirculation mod makes this skimmer so loud it drones throughout the entire house. i finally couldnt take it and turned it back to a regular skimmer. i could hear myself think again.

second of all, the nylon nuts that threads into the acrylic and PVC legs expands under water and makes it near impossible to unscrew or screw back into the material without having to think you are going to shear off the threads. some same material or even stainless steel thumb screws would be ideal. i wouldnt mind paying for it if it means easier maintenance

 

[rainmkr07]

after several months of using this skimmer, i found some more interesting facts about it.

one major issue is the recirculation mod makes this skimmer so loud it drones throughout the entire house. i finally couldnt take it and turned it back to a regular skimmer. i could hear myself think again.

second of all, the nylon nuts that threads into the acrylic and PVC legs expands under water and makes it near impossible to unscrew or screw back into the material without having to think you are going to shear off the threads. some same material or even stainless steel thumb screws would be ideal. i wouldnt mind paying for it if it means easier maintenance

I had a screw sheer off when I tried to unscrew a leg, actually I think I was tightening it when it came off. So I had to order another screw from Avast to fix it.

As for the sound - that's my only complaint with the CS1 (also recirc) - it's amazing loud. I bought some foam mattress pad from walmart for $10 (twin size) and I cut it up and put it inside of my stand to dampen the sound, since my tank is in the living room, and it helped a lot. I recommend doing that if you can. Avast is aware their CS1 recirc is loud, hopefully they get the rubber feet going, or some other mod to get the sound down.

I am still very happy with the product however. I showed a buddy of mine what came out after just 3 days and he was very impressed (several inches of black gunk).

 

[Want2BS8ed]

one major issue is the recirculation mod makes this skimmer so loud it drones throughout the entire house. i finally couldnt take it and turned it back to a regular skimmer. i could hear myself think again.

Was there anything specific you could attribute the noise to? Anyone else done a before-after-before comparison?

I just recently swapped out my main sump return pump (the worst noise offender), but that was after the recirc upgrade, so I honestly have no reference.

 

[disaster999]

what i can think of is with the regular skimmer, the pump is held on with one rubber joint. the recirc adds another joint to the pump and that amplified how much is vibrates. also it could be the added pipe for the recirc mod creates too much turbulence, preventing the pump from getting a smooth flow of water and thus making the air sucking sound even louder.

i didnt record any comparisons, but when i only had the pump running in water it was quiet, mounted just the pump with no recirc pipe to the bottom plate and it was quiet. adding the recirc pipe reeked all sorts of havoc. it was loud and the whole skimmer shook. the silencer didnt do anything, it had a super loud sucking sound.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Thanks Disaster,

The sucking silencer is easy to remedy. 1/2" Teflon tubing (ice maker tubing) slips over the inlet on the silencer. I ran mine outside to solve an excess CO2 problem and it's dead silent now.

I just did some playing around and mine is pretty quiet flipping the two pumps on and off. Two things may be driving that. (1) I have a relatively small system volume so I am using a small Sicce pump to feed the skimmer (I even used zip ties to attach it to one of the legs - a straigh shot from the pumps outlet to the 90 deg. inlet elbow supplied with the recirc kit). (2) I have a deep sump and rather than building a shelf for the skimmer to sit on, I ordered some extra long legs. Maybe they are absorbing some of the vibration you experienced?

Over all I have been happy with the conversion. Over skimming on such a small system I can't say it's really that much more efficient, however it did resolve a seemingly random problem where the skimmer would overflow on occasion (knock wood).

I will say the Sicce pumps are much quieter, but I question their specs. I replaced the Mag 3 on my ozone reactor at the same time with a Sicce rated at the same flow (and higher head). It didn't have the umph to even draw on the Venturi. Needless to say the Mag 3 is back in the sump!

 

[disaster999]

i did try adding a long tube to the silencer end and that quiet it somewhat, but the droning noise from the pump still remains.

i tried various depths, my sump has a 12" water level and at any level the skimmer is still very loud. i even tried to suspend it in the water and that didnt help at all. its not the vibration of the pump thats resonating through out the sump but more like the way the pump is mounted to the skimmer thats causing all the headaches. without the recirculation elbow the skimmer is almost dead silent. i should try adding just the elbow back to the pump but not connect it to the body and see if thats where the problem is.

i would of gotten the regular skimmer if it wasnt for justin convincing me to get the recirc mod. would of saved myself the headache and use the money to make a stand to elevate the skimmer.

 

[jscarlata]

dude, it doesnt cost a lot to make a stand to elevate your skimmer...you can use large PVC fittings, eggcrate...there are options it doesnt have to be expesnive...

im considering getting the CS1, recirc, swabbie etc in the all-in-one package deal...im not sure if its enough or not enough for my tank..i have a 90g display and 25g/sump/fuge
mixed reef, slowly gettign populated with more sps, my lps are all large and may need trimmign soon

 

[jayl65]

Im seriously looking at this skimmer. I am interested in the black cone complete kit with swabbie and recirculating mod and davie jones locker. My only hesitation at this point is the noise factor. I realize it is a great skimmer and l love the idea of DYI. I really like to build things so thats no problem. Does anyone know if Avast has updated the skimmer silencer or if there are any mods that can accommodate the sound of the skimmer and pump. Mine would be in an inclosed cabinet in the main living area of the home. I have really tried to make choices for the system that are quiet so its not intrusive. I would like to make this purchase within the next month or two. I don't know if avast will be having a sale of any kind or if they have any updates in the works. I will also be getting two of the media reactor kits. Since it such a large purchase I just want to make sure that this really is the skimmer for me. Any more info would be helpful in making the decision. Thanks

 

[disaster999]

i cant recommend the recirculation mod for this skimmer. the noise the circulation mod adds is just too much to bare. the pump becomes extremely noisy and the air silencer is useless. ive tried all sorts of way to eliminate the noise but nothing seem to work. i went back to the traditional set up and everything quiet down dramatically.

i just aim the output of the biopellet directly at the skimmer intake and so far it worked out pretty good.

 

[cec09]

My recirculation model is silent

 

[Want2BS8ed]

+1 3-months on and still smitten.

 

[disaster999]

question for people with quiet recirculating skimmers, did you glue every single PVC connection for the recirc mod or had them friction fitted together? thats probably the only thing i can think of for the cause of all the noise.

im pretty sure i had the rest of the skimmer assembled correctly

 

[sportzfish]

I did not glue any of the PVC connections, just press fit. I have not really explored the reasoning behind the quietness of my setup although in the beginning it was a little bit noisy.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

All press fit here as well...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Avast Marine]

question for people with quiet recirculating skimmers, did you glue every single PVC connection for the recirc mod or had them friction fitted together? thats probably the only thing i can think of for the cause of all the noise.

im pretty sure i had the rest of the skimmer assembled correctly

Are you using a voltage converter for 220v or a 220v pump?

Is the noise mechanical or air? You can test this by puting the air intake under water. If it is mechanical you will still here noise.

Some people have noted a quieter operation is the leg holder/stand is not used, not exactly sure why but it is worth trying.

 

[disaster999]

i would have to look into the recirc mod again and do more testing to see where the noise is coming from and how loud each piece will become. ill post videos as i do that.

im running a voltage converter that gives 150W of power. i dont think the converter is the culprit, i made sure all the voltage and frequency the converter gives out matches the one for the US.