DIY Monster Beckett- Graphic Intensive!

[Montipora]

Do you have any pics of the injector? Thinking of building something different than my regular skimmer.

I'm currently building an 8" riser for a 36" beckett skimmer. The next units I build will be the exact clone of the AEROFOAMER...at half the cost...just cant decide if I want to copy the same injector...

 

[golf nut]

Great job Zeph!!!

Keep up the good work and the R&D... hope to have some answers for you later next week.

Paul

 

[schemo]

Zeph,

can you tell me what size pvc pipe you used to hold the beckett? and could you also post a more indepth pic of flanges where the beckett is at? i got 2 becketts at the house and i'm trying to figure out how to hold them in place?

schemo

 

[brokekyle]

I'm not a fan of sealed beckett housing but here's a pic of a good looking design http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=653154

here's the thread http://reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&postid=932990#post932990

 

[geshields]

brokekyle,

that housing looks real familiar...lol..

Greg

 

[Zephrant]

Hey Schemo- The last picture could use some more explanation- The Beckett is friction-fit into a piece of PVC pipe on the top, (with an O-ring). On the bottom I took a disk of acrylic, turned it down to size, and grooved the edge to accept an O-ring, then cut a hole in the center to friction fit on the other end of the Beckett (with an O-ring again).

The end result is that I slip the black disk on the beckett, then slide it down the tube, and tighten down the thumb screws. The O-ring on the edge of the disk keeps the water/foam from backing up in to the inlet ports on the Beckett. If I remove the Beckett, the disk stays in place, but it could be pulled out for cleaning if desired.

This was a one-off to determine if enclosing the Beckett would make a performance difference on an existing skimmer. Next time, I will simply build a enclosure for the Beckett similar to what others do.

HTH-

Zeph

 

[brokekyle]

that housing looks real familiar...lol..

Greg

.. I wonder who built it?? all I can say is I know the difference funtional and crap.. yours works and is easy to build

 

[Montipora]

Nice job zeph. I can see you have some talent there....for what it's worth...I'm building an Aerofoamer 830 to exact specifications with all 1/4" cast acrylic tube this week, and the next model will be a square unit from a sheet using a bender.
Very unique injection idea...seems like you're working things out ...

Would like to show you guys some pics as this thing comes along...waiting for some tube to show up at the moment...

 

[kentrob11]

Hey montipora- where did you end up getting your tube from? A local guy here is selling it for 7.50 a foot for 4.5" OD. I figure thats no bad considering there's no length limits and they'll cut it for free

 

[Montipora]

I'm using 6 and 8" cast 1/4" wall...big bucks...found it at Farco plastics...#24 & $38 a foot...ouch!

A guy in Denver has 700 ft. of the 6" for $10 a foot..thats a deal...my local supplier has some 8" for closer to $30.

This is why I want to build a square Aero...save $100 right from the get go!

 

[JDM130]

Man That think is AWESOME!!!!

Man That think is AWESOME!!!!

That is one sweet looking skimmer and you did a great job! I am in the process of building one myself and until I saw your design I was going to build one like an EV style skimmer. Now, after seeing yours, I hope you don't mind if I build one similar to it. Of course it will be smaller and a little different. I have a question for you, When you placed the 3-1/2" and the 6" tubes on top of the box, did you just glue them down or did you cut a groove in the top to kind of counter sink them? If you made a groove, how did you do it? Also, did you use O-rings on the flanges? One thing I am going to do is, on the 6" tube about 3/4 of the way up is drill and tap the skimmer body and install a threaded nipple aimed at the inner wall at a 90 degree angle and use a powerhead or a "T" off the main pump to create a downward spiral effect in the main skimmer body. I had a MTC skimmer that used something like this, it definitly increased contact time, so instead of the pump pushing upwards and pushing the bubbles up, there will be another at the top pushing the bubbles back down to increase contact time even more. This mad a HUGE difference with the skimmer I had and I will use the same type of setup. The best part is, you don't even need a lot of preasure to do this, just 300gph will spin that reaction chamber like no tomorrow. If your interested, I can find a link or a pic. of what I'm talking about. I believe that some of the PM skimmers use a similar setup. Anyway, any input would be greatly apreciated. And GREAT JOB!
Jeff

 

[Zephrant]

Hey JDM- Thanks for the comments- Feel free to copy whatever you like for your personal use.

When I join the tubes to the base, I use a custom ground fly cutter to cut a 1/8" groove in the base, then I use Weldon #4 to glue the tube in to it. This gives it a much stronger joint, and looks very clean. For this design, the small tube goes all the way though the base though- For that one just cut the hole so it is snug, and glue with Weldon #4. Follow up on the inside with a little Weldon #16 if your hole was a little too big.

I use 1/8" O-rings all the way around. I use a similar fly-cutter, ground to a 1/8" wide flat bottom profile, to cut 0.1" deep grooves for the O-rings to sit in. Keeps them from getting in the way, and looks professional. (On another thread I posted a picture a few days ago, but I forget which one.)

As for the drill/tap of a tube- I don't like doing that at all. It is hard to do, and prone to breakage. The joint itself is very weak, and if you hang a pump or long pipe off of it (lever arm), you are just screaming for a leak in the future. For my designs I refuse to penetrate a wall of a tube. For home use, it can be fine, but for commercial use.... too much of a chance for damage/leakage. (Note- I've repair some commercial units that do that, and they always start leaking again.) I'd suggest that you see if you can come up with a way that doesn't require the penetration.

Re: the swirling- I'm not convinced that it makes a big difference to the foam production. Think about it this way- There is a set # of gallons per hour going in, the same amount coming out, and the skimmer can only hold so many gallons, regardless of how much the water swirls. By swirling the water, you force some of the water to get dizzy at the top of the skimmer, while some is forced right out the exit. I'm not sure the swirling doesn't create extra turbulence, which can hurt foam production... I'd like to see a test with a skimmer that swirls, then remove the swirl mechanism to see if the foam production (over several weeks) changes at last. I'm not convinced that swirling is bad, but I'm not convinced that it will buy you anything either.

By all means make yours swirl if you desire- I'd like to see the results.

Zeph

 

[Zephrant]

Update: I made a final change to the design some time ago, and forgot to post a new picture. When we last left off, I had decided that sealing the Beckett injector produced better results. It kept the foam from being re-injected though the Beckett's intake holes. I also got tired of the wing-nuts. I could just see myself dropping them in to the bottom of the skimmer... I figured I'd run out eventually and have to drain it and tip it upside down to get to them.

I cut off the flange on the bottom of the collection cup, and replaced it with a keyhole flange, then built a new module for the injector column that has key-holes, as well as a sealed Beckett chamber. I inserted a piece of 3/4" acrylic inside the tube (rounded, so it was flush to the inside curve), and drilled and tapped it. Since the tube I used was so small (2.5" OD) I didn't have much room. I installed a 1/4" speed-fit, a piece of hose, then a valve. Later I took the valve off, and the air flow is just about right, with that 1' piece of hose and the 1/4" speed-fit. It is also nearly silent. The Beckett makes a little hissing noise, but there is no noise from the air inlet unless you stick it in your ear. (Don't ask how I noticed that one...)

The unit has been running great- I cleaned it last Tuesday, so that is the buildup from 5 days of use. I try to clean it weekly. I am getting some algae growth inside the cylinders, and am considering making a black shield out of 1/32" lexan or similar. If I cut and bent the shield around the tube, I could leave a 1" wide strip that was not covered for viewing, but blocks the light.

Zeph

 

[JDM130]

Zeph, Still looking great! That skimmer looks like it's kickin some serious *****. Can't wait to see pics of the new one runnin!

Peace,
Jeff

 

[Cheapreef]

. I am getting some algae growth inside the cylinders, and am considering making a black shield out of 1/32" lexan or similar. If I cut and bent the shield around the tube, I could leave a 1" wide strip that was not covered for viewing, but blocks the light.

Zeph

Here's a thought, try some limo black window tint. Let me know if it works for you, i may need to use it on mine as well.

Clinton

 

[Lunchbucket]

yeah that looks NASTY!! keep us updated on your changes

thanks
Lunchbucket

 

[Reef Man]

I cannÃ"šÃ‚´t see the pictures.

Is it posible to get them?

Thanks !

 

[Zephrant]

They are still there, hosted on my personal server. I've heard that AOL clients may not like them though. You might try to run Netscape or similar to see them, or check a friend's computer.

RC is too limiting for me to upload all of them. It took hours the last time I tried that.

Zeph

 

[Reef Man]

Thanks !

I got them today.

BTW I sent you a PM.

Thanks !!

 

[nicky30092002]

so where to get this Beckett pond foamer, how much?