DIY "Stream" Style Pump

niko5 said:
thats correct just end to end and the blades line up to form the cork screw looking thing...

Reefwerkes how did you do yours?

I am currently in the process of trying to mend my props together to do the "corkscrew"... not working with Weld-on though. Gonna have to try Super Glue for Plastics.
 
I just lined mine up and they slide over the 3/16" tube very snug then i just put a drop of hot melt on it.
 
problem is the flow going backwards because a powerhead isnt polarized any idea on how to keep it going in a single direction hehhe
 
Yea leave the 1" of open shaft after the prop and if ti turns backwards it pulls the mag out enough to stop spinning then it sucks back in (magnetic force) then trys to start spinning again.
 
Cant let you guys let this thread die. I was quietly following it, waiting for you guys to perfect this thing.

Well? How's it running.

Hef.
 
Mines perfected :) With the addition of that grove from ReefWerkes its easy to clean if that ever comes up and with the double prop it blows LOTS of water... I think think of anything to change other than how its mounted... right now its in an acrylic box i made works good but theres always a better way.
 
i bought the SS rods gonna try them see if they rust i left one in a cup of salt water for a month dont seem to have any affect on them but no i havent found the titaium rods have you?
 
You need 3/32 rod for the shaft the only place i have found it are some welding supplies. They used it to weld alumnium.

The titanium tube would be neat to replace the plastic tube but the plastic hasent broken yet :)
 
acually 3/32 is a bit small as well i have the SS rod and it doesnt fit as nice as the stock SS rod that comes with the MJ1200
 
I think what Maxi Jet does it they use a 3/32 rod then coat it with something to keep the steel from rusting and the coating makes it thick enough to fit like it does.
 
Yep mine are still running. Most of the time they come on by themselves or back on after power outages but if by chance they dont I can lift them so the front is out of the water about half way and they start up ... no more sticking my finger into the blade to start it :P
 
ejmeier said:
Depends on the amount of flow you can get to the propeller, and the size of the prop. The one that I ran *felt* like it was doing way more than my return pump was pushing out (700 - 800 gph). My estimate with a 1.5" prop would be in the neighborhood of 800 - 1200 gph, maybe more.

Without going into a long explanation that no one but me cares about:
The higher the GHP of a powerhead, the beefier the impellor. I felt a little silly paying an extra $10 for a slightly beefier impellor, but I did anyway.

Kowabunga dude! I didn't know what I was missing.

The new one with a larger prop just blows away my sad original crappy ones by like a mile. I realize now just how pathetic the performance of my original ones were. Glad none of you all seen them - embarrassing. :D

"What other three? No this is my only one right now." :)

PS - I've also had trouble with getting them to start after a loss of power. No exactly a high priority with me - as I havn't had a power outage since I started running them. And restarting them after fiddling with them isn't worth the effort to get fancy and make something that I'll have to fix all the time.
 
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Picture? Ied like to see the bigger prop to see if its like the one that I got. I had to trim my props abit to get them to run becuase they were pushing to much and stopping the maxi jet.
 
I'll try and remember to take a pic!

Basically an 'untrimmed' prop (Had to trim all the others). Given the 'umph' of the thing I decided to go with the 3/32 SS axel idea :) (thanks!) and support both ends with a "U" type structure hacked together with acrylic/little solvent/ hot glue. Went together in one evening - even with the trip to the hobby shop to buy the stainless steel rod!

Propeller head details: (No pun in ten did).
The "local" hobby shop that carryââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the RC props is like a hour's drive away - so I pretty much bought every small (cheap) prop that they had. So I had a couple laying around. I tried one and it didn't go :( but then I tried another one with a different pitch - it's the angle of the prop to axel: --/-- Boom! It worked. Must've been just on the ragged edge with the prop with the --|-- pitch.

I took the axel with me to the hobby shop and 3/32 was the closest match. It was a touch big for the impellor, nothing that a drill bit and cordless drill couldn't fix. I liked being able to re-use the original plastic ends. (Didn't even have to get the bigger hammer!) Made attaching the outside end to the acrylic with a little hot glue child's play.

I used a Penguin PH. It was what 2 of my three previous ones where. So I knew it worked. And it was the best one the local corporate LFS carried since they didn't carry Maxijet!
 
I'm not sure who left that stubby little prop in my house. I've never seen it before ...
34764SizeMatters.JPG

Sometimes size DOES matter ...
34764SizeDiff.JPG

Here's a shot of my acrylic and hot glue support assembly. I think my magnets wern't strong enough, and over night it slide down until it sucked up some cheato. Basically a piece of acrylic with a keyhole shape cut in it.
34764SideView.JPG

Notice the attention to detail. Real old world craftsmanship!
34764EndView.JPG

I'm going to fashion some sort of blade guard before too long...
 
Oh wow that one is abit stubby :) my props look very simmilar to your new orange ones except I put 2 side by side so it look slike a corkscrew they are awsome :)

I like your acrylic mount keep an eye on your fish though :) and keep an eye on the hole in the acrylic the SS rod goes in. Unless you secure the center rod so it does NOT spin and the prop assembly spins on the rod, the rod will wear through the acrylic in about a month.
 
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