xdusty6920
New member
just wanting to put in a drain line on my euroreef and was wondering if there is any problems i might run into and what is the best and most efficient way to do this?
drilling skimmer cup
- Thread starter xdusty6920
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Beaner3
New member
Use a 1/8" or 1/4" drill bit and put a hole into the cup about 3/8" from the base of the skimmer cup and use a tap and die set to put threads into the hole, screw in a 90 degree barbed fitting (PVC) and you can run some thicker guage airline tubing into a collection cup.-Good Luck!
spazz
New member
just be careful and dont put any pressure on the drill bit when drilling it. if you do it will grab and break the cup. go slow and dont use a high speed on the drill either. slow and easy and you wont have any problems. most people dont have drill bits for plastisc. and standard bits will tear out and chip the acrylic when its punching through. when you tap it out use some vasilene on the tap for lubrication. it will prevent the treads from gunking up and making a mess out of the plastic threads.
xdusty6920
New member
thats the design i see on most skimmers but im wondering if all thats really needed. could i just simple drill a 1/4 hole in the bottum of the cup and silicone in an airtube flush with the plastic? what kind of bit should i buy for this project? would it be ok to use my dremel?
hot4teacher
New member
IME, silicone and acrylic don't do so well over time. Will it do the trick? Yes...but over time of moving the hose, it might come undone. But then again it isn't high pressure.
Dana
Dana
xdusty6920
New member
i know silicone isnt the greatest but im just trying to keep it simple without having to buy $20 worth of stuff just to put a skimmer cup drain line in.
to be honest i dont have a tap for threading nor do i have the proper bit to drill acrylic. so if i do spend the money on the right bits and tap what should i be looking for at my local lowes?
to be honest i dont have a tap for threading nor do i have the proper bit to drill acrylic. so if i do spend the money on the right bits and tap what should i be looking for at my local lowes?
Kevin McG
Member
I drilled through the bottom of the cup with a 1/2" drill, ran a 1/4" NPT tap into the hole and screwed in a 1/4" hose connector I found at my local Home Depot.Total cost about $10.00 for the tap,connector and some tubing.
I tried to use the correct drill size for the 1/4" (27/64") pipe tap but it was a bit to hard to tap and I didn't want to run the risk of craking the cup.
Good luck with yours
I tried to use the correct drill size for the 1/4" (27/64") pipe tap but it was a bit to hard to tap and I didn't want to run the risk of craking the cup.
Good luck with yours
radone
New member
You might want to reconsider this.
FWIW I did this and ended up getting water all over the floor, after I feed my tank the skimmer went ballistic and puked crap everywhere. Make sure to get a collection jug large enough and will shut your skimmer down if it tries to overflow the jug.
I set mine up with float switches to shut the skimmer off if this tries to happen.
As for drilling it Spazz's method will work good, just remember to wipe the excess vaaline off since it is a petroleum product and not to find it's way into your tank somehow.
"If it can happen it will" kinda thing
Good Luck
FWIW I did this and ended up getting water all over the floor, after I feed my tank the skimmer went ballistic and puked crap everywhere. Make sure to get a collection jug large enough and will shut your skimmer down if it tries to overflow the jug.
I set mine up with float switches to shut the skimmer off if this tries to happen.
As for drilling it Spazz's method will work good, just remember to wipe the excess vaaline off since it is a petroleum product and not to find it's way into your tank somehow.
"If it can happen it will" kinda thing
Good Luck
RandyStacyE
New member
www.harborfreight.com
This is a good link for decent tools at great prices. You may even have a local Harbor Freight store near by.
It would be hard to beat this price
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39391
It is not "critical" to have "special" drill bits if you are only drilling a few holes. If you have some drill bits, make sure they are sharp and go easy.
This is a good link for decent tools at great prices. You may even have a local Harbor Freight store near by.
It would be hard to beat this price
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39391
It is not "critical" to have "special" drill bits if you are only drilling a few holes. If you have some drill bits, make sure they are sharp and go easy.
