I'm on the list for a small as well, and I'm hoping to get good news about a shipment soon. John has been great with follow up anytime I email him, so I have no doubts whatsoever about my decision to go this route. As stated he was under the weather, but progress is being made on the skimmers.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14277743#post14277743 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SHOmuchFUN
Can't wait as well, but I need to find a venturi for this dang DAS Aquabee 2000/1 pump. Not even Petorama can get me one. It's been 2 days since I spoke to an employee at Petorama and he said he needed "a few more days" to get a venturi for me... I don't understand why it's so difficult to get venturi's for these pumps. Why don't the pumps come with venturi's? Is it the skimmer that has the venturi and you attach a regular needlewheel to it? Seems silly... At least when you order a sedra needlewheel pump, it comes with a venturi!
As far as a venturi, your best bet is to make one. If you have access to a lathe or a mill, you could make one styled after the Coralvue Sicce Venturi.
If you don't have a lathe or a mill, you can still make something similar but using a drill press/hand drill and a dremel tool. You can buy Delrin or PVC bar stock from most plastic suppliers, and a foot would be waaaaay more than enough. Drill the back side with a paddle bit close to, but below the I.D. needed to snap onto the inlet of the pump. Use the dremel to open it up just enough to have a good interference fit. Next use something like a 1/8" straight carbide bit to open up the channel that surrounds the restriction. Drill a hole for your opening and use a countersink to add your taper. Everyone always says, "I could do that if I had a mill or a lathe". People built things from materials far harder than plastic without a mill or a lathe in the past. It just takes time, patience, and skill. (not to mention a little trial and error
)
If you wanted to go totally gheto fabulous, you could do a venturi out of a cap like I posted earlier in the thread, or you could use a threaded plug (I'm guessing 3/4" would work but might need a coat of teflon tape). Drill a hole in the face of the plug to the I.D. you want for your restriction, then thread the plug in. Drill a hole through the side of the inlet and plug to insert your air intake just behind the restriction. Obviously this way is easier in terms of imparting restriction, but you have to drill a hole in what could be a hard to replace volute cover. Additionally you restrict the waterflow at the initial restriction, but also by way of the plug in the inlet. If you use the link I posted earlier with the animated venturi model you can play with, you can see how this will influence water/airflow as there will be two pressure/velocity rate changes instead of one.
Hope that helps,
Chris
