my diy deltec skimmer (lots of pics)

there are a few threads that i have posted in. do a search for my name and wetnecks. you should be able to answer most of your ?'s that way. once you read those thread come ask more questions.

Lunchbucket
 
I wish I hadn't just read this whole thread, I jusy finished my skimmer and have to start over with a complete redesign! I haven't even leak tested mine yet, was going to do that today. ;)

I really like the wet neck idea, makes a LOT of sense, had never heard of it before this thread (and the one Lunchbucket posted). Nice skimmer(s) spazz!
 
Some wetneck advice- The gap between the inner neck and the outer is EXTREMELY SMALL. I'm talking like 1/32" (thanks lunchbuckett) I ended up making the gap about 1/16 and them wet sanded the rim of the outer neck little by little till I got it just right. I even routed and wet sanded the inside of the inner neck so the water flowed easily down it and it still didn't do it until I got the gap right. To get it running, I gave it a lot of flow until it covered the entire inside of the neck and then cut it back a bit and it works great....I even purposely made it unleveled and it still worked perfectly...Here's a pic of my first fouled attempt :-P

8543wetneck_before.jpg
 
I'm going to need to look at a lot of pics to see how it needs to be, all I have in my head right now is the basic functionality. I'm assuming (for some reason I can't see all inline pics, so I may have missed one showing the details) there are concentric 'necks' one of which is for foam, the other for water, and that the water overflows down the foam neck. The outer 'neck' being slightly taller keeping water from flowing into the collection cup. From your pic, is there a ring removed slightly below the top of the neck for the water to flow down? It looks more like you have concentric necks and a sealed cap. I'm going to try and find more pics to get an idea of how to modify mine, I think its something I can add by just making a new collection cup. Anyway I got some new toys..I mean tools..that I can test out and probably have better end result anyway.
 
You've got the basic idea. The outer tube needs to be appx 1/32" taller than the inside tube. then you'll mount an acrylic ring onto the top of the outside tube that has a hole in the center that's the same size as the Inside diameter of the inside tube...Does that make sense? I found that you need to wetsand the top edge of the inside tube to make sure that it's smooth with no deviations to mess up the flow over the neck.....
 
Yep, I had gotten so excited I posted here without finishing the other thread, where there was a lot more info and pics. =P I think I'll run the cup I have temporarily since I don't have the right diameter tubing on hand. I'll order some today and it will be here when I get back from my cruise. ;) This is such a brilliant idea to have a more efficient and automated skimmer, I can't believe I'm just hearing about it.
 
So where has this thread gone the last 2 months....what are the final plans for the skimmer. I was going to buy a Deltec, I can't, so I am curious about dimensions, and you final findings. Also, how do you finish the venturi, I saw the pic, your mod to it, what do you do with it once finished?

rich


It is kind of like getting to the last chapter and finding it missing
 
Would be nice if Spazz could give us all an update.I also wondered how the venturi was installed.He has been busy with his nw dart though.Which is another thread I am closely watching.

Awesome work Spazz!!
 
I would venture to say the skimmer is performing very well still :-) I'm about 1/2 way done with mine as we speak but I did the venturis a little different. I used larger venturis with 1/4" ID tubing though. I think these pumps are capable of pulling more air than the smaller venturis allow. I'll post pics of mine in another thread as I progress on it....In the mean time- Update us Spazz! :-)
 
kentrob11 : What did you do with the 1/4" item when finished modifying it? Do you glue it in a piece of PVC or you attach it to what? I assume you then drill a hole, where? and attach the airline.

rich
 
I've got threaded hose adapters for 1/4" ID tubing- I drilled and tappe a modified 1" black PVC coupling and that makes up the venturi...I based these on a ventur valve I got from aquatics ecosystems way back when that worked really well with water being pulled through it as opposed to pushed through it. It's a larger venturi than the normal ones....Should be interesting to see how 4 of them do...My skimmer will be about 40" tall with 4 oceanrunners like Spazz's but will have a 5" diameter with a wetneck as well....
 
Has anyone tried using the flexible rubber pipe connectors? I see that you can get a 6 inch to 3inch connect. These are the ones that use the airplane clamps to hold onto the pipe. That could be the tapered portion. The 3 inch side would hold the entire neck and collection cup, it would be one piece. You would unscrew the clamp and the neck and collection cup would come off.

Your thoughts on this item? 6inch to 3inch is about $30.00


rich
 
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