my diy needle wheel dart pump

Status
Not open for further replies.
Well I have a drain tube going to a 5 gallon bucket with a ghetto carbon filter to scrub the air as it leaves the system. That should be enough right? Or do I need to allow air to escape from the cap as well?

Water is cloudy today...not sure why.
 
well if you seal up the collection cup better and force all the air to vent through the darin bucket then you need to make sure that the darin plumbing is large enough to allow all the air from the airpump to vent without causing a restriction. for my skimmer i run a 3/4" vent line that goes through the carbon. i am pumping around 70lpm of air through the skimmer.

Tim
 
yeah my line is 3/4" too. Maybe not enough? Right now I have air coming out of the cap seal (or lack of one) and the carbon vent. You may be right in that I may need to upgrade the drain line to allow enough air flow.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7142690#post7142690 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
I have an observation I thought I would share in this thread:

I don't think it's a "deal killer" but it may be of importance and that is the Alita 100 air pump I am using puts out fairly warm air. Warm enough to kick up the tank temp. over time and cause my cooling fans to come on more often.

I can't accurately measure the air temp. but the hose is definitely quite warm to the touch. Just something you DIY folks may need to adjust for!

well there is a couple of ways to think about this. first. you are pushing the air into a stone that has restriction to it. then on top of that your skimmer is so tall that the added head pressure is pushing against that pumped air alos. thats like a double restriction on the air pump. this will cause heat to build up in the air pump.
now when the air pumps are hooked up tothe twin tower there bill wont have the restriction like you do. first his skimmer is 2 ft shorter in the main body. so there will be less head pressure there. second the rk2 pump has a valve on the intake of the pump before the air intake. this will be closed causing a restriction on the water. this will relieve the head pressure on the air pump. thus have almost no restriction on the air pump. the more pressure you have the hotter the air will get. bill"s skimmer will have almost no heat build up to worry about. this is my theroy and bill will help to prove it or disprove it. im sure im right though. i know from talking to bill that there will be testing equiptment hooked up to this skimme and we can check all kinds of numbers from it. the data will be vey valuable in building other skimmer with this supercharged needle wheel design.
 
very cool.

Yeah I know that when I switch to a NW the heat should not be a problem because there will be no head or back pressure and I'll get even more air. I can't wait to try it! This Alita pump rocks. Thanks for the recommendation. :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7144200#post7144200 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
very cool.

Yeah I know that when I switch to a NW the heat should not be a problem because there will be no head or back pressure and I'll get even more air. I can't wait to try it! This Alita pump rocks. Thanks for the recommendation. :D

I think the alita pumps are made by the same company that makes the sweetwater pumps. I would recommend either pump for this application.
 
my 3/4" line is actually a hole in the collection cup lid that goes into a country crock carbon filter.

see image below
zoas3-22-06012.jpg


if i had a drain on the skimmer then it would be like 1" and i wouldnt have the vent on the lid. my first DIY skimmer had a 1" vent/drain and worked great, just dont care to have a external collector since this collection cups hold a few gallons and i have to eplty it once a week, give me a reason to clean the riser too.

Tim
 
Ok I understand...that is a strange pic dude! I like it!

Where did you get the air flow meter? Do you use it regularly? And if so, how?
 
its a strange pic because i photshoped out some crap that was on the walls, didnt want a cluttered picture. also you are looking at the wall behid the display tank. the airflow meter is some 15lpm max medical grade unit that i bought off ebay for dirt cheap. i use it all the time, well dont pay attention to it just have it hooked up the the air bleed line so i can dial in how much air i am bleeding off and experiment tosee what works best.

right behind the skimmer to the right is where the plumbing heads back to the display, cant really see the corner of the room anymore thanks to photoshop.



Tim

oh and photshopiing the DIY projects off the carpet is easier than cleaning up the area.

:o
 
Finished the base today , Just got done glueing the bottom on .
Not sure If I will, post pics of how I will introduce the water from the tank . If this works Like I think it should I would like for Spazz to use it on Energys skimmer and the ones he builds .
 
zapata41 I thought maybe you were lying on the floor passed out and you didn't want us to see that! :lol:

Come on Bill, post it! Can't keep it a secret anyway...once one gets built someone will post a pic...why not be the first? :D
 
Well the cup is finished , Its drying rite now . I wasnt happy with just making a top that sat on th eskimmer cup so I made one with an oring around th eoutside that seals to th einside of the 18 tube for th cup .
Ill post some pics in a few .
 
well bill i still have not see the cone or flanges for the skimmer. your killing me here guy.
i was at a restarant in the mall or america last night having dinner with the 2 curators and eric borneman. it was a blast! after i build energys skimmer i plan to let that restarunt use the big ugly for testing on there tanks. they have about 6000 gallons of salt water tanks there. and some of the biggest fish you would ever want in a fish only tank. when you come up here bill i will talk to superman and jeffie and have them take you on the nickle tour of the back room. there a couple of great guys and you will have a blast with them.

keep up the exceptional work on that skimmer. its going to be a show piece when your done with it.

your the reason my thread is being considered for thread of the month you know. ;)
 
Thanks Scott .
Hopefully I will get up there soon .
Here are some cup pics , The cone is at the machinist being milled , I could not fit it in my router , too high
Picture106.jpg
Picture107.jpg
Picture108.jpg
 
That is SOOOOOOOO sweet looking. I wish I could do stuff like this. I've tried using a router and bits to make a lip like that on a thicker piece of acrylic, and it looks horrible. That is clean, smooth, clear, and beveled!
 
I Used a table saw to cut the groove in the top its just a circle of 1/2 , Its like 17.5 od and 15.5 Id ring with a groove glude to th etop plate .
Scott said I should use things in my pics for size referance , so here it goes .
Picture110.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top