I am trying to plumb a RO 300 ext skimmer to my sump. I noticed most people that have the return dropping or pouring into sump. On my sump i have a bulkhead to connect the return to. The bulkhead will either be slightly below or at the same level that exits or the return from the skimmer. Do you think there will be any back pressure that would affect the skimmer rather than just having the return pour into the sump?
Plumbing reef octopus external skimmer
- Thread starter Incaico
- Start date
desjardinii
Member
The end of my skimmer outlet (xp5000 ext) is submerged to minimize splashing and has a vent which alleviates any back pressure. I don't see a problem as long as the feed pump isn't too much.
Here are some images. In the expanded view you can see that the level of the gate valve is slightly higher than the water level in my sump, but where it will connect in the bulkhead it is lower than the water level. So I don't know if it will create back pressure or affect the skimmer.
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slief
RC Sponsor
It looks OK to me. Normally I plumb external skimmers in where the effluent enters the sump above the water line and then have the pipe extend down below the waters surface. That said, the way you have it plumbed now should be fine since the water level in the skimmer is well above the water level in the sump. If the water level in the skimmer remains consistent and doesn't surge up and down then you are fine. If you notice surging in the skimmer and the water level does rise and fall, that is likely the result of to much pressure on the effluent line which is preventing the flow from exiting the skimmer efficiently.
Should I lower the water level in my sump? I can by adjusting the ato sensor in the middle chamber. Obviously it would be for just the middle section. Also, I was thinking of cutting out the plywood below the reef octopus skimmer to lower the skimmer so I can fit a neck cleaner on my skimmer. If I do that the effluent/gate valve will be lower than the water line in my sump but higher than the bulkhead where it would return.
slief
RC Sponsor
How much space do you have above the skimmer? There are low profile neck cleaners but they aren't cheap. You can certainly lower the sump level though I'd probably leave it where it's at. I'd also not remove it from the plywood below the skimmer because it would appear that the effluent line would be going uphill into the sump which may cause some additional back pressure.
slief
RC Sponsor
These aren't cheap as they are German made and VERY high quality. They are nothing like the cheaper ones on the market and are designed to last many years. They are sized in mm's so you would need measure the outside diameter of your collection cup in mm to figure out what model you would need but these only add 1" to the height of the skimmer. The sizes of these are based on the outside diameter of the collection cup in mm so a 300 model is designed for a 300mm OD collection cup.
These not only keep the neck clean but there is also a wiper for the lid and acrylic ring on the lid to keep the lid clean. They have build in peristaltic pump mechanisms which draw water up from inside the skimmer body and spray it on the inside of the neck and lid for a much more efficient and better cleaning. The motors spin at a high rate of speed which means you run it less and getter a better cleaning. The underside of the lid is conical shaped which improves skimmer performance by pushing the foam out towards the end of the neck. The wiper is angled which helps wick the scub upwards when the wiper rotates.
http://aquadriverusa.com
These not only keep the neck clean but there is also a wiper for the lid and acrylic ring on the lid to keep the lid clean. They have build in peristaltic pump mechanisms which draw water up from inside the skimmer body and spray it on the inside of the neck and lid for a much more efficient and better cleaning. The motors spin at a high rate of speed which means you run it less and getter a better cleaning. The underside of the lid is conical shaped which improves skimmer performance by pushing the foam out towards the end of the neck. The wiper is angled which helps wick the scub upwards when the wiper rotates.
http://aquadriverusa.com
