Reverse Carlson Surge Device
- Thread starter galleon
- Start date
Well, I played with them once, and a 3" across 9" long tube will create a surge in a 46 gal tank that will knock over rocks... *grin*
I will be designing a nano SPS tank with a pair of Reverse Carlsons as the only circulation soon (next month or so)
I'll post updates then.
By the way! Its been awhile since I was around so HI to ever one who remebers me!
-Tact
I will be designing a nano SPS tank with a pair of Reverse Carlsons as the only circulation soon (next month or so)
I'll post updates then.
By the way! Its been awhile since I was around so HI to ever one who remebers me!
-Tact
Here's the original link for the RSCD. Here is another link for an RSCD out of 6" pvc pipe.
Tacstat, you better keep us posted, there's nothing I'm more interested in now. Thanks.
- Tom
Tacstat, you better keep us posted, there's nothing I'm more interested in now. Thanks.
- Tom
SAT
Premium Member
Chris,H20ENG said:
I'm afraid you'll just have to be patient like me.
We just finished moving, the basement is chock full of boxes, and the aquarium just isn't the highest priority right now. I filled the aquarium with water to check the plumbing (and make sure the RCSD works), but I had to empty it again because we were growing mosquito larvae (yes, in Pennsylvania in December!). In mid-February I have a week off and getting the tank running is my main goal. Once it's going I'll see about pictures.Photos of the RCSD won't show much... it's back in a corner of the tank that's only visible from the far end or above. The wave action is kind of interesting (it's a good thing the water level is lowered by the surge), but film can't capture water movement.
The RCSD is constructed from 1/2" glass, permanently installed in the tank. It occupies 12" at the end of the 8' tank. That end is behind a wall, so it's nearly invisible. Once the tank is decorated I'll only be able to see it from above. The surge opening measures about 12"x4" and the exhaust tube is 1.5" PVC. The hardest part was making it so I could open the top for maintenance... that involved constructing a gasket out of silicone. It's amazing how hard it can be to trap a 10G bubble of air two feet under water.
The surge duration is hard to measure, but I'm pretty sure it's under 2 seconds. Most of that time is at the beginning and end of the surge, as it clears and then refills the exhaust tube. Mid-cycle, the water rises in the chamber so fast my eye can't follow it -- partly because there's huge wave action inside the chamber.
Stuart,
Thanks for the update, sounds awesome.
The day I got the seascope article I ran to the shop and fabbed one out of a 5g bucket and 1.5" pvc. Worked first shot.( Working at a public aquarium made it easy to test anything new.
)
I've got old drawings I made of one piece designs like yours, corner units, etc. But never had the chance to build them. Funny it has been sparking such an interest now. They are loud! How did you silence yours, and deal with the spray?
I hear you about moving. I moved 9 months ago and still have most of my garage stuff packed. Tank is idling on the back patio still.
Cant wait to see more and hear about the solatubes.
Chris
Thanks for the update, sounds awesome.
The day I got the seascope article I ran to the shop and fabbed one out of a 5g bucket and 1.5" pvc. Worked first shot.( Working at a public aquarium made it easy to test anything new.
)I've got old drawings I made of one piece designs like yours, corner units, etc. But never had the chance to build them. Funny it has been sparking such an interest now. They are loud! How did you silence yours, and deal with the spray?
I hear you about moving. I moved 9 months ago and still have most of my garage stuff packed. Tank is idling on the back patio still.
Cant wait to see more and hear about the solatubes.
Chris
CBOYFAN2020
New member
hey lance
hey lance
check your email and pm
hey lance
check your email and pm
Stuart,
How low in the tank is your 12x4" discharge? I curious about whether it would make a sand cloud if it was at the bottom of the tank. Does anyone have any experience w/ a fine sand bed and a RSCD? How about you galleon, I know you've built a lot of them. Thanks.
- Tom
How low in the tank is your 12x4" discharge? I curious about whether it would make a sand cloud if it was at the bottom of the tank. Does anyone have any experience w/ a fine sand bed and a RSCD? How about you galleon, I know you've built a lot of them. Thanks.
- Tom
SAT
Premium Member
Currently I just have a 90-degree bend at the top of the exhaust tube, which sprays across the top of the tank. The tank has a glass canopy, which contains the spray. And the tank is in a sound-insulated room. The resulting noise is still audible, but not objectionable (sounds a bit like surf).H20ENG said:
Earlier I experimented with mufflers for the exhaust. I found I was able to contain it using a lot of 3" PVC sticking pretty high out the top of the tank. Ugly! I can get away with that in my setup since on one will see it but me, but I don't think it's necessary.
Note I'm bucking the trend by covering the tank with glass. I think I can get away with it because all the water movement is powered by air and most of the light is from the tubular skylights.
SAT
Premium Member
The surge chamber opening is right at the bottom of the tank. The depth is important because it affects the force of the surge. The opening is separated from the main tank, and the sand bed, by an L-shaped sheet of glass. The vertical part of the "L" is one side of the surge chamber. The horizontal part is about 12" high, keeping the surge off the sand bed. The effect is the surge enters from the upper-rear corner, then down to the chamber.Tom Hulse said:
I havn't actually tried with with sand yet. If necessary I'll protect that section with rocks.
Agu
Premium Member
Here's another thread on the subject, http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=144863&highlight=airlift
It appears piercho has been trying out a few ideas.
The local club toured the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota last weekend, and they use internally mounted RCSD so I finally got to see one in action, BTW, theirs are all DIY with most of the parts coming from Home Depot .
Agu
It appears piercho has been trying out a few ideas.
The local club toured the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota last weekend, and they use internally mounted RCSD so I finally got to see one in action, BTW, theirs are all DIY with most of the parts coming from Home Depot
.Agu
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I put a couple in a 40B using 4" diameter, 12" high pipe and an alita... knocked everything over in that tank. The noise isnt so hard to muzzle though... just have to make a muffler like on a skimmer intake... only larger!
I Built and tested it today and I'm a bit dissapointed/frustrated. It did create a small surge, but I didn't get the tank toppling surge everyone else who has tried has had. However after leaving the house it suddenly dawned on me why it wasn't performing. I thought that the exhaust valve should be in the middle of the containder so at the bottom of the U of the exhaust valve the piping makes about a 4" run. This I believe is killing the performance because in order to vent the air it has to vent the water in the bottom of the U first, which creates a lot of backpressure. I'm including a crude ms paint drawing of what I'm talking about.
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