skimmer problem!! plumbing help

[davidryder]

in the union where the input is (three white screws), i'm not getting a seal and it's sucking a ton of air through there, even though the needle valve is all the way off. any ideas? the screws have been tightened more than they should probably have been tightened, and i just can't get it sealed.

does anyone know if it is supposed to be sealed and/or why it is sucking so much air in from there?

thanks!

 

[SDguy]

Did you put the rubber gasket in between?

 

[shag26272]

can you make a gasket? maybe a thicker one

 

[DevilBoy]

i dont think i understand where you are getting the air leaking from?

I do notice the air silencer is not on in that photo

 

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9327496#post9327496 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
Did you put the rubber gasket in between?

lol that was it...

another question though... the hole that allows a 1/2" hose to drain the skimmate. if this hole is not plugged, it will overflow and shoot through it... at full blast. how should i fix that?

 

[DevilBoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9327976#post9327976 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davidryder
lol that was it...

another question though... the hole that allows a 1/2" hose to drain the skimmate. if this hole is not plugged, it will overflow and shoot through it... at full blast. how should i fix that?

David,
There should be a barbed threaded fitting that will screw into the collection cups threaded hole. Then just run a regular flexible tubing into some type of collection container and then the skimmate will just drip into the container

like this:

now run the tubing into a container.

 

[davidryder]

ok, i think the head created by the PVC going up and over the sump is creating the pressure... i'm breaking down my sump and am going to just put the skimmer in the sump!!!

 

[DevilBoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9330220#post9330220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davidryder
ok, i think the head created by the PVC going up and over the sump is creating the pressure... i'm breaking down my sump and am going to just put the skimmer in the sump!!!

ok...

 

[davidryder]

finished!!

finished!!

ok, i got an email from Andy at MRC confirming my suspicions. the skimmer cannot drain uphill as it creates back pressure and hence the pressure on the skimmate outlet.

so, here is what i have so far:

^^^this is a shot of the right side of my sump. the gen-x pcx-40 pulls water after the water passes through the bubble trap.

^^^this is a shot of the left side of the sump. the drain from my overflow and skimmer are dumped here, the passes through the bubble trap.

^^^this was the fun part. this is the output from my mag 9.5. it splits here and one side goes to the overflow that came with the tank, and the other side goes up where it splits again to service two more jets i made from PVC.

^^^this is what the other side of the mag split is feeding. i think after the head loss, i'll be pushing around 700gph through with the mag.


so now all i'm waiting for is the silicon to cure, and i'll take it for a test drive lol