The "Hitchhiker's Guide" to the Maxi-Stream mod

[Frunkster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7081238#post7081238 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hmott
frunk I sent you a private message several days ago and told you I would be willing to get you any parts you need. All you have to do is send me the money tell me exactly what parts you want. Or hell you could just order them and pay for them and have them shipped to my house (I'll give you my address private) and send me money to ship them to you.

For something like a testcap I'd pick it up local but I'm not willing to run all over, you'll need to know exactly what you want and where you want to get it. I'm also not willing to "float" you with my money.

Anyway, I really need my mj's to get here!! I bet it won't be till at least monday

Thank you so much hmott, you have a return pm.

a shame, I have loads of spare one's lieing around here, typical, can't even send you one as a thank you as they wont work there (240volt at 50hz)

Has anyone bothered to take a look at the Bass reflex tubes I mentiond?, as they may be an all in one guard ready made!, I will get the dremmel out tomorrow & have a go at one.

Managed to find the only UK standard end caps (called Access plugs here BTW) the only UK type apparently & guess what? - 40mm outside diameter Ahrrrr!

 

[Frunkster]

Bass reflex tubes - see here

http://www.lautsprechershop.de/hifi/index_en.htm?/hifi/rohre_en.htm

What do you guy's think?, looks like they may have potential & are available in tapered styles to.

& every country has speakers & bass heads lol

 

[dwdenny]

Anyone know how to tell the difference in MJ if you cannot read any thing on the pump. Anyone got an idea.

 

[zapata41]

just start pluggin props into it until it wont spin . or use a kill a watt meter. other than that i have no clue

Tim

 

[dhnguyen]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7085875#post7085875 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dwdenny
Anyone know how to tell the difference in MJ if you cannot read any thing on the pump. Anyone got an idea.

You can tell from the impeller.

The MJ400 has a separated impeller head that is green
The MJ600 has the same but in black

The MJ900 has an impeller head that is snapped into the magnet and is black while the MJ1200 is white.


D.

 

[hahnmeister]

Dude, SCH80 Dark Grey PVC is all you need. I use a dremel on a small Dremel made shaping/routing table. It works perfect for machining the base of the pipes. If its that hard, I could make them for dirt cheap...$5? I wouldnt drill the holes or make the cross brace, but the MJ attachment part is the easiest part to do...

not looking to make profit here...just make it easier for people w/o the skill or tools...

 

[ChemE]

Nice Van Gogh hanmeister.

 

[tgunn]

Someone mentioned noise of the modded MaxiJets. I'm curious what kind of noise people experience from these modded maxijets. Is it the powerhead itself making more "motor noise", or is it a noise inherent to the prop itself?

I've been considering trying one of these and silence is always a key in my setup.

Tyler

 

[ChemE]

If the prop/shaft/magnet assembly is balanced, these are totally silent. It is only when they are out of balance that they vibrate and this vibration is amplified by the carbon fiber rod. My modded 600 is so quite I can barely hear it when I put my ear to the glass and even then it has to be on the same side of the tank that it is.

 

[tgunn]

ChemE,

Okay, cool, that's what I was looking for. I guess it's just a matter of tweaking it to get the right balance, etc..

I've had my eye on this mod for a while... I'm likely going to be downgrading my basement return pump from a PCX-70 (which is pushing around 1500 GPH through the sump and sucking 400w) to a PCX-40 in the next few months and I'd like to make up the difference in flow. The MJ mods seem like they'd fit the bill perfectly!

Who knows; if they work well I may consider phasing out my Sequence 5000SEQ22 closed loop pump (again using 400w)..

Thanks!
Tyler

 

[ChemE]

You'll kick yourself for not jumping on the bandwagon sooner; I still am. I drop those high watt pumps like 3rd period french! You only need 1.5 tanks/hour through your sump/skimmer loop. The rest of your flow is easily provided by 2 900's spinning 1.75" Dumas props. You could probably get all the flow you need for less than 80 watts and that number is only that high because you've got a basement sump and so have to shell the watts out to fight 10' of head.

 

[ChemE]

Actually, go with the Blueline NS-800 for your return pump. You'll get around 500 gpm at 10' of head and it only draws 40 watts.

With the 2 maxi-streams you'll be down around 57 watts for your circulation!

 

[hahnmeister]

Uh, you mean gph there ChemE...

 

[Roland Jacques]

hahn

i looked at the hagen 110 pump yesterday for the mod. it looked that the shaft will be to short for the prop to ride on. if the prop dose not ride on anything what keeps it from vaibrating.

dont you ever sleep? going trout fishing 5:30am and whos on.

 

[hahnmeister]

The shaft doesnt need to be any longer than it is. Its fixed into the pump, and the only reason to extend it is to give it a support like a MJ would...but Aquaclears dont need that...the shaft is fixed at the pump end only.

All you have to do is find something to extend the magnet...it could even be solid, but I used some CPVC to extend the props out a few inches. Then I put the props on the extended shaft.

There is no need for the prop to ride anything with the Aquaclears...thats the whole point (and the beauty of it all)!

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7087747#post7087747 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Uh, you mean gph there ChemE...

Yeah, for sure. Good catch. These maxi streams are good but you can use them for main circulating water pumps in power plants!

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7087610#post7087610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ChemE
You'll kick yourself for not jumping on the bandwagon sooner; I still am. I drop those high watt pumps like 3rd period french! You only need 1.5 tanks/hour through your sump/skimmer loop. The rest of your flow is easily provided by 2 900's spinning 1.75" Dumas props. You could probably get all the flow you need for less than 80 watts and that number is only that high because you've got a basement sump and so have to shell the watts out to fight 10' of head.

Actually, go with the Blueline NS-800 for your return pump. You'll get around 500 gpm at 10' of head and it only draws 40 watts.

The pumps are definitely the killer in my system for power usage. I run two PCX-70s (measured at 400w with a kill-a-watt type device) and the large sequence 5000seq22 on my C/L at 400w (measured with kill-a-watt type device again).. I figure those three are responsible for around $43.20 per month of electricity (power's cheap here)...

Clearly one of my pcx-70s has to stay in the meantime to power my 54" beckett skimmer. But in the future I'd like to DIY a gravity fed recirculating needlewheel or even airstone skimmer..

WOW, only 40w for that blueline.. I'll have to check into those more. My actual vertical head is around 9'. When I first set up I mistakenly figured head from the pump outlet (which is under my sump) to the highest point (not the highest water level) and ended up at 12-14'; big diff. Helk, even 70w for the 1100 wouldn't be bad at all either.

My sump would need some extra stirring up (it's pretty big), but a MJ900 mod there would stir up the surface more than enough..

I'm getting excited thinking of the power I could save by changing things around!

Thanks,
Tyler

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7088179#post7088179 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
WOW, only 40w for that blueline.. I'll have to check into those more.

Not to thread-jack but I did check into them a lot. There isn't much on RC about them but the concensus is that they are somewhat loud but otherwise add very minimal heat and draw precious few watts. The noise makes them excellent candidates for basement fish rooms such as in your setup.

 

[Snarkys]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7080241#post7080241 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by humpn247
just becareful and not market,sell through this forum as Lutz493 was doing and got kicked off. His CNC'd kits where pretty cool, also came with a rotating mounting kit. I know he's still selling them and can be reached at Lutz439@zoominternet.net for those that don't want to spend the time building. I have to of his kits that I've been using on my 180g. I actually dremaled his shrouds a little to allow more water intake which at least double the flow.

i emailed that guy twice and he never got back to me. he still in business ? i got my own to work now and don't need this but I'm curious what he charges and what his product looks like.

 

[Snarkys]

BTW i am using a rigid miter saw and the carbide tip blade that came with it, it doesn't always make the cleanest cuts. the cut is square but isn't very level. there a better blade that i could use ?