DIY Skimmer, group project

[aquawolf]

Okay, I am here per your request.

Are you going to go with the 4 inch pipe in order to equalize the flow between the 2 different sections? That sounds like the way to go with it.

The other questions I have is "Are you done yet?!" It is quarter till 2 and how long have you been working on it today?

I wish I lived closer as this would be a fun thing to work with you on. Heck, you can probably build almost as easily as one with the cost of materials and such.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by aquawolf

Okay, I am here per your request.

Are you going to go with the 4 inch pipe in order to equalize the flow between the 2 different sections? That sounds like the way to go with it.

Yes, that is the idea. The 2" and 3" just didn't give enough room to get the flow evened out.

Originally Posted by aquawolf

The other questions I have is "Are you done yet?!" It is quarter till 2 and how long have you been working on it today?

I was on my way home and got a phone call about my dog being hurt so the skimmer got forgotten about (sorry, my dog is more important )

Originally Posted by aquawolf

I wish I lived closer as this would be a fun thing to work with you on. Heck, you can probably build almost as easily as one with the cost of materials and such.

After I get done, I will have to sit and go through the parts and price it. I have changed parts on it several times as things didn't work out right. I had thought I figured out how to build one with 4" and 6" but the adapter I had wasn't the right one. So I went back to the 3" and 4".

This is a picture of the skimmer itself:



I still have to drill holes for the uniseals and install the inlet and drain pipes. I left my drill at home and had to come back home and was going to drill the holes before the dog distracted me. It isn't glued together until I get the holes in it. I will take it back apart tonight, take pictures, drill the holes, and put it together.

The pump I am going to try on it is the one that came with my Coralife 220, not sure what kind of pump it is. But it is already setup with the Venturi on it so I am going to try it. If it does as well as the 120, I will be happy. If it does as well as a coralife 220, I will be ecstatic.

Oh, I have to cut it off about 2" to be able to get it into the stand of my 90.

[aquawolf]

What happened with the dog? Is it going to be okay? I agree wholeheartedly that pets come well before non-living things in the grand scheme.

Hopefully the pump you have will work great for it. At least you have the body portion figured out. Just have to get a few holes drilled and then start the testing phase.

[OneDummHikk]

I goofed in my last post. The 4" design doesn't have an inside pipe. With a 3" pipe inside a 4" pipe, there isn't enough room to even out the flow. If I put a 2" pipe inside, I am running a 2" diameter skimmer and not sure it will work. I may try it just to see or if I get an air bubble issue in the 4" with no inside pipe. The dual pipe design was with a 4" and a 6" pipe. The idea is to use two uniseals. Have the inlet go in and turn up about 3" or so and have the outlet turn down to the bottom to try to stop the air bubbles. If I have an air bubble issue, I will try it with a 2" pipe on the inside and see how well it works. I would rather leave it open if I can though.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by aquawolf

What happened with the dog? Is it going to be okay? I agree wholeheartedly that pets come well before non-living things in the grand scheme.

Got in a fight with my shihtzu. I think the puppy chihuaha got in it as well. When all three get involved, Gypsy gets distracted and Daisy can grab her. One on one, its an even fight. Fortunately, no broken bones. But the phone call I got on the way home was a "Her leg is broken, shes bleeding to death, get home NOW". But, she is just bruised up and sore. She will be stoned on medication the next few days. Daisy is limping as well. I hope it teaches them what happens and they will both stop fighting. When I brought Gypsy home, I intentionally made her look at Daisy to see what they were going to do. Neither one even raised there eyes. I can hope

[aquawolf]

Great day, that is the kind of phone call I hate to get as well. I know it makes you drop everything and put the hammer down to get home.

Okay, so your design is to now go with just the straight 4 inch tube without an inner tube and see what type of performance you get out of it? The skimmer on my CPR setup is a little different. It is a 4 inch tube, with the pump located about 1/3 of the way down from the top. It uses a rejuvenating venturi and pulls a lot of air which is forced through a 1/2 tube that enters the middle of the 4 inch tube, makes a 90 degree downward turn and ends near the bottom of the 4 inch tube. The collection cup is also 4 inches, but it has 2 flanges built around it, the first being cone shaped and the second being the circle that stops it from going any deeper into the body.

Sounds strange and I wasn't even sure if it would work, but it definitely pulls some nasty stuff out of the water with no problem at all.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by aquawolf

Okay, so your design is to now go with just the straight 4 inch tube without an inner tube and see what type of performance you get out of it?

Yes. Strangely enough, I am going to try to test it without gluing it together. That should be a fun experience. It fits together snug enough that I think if it leaks, it will be minimal. That way I can take it apart without wasting a bunch of fittings/pipe.

Originally Posted by aquawolf

The skimmer on my CPR setup is a little different. It is a 4 inch tube, with the pump located about 1/3 of the way down from the top. It uses a rejuvenating venturi and pulls a lot of air which is forced through a 1/2 tube that enters the middle of the 4 inch tube, makes a 90 degree downward turn and ends near the bottom of the 4 inch tube. The collection cup is also 4 inches, but it has 2 flanges built around it, the first being cone shaped and the second being the circle that stops it from going any deeper into the body.

Got a picture of it? It gives me an idea. Makes me glad I haven't drilled holes yet. The advantage of coming in at the top, instead of the bottom, is contact time. If the skimmer is 24" tall, and the inlet is at 18", then the water/bubbles have to go up 18", down 18" and then back up 24" or so. It makes me think how Geoffs triple bypass is built. I can't find pictures of it though.

Originally Posted by aquawolf

Sounds strange and I wasn't even sure if it would work, but it definitely pulls some nasty stuff out of the water with no problem at all.

Hmmmmm, 3/4" down pipe down the center, 2" pipe in the center for bubbles to come back up, then a 4" pipe on the outside. I may try it and see how it does. I think if the plain 4" design doesn't work well, I will make it recirculating just to see what difference it makes.

Keep the ideas coming

[aquawolf]

Here is alink to the CPR site: http://www.cpraquatic.com/products/cyclone.html

I am using the CY294, but only use one side of it so it might as well be a 194 except I have twice as much room. The pictures are a little small, but should give you the general idea. Of course the bio bale was thrown out when I first got it.

I also just did some more searching and here is a link to the owners manual in PDF that shows everything broken down piece by piece: http://www.cpraquatic.com/pdf/CY294.pdf

That might help you do a little reverse engineering.

[OneDummHikk]

The top of the 4" pipe has a 2" x 4" adapter on it.
On top of that is a 2" x 3" adapter inverted.
I took a dremel tool and removed the lip inside the 2x3 so that a 2" pipe would go through it:

With flange:


Without flange:


The pipe that is in the 2" fitting is 4" long.



The foam will, hopefully, come up through the 2" pipe, spill over into the "cup". I have to drill a drain hole in it, tap it and install a barb fitting to go in it. It will drain into a 1 gallon milk jug.

This is an outside view of it. When assembled, there is no space between the two fittings:



I am thinking about putting a 2" true union coupling there to be able to easily remove the cup with zero clearance. Not sure yet though.

[aquawolf]

The union would probably be a good idea so that you can get it off easily enough if you ever need to thoroughly clean the cup section.

I need to get to sleep as I have to work tomorrow and 5:15 AM is going to be here before I know it. Have a good night Randy.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by aquawolf

The union would probably be a good idea so that you can get it off easily enough if you ever need to thoroughly clean the cup section.

I need to get to sleep as I have to work tomorrow and 5:15 AM is going to be here before I know it. Have a good night Randy.

The only problem with the union is it will make the skimmer body shorter by the height of the union, if it is to fit in a stand.

Night and see you tomorrow. Hopefully with more pictures and progress on this thing. Gotta go find my drill bits now.

[kwdelre]

Originally Posted by Loverotties

I don't think it can be done!They don't usally have good pumps!

i have some very powerful pond pumps from lowes that I use for my Koi pond.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by kwdelre

i have some very powerful pond pumps from lowes that I use for my Koi pond.

You can find good pumps at Lowes and Home Depot, you just have to find one that will do what you need it to do.

[kwdelre]

have you tested your skimmer yet?

[OneDummHikk]

I have to find my drill bits. I brought them in last night and put them somewhere. Got sidetracked with my dogs and went to bed right after I let Kristen get on here. Will try to find them now. After I find the bits, it will take me about 15 minutes to put it together. I am wondering if I can possibly test it without gluing it together?