Mixing eductor-driven fractionation

[wanareef]

snazlord

maybe I'll get my question answered: Did you glue up the housing or just press fit it together

[Reefer Addict]

I didn't see this question anywhere... but what size pump would it take to drive something like this?
Would a Mag5 do it?

Wanareef... I'm not sure if they glued theirs, but I would think that press fit would work fine. The water isn't under any pressure (aside from the weight of the water itself) so pressed-together PVC should hold it without any leaks.
You could always put a bead of silicone around the outside of the lower fittings to 'glue' it together while still giving you some ability to take it apart if you need to.
That's JMO, but I press-fit my u-tubes in my overflow together and they don't leak at all.

P.S. This is just in regards to the clear acrylic housing... I'd glue all the rest of the fittings aside from the eductor parts... the unions should allow you to take those apart.

[Reefer Addict]

Oops... I just looked back a page and saw that the skimmer is powered by an Iwaki 55.
My question still stands though... could you drive a smaller version of the skimmer (like the original construction without the added height) with a Mag5?

[wanareef]

reefer addict

Thanks for the come back but the part I had asked in an earlier thread is around the "hose barb" area. I would think that this area is under pressure. ( I think )

[galleon]

Reefer Addict, no, I doubt it. You have to make considerable pressure at the nozzle (1/2" male insert/hose barb) for the required pressure differential to pull the air. The smallest pump I've ever used was an Iwaki 40 RLT, and I did not consider it adequate. The 55 is perfect.

Everything is glued except for the tee with the 2" x 1" reducer and street ell. To clean, remove the unions, pull off the reducer, and rinse.

[galleon]

Also, I have a different design of eductor that dices the bubbles alot smaller and increases contact time, but requires considerably more pressure at the nozzle. The Iwaki 55 barely cuts it. The air opening will suck your face off and half deafen you if you walk by it.

I'll post a schematic if anyone is interested...

[Reefer Addict]

The air opening will suck your face off and half deafen you if you walk by it.

LOL

Thanks galleon... Looks like I'll have to build a little less ambitious skimmer... especially since I don't want one that'll suck my face off.

I'd like to see the new schematic though... post away.

[galleon]

Reefer addict, the changes are very subtle, but the effect is remarkable. The insert opening (high pressure nozzle) drops down past the end of the 3/4" coupling into narrower 3/4" pipe, this allows the air to be drawn in the low pressure area at the 3/4" coupling, and be compressed by the narrower 3/4" pipe before it mixes with the water from the nozzle.

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Reefer Addict
I didn't see this question anywhere... but what size pump would it take to drive something like this?
Would a Mag5 do it?

in this thread we talked about what is needed in a pump to power an eductor. granted it is not galleon's, but it was the only one i could find that gave a start reference.

hth,

G~

[Reefer Addict]

Thanks galleon for posting the schematic.

Thank you Geoff for pointing out the eductor thread. I've been looking at different DIY skimmer designs and I'm leaning toward doing a skimmer like you have illustrated on your page with some modification.
I'll post a new thread with the schematic to get some ideas before I go ahead with construction.

Thanks again, guys.

[snazlord]

i glued mine together (pvc primer/cement). I tested it with freshwater prior to gluing it (just pressed together) and it leaked. maybe i could have pressed it tighter or siliconed it as suggested, but with a few unions i'll still be able to dissasemble the major pieces.

i have a mag 12 currently running the return from sump to display. (which is WAY to powerful for my 38 gal display and 20 gal sump) I plan to divert some of the return (MOST of the return, probably) into the eductor/skimmer.

when i tested this setup with freshwater it seemed to work, except that the bubbles seemed to big. Either they'll get smaller in my scummy saltwater, or they'll stay big because the mag isn't powerful enough. I'll let you know, hopefully in a week or so. just have to freshwater test it one more time to make sure it won't leak (now that it's glued)

[smoothmove]

the size of the bubbles decreases as the salinity increases. With a SG of 1.0-- Freshwater- bubbles are large. With a SG of 1.021 the bubbles will be micro fine.

I am glad to see more people trying this. I have seen it close up and it seemed to work well.

[galleon]

You saw the skimmer when it was running?

[smoothmove]

back in mote about 4-5 months ago. There were several different skimmers. The design worked pretty well for being inexpensive.

[dattack]

Sorry to pull this thread back up, but how's the skimmer working for everyone?

I am thinking of trying it myself.

But can you tell me how it is superior to the beckett?

Seems to me both skimmer type requires a high pressure/high flow pump?

Anyhows, where does the air get sucked in ? At the hose barb?

Can't seem to picture it.

I saw a few commercial skimmers here locally and someone has been doing some kind of "venturi" skimmers for commercial use for years.

It also says "patent pending".

You think it's the same kind of educator?

I saw a big 2" Tee where the injector was supposed to be and I was wondering if it's the same concept.

http://www.bermudaaquatics.com/Bermu...20Skimmers.htm