Does this look like a successful mesh mod?

[Kissfan79]

Hello....
I just finished my mesh mod and want to post a pic or two to see if it looks correct as I have never done a mesh mod before. This is an impellar from a sedra 5000 with the pin wheel. It has 4 layers of enkamat and is even in height with the 4 pins that are still on the impellar (I kept them on for a guide as to how high I could go with the enkamat). It is held in place by 2 zip ties through the four hole on the base wheel. Am I ready to go with this?

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/kissfan79/100_7553.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/kissfan79/100_7554.jpg

Thanks, Jim

[mojo~]

it does look a little thick. And the zip ties you should probably flip one around so the heads are opposite on another to give the impeller more balance.

[carman9941]

I agree with mojo, by flipping them around it helps to balance the impeller, I think 3 layers would work better

[mrx66699]

zip ties will give it a little more weight unlike the fishing line which is almost weightless to the pump

[Kissfan79]

Thanks for the replies. First off....this impellar looks different that the one that came out. I bought this fom E-Bay and the listing header said impellar for a sedra 5000 Euroreef pump. Can anyone confirm this is indeed come from a Euroreef Sedra 5000? The impellar that came out of this one (from the Sedra on an ASM G3) had shorter pins and the head was white versus gray.
I have it installed it seems to be working. I do have to pull the skimmer out to install a shelf I made out of eggcrate to raise the skimmer so it is in about 9" of water (it currently sits in 13") I will trim the enkamat back a bit. I was worried that if the heads of the zip ties were on back....wouldn't it interfere with the impellar where it sits in the pump? In other words....stock...the round base of the impellar is flat with no protrusions....if the zip tie heads were in the back of the impellar disc....wouldn't that cause the back of the round disc the enkamat is attached to to possibly rub against the pump? Thanks again for the info. BTW....here is a link to the auction with a pic of the unmoddified impellar:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270352117858

Jim

[Kissfan79]

zip ties will give it a little more weight unlike the fishing line which is almost weightless to the pump

So.....are you saying it is better to use zip ties or are you favor of fishing line?

Jim

[carman9941]

Well, I dont tie knots very well even tho I was in the Navy, so I use ties, I didnt mean to put the heads on the back but have one head on one side and the other facing the other way

[orangekush4]

That is a euroreef pin wheel. The one I have on my RC135 pulls over 700LPH stock.

[mrx66699]

fish line will be less on the load of the pump over the life time of it and will balance allot easier

[Kissfan79]

Any issues with uding this impellar in the Sedra 5000 that came with my G3?

Jim

[orangekush4]

It's way better then the ASM and the older Euroreef impeller, so yes you can use it on your sedra 5000.

[Kissfan79]

LOL....would I have been better with it stock rather than mesh-modded?

Jim

[Kissfan79]

OK....here are a couple of pics with the modded impellar as above:
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/kissfan79/100_7555.jpg
This is a pic of the reaction chamber after the mod. The bubbles don't go down really any further than they did before the mod (maybe a bit) but they do seem to "pack" the reaction chamber better and more densely.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m52/kissfan79/100_7556.jpg
This is a pic of the collection cup with about 6 hours of skimmate. It's not much but it did start forming immediately. I should have wiped the inside of the cup so you could see the foam. As you can see in the first pic....the skimmer is in about 13" of water. Will I get any increase in performance when I put it on the shelf I built to make it so it is skimming in about 9" of water? I'll post pics tomorrow of the impellar after I pull a layer off and reverse the zip ties.

Jim

[carman9941]

Yes,it should perform better in shallower water , just a note that sometimes you need to restrict the air intake with a valve to get even smaller bubbles, but that looks outstanding, I would run the water level a little lower in the neck till the mesh mod has had a chance to break in so you dont overflow your skimmer

[Kissfan79]

Ahhhhh...such is my luck. I am back to square 1. I re-did my mesh mod with only 3 layers and I put the zip tie blocks on the back of the impellar. I replaced it in the pump and for some reason....it kept wanting to bind up and not turn on (I plugged it in a couple of times before re-installing to make sure all was well). I pulled the impellar out a couple of times and trimmed the enkamat to make sure there was nothing interferring. Finally...I plugged it in and it spun and then stopped. The ceramic shft broke! There was also a tiny piece inside the impellar where the staft goes through that was chipped as well. I put the stock impellar in the pump and re-installed it in the skimmer. I did bore out the air intake on the venturi to let more air flow and I did install that shelf. It still produces good air bubbles....but it did seem to produce a better quality froth at the top (and quicker) with the mesh mod. I thought I was in luck when I remembered I had a spare shaft from an impellar I bought off of e-Bay a while back to mesh mod. I bought it but somehow lost the pin wheel when I pulled it off the shaft to look at it :mad: . I saved the shaft for whatever reason. I went to look for it now but I think I remember throwing it out telling myself I would have no use for it after losing the pin wheel :mad2: . And folks wonder why I keep everything odd little thing. If I had the shaft....I could have tried again but I don't want to risk breaking another shaft without a backup. Besides...I may end up getting a different skimmer. I am looking at an Octopus dual recirculating NW150. How do you think that will perform versus this G3? I was going to get a skimmer that was 8" in diameter utnil I found out today that 6.5" is as wide I can get to fit in the opening between the front of my cabinet stand and the edge of the sump. I am thinking the DDNW150 by Octopus would probably be my best bet without spending major $$. What do ya'll think?

Jim