Small Deltec clone pics for Chad :-)

[kentrob11]

This is a dry fit of one of the smaller Deltec clones I mentioned in another thread a week or so back...Chad had asked for pics of it. Obviously it's not done yet- Still gotta mount the outlet riser pipe assembly and the twist neck flange and get everything glued up...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8543new.JPG

[trottman]

how much does one of those babies cost>?

[chadfarmer]

looking good

[kentrob11]

Thanks- Here's another for size reference....The tubing isn't scratched or anything- Just lots of finger prints...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8543new2.JPG

[chadfarmer]

take the 90 off the recirculating pump my deltec doesnt have one on it

[kentrob11]

Funny you mention that- I didn't account for the inside protrusion of the uniseal and the 1" EL that feeds the outlet riser pipe won't fit inside with the EL there :-) The small EL is coming out....

[kentrob11]

Trottman- I had planned on unloading these on Ebay for around $300 a piece initially...

[trottman]

how many gallons can they handel?

would you give a discount to a local?

[sirreal63]

I think he can take credit cards...oh wait...nevermind. :-)

[DrBDC]

I would think the 90 on the intake would pull from the lowest portion of the skimmer and make an overall higher percentage of air/water since it will be adding to water that has lost most of it vs. leaving more potential for a dead spot (w/o bubbles).

[chadfarmer]

the pump will lose some head and will not produce as many bubbles for the recirculation

[kentrob11]

Well, they are based on the Euroreef RC100 which is rated for +-100 gallons that sell for over $500...With a Gen-X 2400 pump on it It would compare to the ER RC135 at $670...That being said and considering the amount of work I have in these- I would have to say that I would like to get $300 out of these...When you see them finished I think everyone would agree that they are well worth it. I do have one with a couple of scratches here and there and a chip out of the collection cup lid that I would let go for $270 if you're interested in that. I was going to make a new top for it but I'm not sure I'm going to have time...

[chadfarmer]

i just want to be first person to say i am impressed with the quality the skimmer, looks to be top notch

[kentrob11]

The intake for the pump is close enough to the bottom that losing the EL wouldn't affect performance much. On the larger skimmers with the pumps higher up- it's another story. As far as head is concerned, with everything being submersed under a foot of water, I don't think the EL would create much but without an air intake meter we really wouldn't know for sure...Did you get your's yet chad?

[chadfarmer]

i have a dwyer meter need to get the proper fitting and will install into my stand so i know what my air flow is all the time and testing purposes

[kentrob11]

Thanks Chad- I really think that anyone that is good working with materials in general and gets some good practice with acrylic work in can build these things...It just takes time, attention to detail and good materials. Things like routing perfects grooves to seat the tubes in take time and practice since no two tubes are the same diameter. There's always a slight bit of difference due to the casting process so grooves have to be tested on other material before grooving the actual sheet pieces.....

[spongebobby]

Is it possible to machine acrylic with a CNC milling machine. I have never machined acrylic but was curious about it's machinibility as far as the brittleness of the material. Does it make a "chip" or does it seem to just want to crack and chip when cut?

I am asking because I might attempt making my own calcium reactor.

Your work looks great. I am impressed!

[chadfarmer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6751452#post6751452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spongebobby
Is it possible to machine acrylic with a CNC milling machine. I have never machined acrylic but was curious about it's machinibility as far as the brittleness of the material. Does it make a "chip" or does it seem to just want to crack and chip when cut?

I am asking because I might attempt making my own calcium reactor.

Your work looks great. I am impressed!

me and my friend cut a tank out on a cnc today

[spongebobby]

Carbide or HSS cutters

[chadfarmer]

no clue just used the blade that we cut wood with

[dphins]

Kent, do you need someone to test the skimmer out for you?:)

[kentrob11]

Thanks! Yeah acrylic can be milled but you need to use nice sharp bits made for plastic for the best results. A friend CNC'd some stuff using a bit that wasn't new and used on aluminum and it broke one piece and had some problems with the other. After putting a nice sharp bit on it cut like butta...I would imagine it wouldn't necessarily have to be made for plastic as long as it's nice and sharp....

[spongebobby]

ok, thanks

[sirreal63]

My best friend and I have a side business making hood mirrors for show cars out of mirrored acrylic...we use carbide bits and it cuts great.

[kentrob11]

Carbide tipped is definnately the way to go with acrylic. The ideal blade is Carbide tipped, tripple chipped, 10" 80 tooth with zero degrees rake....for a saw anyway :-P

[kentrob11]

Dolphinsx- Thanks for the offer but I've got a 300 gallon system that hasn't been skimmed in a year for that! LOL....Glad to hear that you've got things stabilized...you didn't lose that nice millepora did you?

[Godoftheseas]

hey thats so awesome. I have a quick ? if you dont mind. I am trying to figure out this diy and my questions are first off that valve up near the top i assume is the air injector but how does air come in. An air pump or is it sucked in like a venturi system or am i just way off and thats not where the air goes in.
Also what kind of valve do you put on the hole in the front if any? I assume that is where the water comes out right.

thanks alot
mike

[kentrob11]

The "valve" is actually a hose barb to feed the skimmer with a small pump/powerhead. The air is drawn in via a venturi the is placed just before the intake of the pump. The pump recirculates water already in the skimmer, constantly injecting it with more air.....

[rams]

Kent I bring a six pack over "bottles" do you have a good buddy discount? Kentrob Club! :lol: looks sweet man good work :thumbsup:

[kentrob11]

Here's one with the outlet riser pipe dry fitted...I'm going to replace the fully union with a trimmed and finished one like the rest on the skimmer....Somehow the flash makes the PVC pieces look lighter than they are in person....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8543IMG_3229.JPG

[kentrob11]

Thanks Dennis- No clubs here :-P I never turn down bottles tho :-)

[DrBDC]

Go over with a case of beer, when you hit the "you're my best friend" part of the buzz, then ask how much. :D

[dphins]

I thought I would offer. And no, I haven't stopped the stn in my tank. I don't know what else to do but start over.

[kentrob11]

Jeez- Have you tried doing several large water changes- like 30% every day for 3-4 days in a row? A lot of times once RTN starts it's tough to stop it and the only option you have is to frag everything 1/4" or so above the line of recession....I would think about doing that pretty soon so you don't lose everything entirely...

Here's a better pic of the skimmer with the pump on that shows the color a little better...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8543IMG_3235.JPG

[dphins]

It looks good Kent. Is there any chance we can see it performing?

[kentrob11]

Yeah- As soon as I get the necks in I'm gonna finish em up. I wish I had a solid, experienced CNC source here in town so I wouldn't have had to wait so long. I'm getting a really good deal with this guy though($20 per assembly) so I guess it's worth the wait...I think it's gonna be another week or so till they're ready.

[DrBDC]

My neighbor is a mad scientist and he has a cnc in his garage. You may have seen him on the news making this machine that they program ahead of time and they race across the desert using GPS and the preprogrammed info. The winner gets a defense grant or something like that. It's basically an unmanned machine that they are trying to get development on. He's also into those machines that fight each other in a pit, some have hammers and some have saw blades and other things. So if that is any help let me know and I'll try to connect you two.

[dphins]

He sounds cool Roy, maybe he should have the next seasl meeting?

[DrBDC]

His garage is a wreck and he knows nothing of fish. But he has cool experiments in the garage to check out. Most wouldn't be interested in that, at least as a fish meeting.

[dphins]

Looking at your pics, I was wondering if the pump is going to be big enough for the skimmer? It looks so small compared the the body.

[kentrob11]

Well, It's the same size pump and body used on the ER RC100 so I imagine it should work OK. I think that the ideal size for this skimmer is a 2400 but since I had already bought the 1500s before I just used them...I'm going to glue up the body on one today and try it out without the top and see how dense the bubbles are...

[dphins]

It just looks so wimpy! It needs more horsepower!

[kentrob11]

Heh- I agree man....I've already got one of these sold but if whoever buys either of the other two wanted me to put a 2400 on it instead, I'd go ahead and do it. Chad is going to build one of these as well and I hope he goes with the 2400 for his skimmer comparisons....

[dphins]

I am interested, but I would like to see some performance pics before deciding. (Know what I mean?)

[dphins]

Will the 2400 bolt right on? Are the other skimmers you have all plumbed for pumps?

[kentrob11]

All three are already drilled for the 1500 but the 2400 is only slightly bigger so it wouldn't be a problem mounting one to it....If you already have a Sedra5000 mounted recirculating on your ASM I'm not sure you'd see much of a performance difference between yours and this one though...The material quality would be much better though :-P

[dphins]

Is yours internal or external?

[kentrob11]

Either but I had external in mind when building them....

[kentrob11]

Roy- sorry I must have missed your last post there...Thanks for the offer on your neighbor but I don't think I'll be needing his services after these are done...I'm going to do a sulfur denitrator and a Kalk reactor with my leftover acrylic and both are going to have either Keyhole flanges or modified unions so no more CNCed twist tops- They aren't good for equipment where the chamber could potentially become pressurized slightly...

[dphins]

Any chance a sedra 5000 will fit your plumbing?

[kentrob11]

2 of the skimmers aren't put to gether yet- They just have the holes drilled so yes- I could make one fit. Is the plumbing for the sedra 1/2" or 3/4"?

[dphins]

3/4

[kentrob11]

It shouldn't be a problem....

[kentrob11]

I would have to get the pump from you for a few days to fit it though...If your interested, I'll let you know when I get the twist locks in and mounted....

[dphins]

Any updates? Did your parts come in?

[shadofax69]

so in the picture with the beer do you have any way to remove the cup or is there just a drain in it.

[kentrob11]

The neck is connected to a twist lock flange at that will be mounted to the top of the skimmer as shown in that picture. There will also be a tapped and screwed hose barb on the bottom of the collection cup for drainage...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/8543Twist_Lock_005.jpg

[rivdog]

KT, Been following. Niiiice work!!! The flanges? Did u rout, or are u having them cnc'eed? They look great. They look like a step design, not ramped. Do they work better than the ramp design?

[kentrob11]

They work very well- I haven't mountd one to a skimmer yet so I don't want to prematurely say that they are perfect but at this point they are definately the nicest I've seen not mounted to a Deltec or ER yet.....

[chadfarmer]

glad to here that

[shaw]

do you happen to build these skimmer for paying reefers, hint, well, obvious hint.
thanks
shawn

[kentrob11]

I don't build for other reefers per say but I will have one of these available. If interested, PM me....