Recirculating skimmers - best feed method?

[wojo]

hello,
i am going to mod my skimmer into recirc and would like to know whats the best way to feed it.

1. should i go with T off my overflow line? i heard this method might be unstable as the surge from the overflow might not be constant due to wavemakers and such.
2. should i go with the feed pump, if so what kind and gph for my setup?

my return pump is mag9.5, i heard the if i go with the feed pump for the skimmer it should be 1/4 of it, so around 250 gph? is this correct?

your thoughts are appreciated.

thanks,
wojo.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Gravity feed from your overflow would be best.

[wojo]

Originally posted by Jeremy Blaze
Gravity feed from your overflow would be best.

thanks Jeremy, you mean with the T? if so how do i avoid the issue mentioned in my first post? what about the dentrius from the overflow, issue?

thanks

[bnmir]

Use the T like this:
|
|__ (to sump)
|
|
(To skimmer)
with the flow to the skimmer controlled by a valve below the T. The piping below the T will always be full, and should give you constant backpressure. (Make sure the T is as high as possible above the skimmer).

[wojo]

Originally posted by bnmir
Use the T like this:
|
|__ (to sump)
|
|
(To skimmer)
with the flow to the skimmer controlled by a valve below the T. The piping below the T will always be full, and should give you constant backpressure. (Make sure the T is as high as possible above the skimmer).

thanks bnmir, that might be the problem, here is how my drain looks, is the T high enough? should i add that valve?

[an411]

I could be wrong but I thought that the whole purpose of a RC skimmer is to have all the water skimmed before it goes into the sump I know that you can have it in or out of sump. But for most efficiency I would think that if the skimmer was in the front chamber you would be better off I am not sure with those 90's in your pic that the skimmer is going to get enough water to produce good skimate. MIne is connected directly to the overflow drain through a small piece of flex tubing.

[Pheeshes]

well, it is all about how many GPH the skimmer can handle and the GPH you are flowing through the drain. my overflow is at about 500-600 GPH, but my skimmer can only efficiently skim between 200-300. i didn't have alot of room for creative plumbing either so i overflow it down to my sump then pump it back into the skimmer

[2farNorth]

I tried both ways to feed my skimmer, and I like the pump fed the best, the overflow was too inconsistent for the skimmer, and the level fluctuated too much.

I just feed mine with a maxi-jet 1200 pulling directly from a large bubble chamber that my overflows dump into..... So it is getting fresh drain water from the display.....

[wojo]

so i plumbed this thing with the T connector.

my drain is 1" pvc so i had to reduce it on the bottom to 0.5" which is that the skimmer intake is. when the water started flowing from the overflow there was a nice rush of water into the skimmer, few seconds laters seems like it got redirected to to the other end of the T connector back to the sump there is still flow into the skimmer but not very strong.

is the problem with the 0.5" or what? i have seen pictures of the recirc skimmers and they do have small size inlets so it might be a problem with my T being too low?

thanks

[wojo]

here is how my plumbing looks

[coralfragger101]

I'm usually the odd man out - so here we go again.

I would strongly advise AGAINST attempting the T method and feeding the skimmer directly from the overflow.

The easiest and the safest method would be to simply put a feed pump in the input area of your sump to feed the skimmer and be done with it.

I say safest because if you attempt the T method you are taking a chance that you will have to spend more time and money to redo the plumbing when it doesn't work out for you.

I understand that people attempt to feed their skimmers from the overflow thinking that is the most efficient way because that is the dirtiest water. If you place a pump in the input area of the sump, what water do you think it is going to pick up? It's going to pick up the water that just came out of your overflow - DUH - Has the light bulb come on yet?

So what's wrong with the T method?
It can work and some people have gotten lucky and been able to get a constant flow without bubbles to feed their skimmers however I do not believe that it is the majority. The lucky ones are probably the ones that have a nice distance to work with and can T off very high, giving the drain pipe a large amount of water and weight to create a constant flow to the skimmer. I personally have gotten a set up like this to work but I would still HIGHLY recommend that you don't even attempt it unless you are ready and willing to redo it if it doesn't work out for you.

[wojo]

thanks coralfragger101 for your response. i see your point

what kind of pump (gph) would you recommend for my setup?

regards

[Goodwood]

I have plumbed several for myself and friends this way and never had any issues. This is not complex and will improve your skimming.

[coralfragger101]

Originally posted by wojo
thanks coralfragger101 for your response. i see your point

what kind of pump (gph) would you recommend for my setup?

regards

That depends on your skimmer. Simply get one that is rated for that and you're done.

[DamnPepShrimp]

Originally posted by coralfragger101

I understand that people attempt to feed their skimmers from the overflow thinking that is the most efficient way because that is the dirtiest water. If you place a pump in the input area of the sump, what water do you think it is going to pick up? It's going to pick up the water that just came out of your overflow - DUH - Has the light bulb come on yet?

That was a little blunt? Well for what it's worth, by drain feeding your skimmer, ALL of the dirtiest water will go thru your skimmer. If you run a pump in your sump, you'll only get part of the dirty water, not all.

I agree that using your drain is not a good idea, very inconsistent. I would use a feed pump as well.