bm 200 - Page 2

TwistedTiger · 05/26/2007, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by derick75
By not allowing air to exit the exhaust it will lower your water level in the skimmer. You then use the valve to raise the level. You are also need to poistion the gatevalve at 45 degrees, since there is no air exiting the valve

Are you saying that removing the vent on the gate valve assembly stops air from from leaving the skimmer outlet? If so you might want to look at that again.

johns · 05/26/2007, 09:24 AM

I also use a gatevalve but I do not allow any air to enter the valve. I do not have a exhaust on my gatevalve. The valve is poistioned at a 45 degree to allow for less backpresure and prevent overflowing once the skimmer is restarted from a cleaning.

This is sort of confusing to me. Can you explain a bit more or attach some pics to understand what you are doing here?

TwistedTiger · 05/26/2007, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by johns
I also use a gatevalve but I do not allow any air to enter the valve. I do not have a exhaust on my gatevalve. The valve is poistioned at a 45 degree to allow for less backpresure and prevent overflowing once the skimmer is restarted from a cleaning.

This is sort of confusing to me. Can you explain a bit more or attach some pics to understand what you are doing here?

He has a pic earlier in the thread, all he did was remove the outlet T with vent and replace it with a 90 pointing down. That does absolutely nothing to stop air from going out of the outlet it just forces it down instead of letting it vent up.

johns · 05/26/2007, 10:05 AM

He has a pic earlier in the thread, all he did was remove the outlet T with vent and replace it with a 90 pointing down.

I see 2 pics he posted in this thread. In the very first post, I see a pic of the grey PVC Tee with the silicone air tube going in, and a elbow that appears to be connected horizontally to the Tee. In the second pic, about 3/4 down the page I see the gate valve and it looks like an elbow going down from there.

Is that elbow submerged?

Also, what is meant by this 45 degree placement of the gate valve?

And I agree with twisted TwistedTiger, any air in the plumbing has to exhaust somewhere, either up or down. Unless I dont understand something, I'm not sure how you can keep air from entering the plumbing.

derick75 · 05/26/2007, 10:24 AM

Let me say this again, what I have done had worked very well with my skimmer. Removing the t fitting has made a huge differnence in the performance of my skimmer It lowers my water level below the neck, at that point I am able to fine tune my skimmer. If I have the t fiting on, the water level is 1 inch from the top of the riser. Generation 1 had a problem with the water level being to high, this is how I overcome that issue. I am not advovating, the way I set up my skimmer as the holy gospel, I was asked how my skimmer was set up, And I try to explain this way, The way I have the gatevalve set up is no different then the ball valve that was sent out with ATI. I think if people have problems or are not happy with their skimmers there are several people on this board who can help. Tiger you are right, air is still being allowed to be removed from the gatevale. The exhausts (t -fitting) puts less back pressure on the skimmer, By removing it I have added more which is one of a few things I have done to increase the skimmers performance.

I also have no clue how the second generations perform so Doing what I have done may make it perform much worse, Greg or Ed could help someone much more then I could

TwistedTiger · 05/26/2007, 10:30 AM

I'm not knocking your mods or trying to give you a hard time, you definitely should go with what works for you. I just thought that maybe you were thinking that taking off the vent stopped air from exiting through the outlet.

derick75 · 05/26/2007, 10:32 AM

Tiger, thank you, I try to post many times in this thread that it has worked for me as I am not a skimmer guro, I dont want to give wrong advice to people because much has been givien to me in the past , Johns, the elbow is submerged, and I try to make it easier to understand, my whole gatevale is poistioned down at a angle, this way I am able to restart the skimmer with out it overflowing on me. If I had it straight like normal it would overflow. Another plus I see is I do not see any visual bubbles being released from the valve, they way I had it before there was quite a bit of salt creep from the bubbles rising to the surface.

johns · 05/27/2007, 10:01 AM

Derrick-

Wasn't trying to create an argument or anything. If it works, it works. I was just trying to understand if there was something I was missing, and couldnt see in the photos very well. Now I can see that the gate valve is pointing downwards. At what, maybe a 45 degree elbow? And this was accomplished by simply rotating the elbow coming off the Tee downward a bit, is that right?

Also, earlier you posted that removing the Tee fitting reduced the back pressure on the skimmer, but these last couple posts you are now saying it increased the back pressure, allowing for better skimmer performance.

Sorry, I'm just trying to understand exactly what is going on here.

derick75 · 05/27/2007, 12:26 PM

positioning the gatevalve downward allows my skimmer to restart after a cleaning. If the valve is straight it will overflow when i restart because i do not have a exhaust in the valve, if i did use a t- fitting I could position the gatevalve any way i like.
to clarify, I increase the backpressure of the skimmer by not using a exhaust, but this is too much backpressure, when i restart the skimmer it will overflow, so I overcome this issue by reducing some of the presure by adjusting the elbow from the skimmmer t downward, I hope that makes sence.

klam114 · 05/27/2007, 04:09 PM

Hey D75, look what Ed did after reading your thread.

He usually doesn't recommend submerging the exhaust as the results are sometimes inconsistent. But it's working for him too. He says that its cut down on noise & splashing, so salt creep is down to a minimum.

I remember he learned (from palawan) about the reducing elbow on the gate valve kit. He was concerned that reduction to the exhaust would cause backpressure that may not get consistent results, but it's work and all BM200 are using the reduced size elbow and gate valve now.

derick75 · 05/27/2007, 05:50 PM

Im glad its working for Ed, Ive been getting consistent results since I first tried it.

mavgi · 05/27/2007, 06:17 PM

I am so happy to read that

glad you didn't threw it a way

klam114 · 05/27/2007, 06:35 PM

D75, you were thinking of throwing it away? Nah, it's better than a lot of other brand skimmers that I've seen. I also had a generation 1 BM200 and it worked great just stock with no mods. Ed gave me a ball valve kit that worked fine for me, but I didn't think I really needed it. It seems that generation 3 needs to use the gate valve kit to easily adjust the bubble breaking level up or skimming maybe too dry.

derick75 · 05/27/2007, 07:32 PM

LOL yea there were a few times I wanted to throw it out the second story window...but patience is a virtue (still trying to learn that)

coralgal · 07/02/2007, 11:26 PM

I just bought a Bubble Master 200 skimmer used, It has been set up in my 125 gallon tank for 4 weeks now, sits in 8 inches of water in my 33 gallon sump. I have been getting some decent color skimate, but nothing like I see in Derick75 pictures, any tips for a newbie?

klam114 · 07/03/2007, 02:05 AM

It depends on your bioload and feedings. I know that one thing that really helps boost the performance for the BM200 on smaller tanks is the air valve to restrict the air a little bit, definitely darkens skimmate.

coralgal · 07/03/2007, 10:28 AM

I have tried using the deltec air valve, but I notice when the air is reduced I get huge amounts of "turbalance" right at the neck of the skimmer. It is like a whirlpool, Dont we want to keep the bubbles calm and rise up to the collection cup smoothly? I hope this makes sence.

coralgal · 07/03/2007, 02:00 PM

Guys, I just read through the old bubble master thread (wish they would reopen it). I would love to see some pictures of your bm200 in action, as I dont think mine is set right. My bubble size is much larger then others I have seen, and using the air valve is creating a whirpool at the neck, please help me out...sonya

sjm817 · 07/03/2007, 02:18 PM

Post some pics of it off and also running so we can see what it looks like.

Reef Sponger · 08/26/2007, 06:12 PM

Come alive, old thread! Maybe other BM200 owners can add on... hee, hee, hee!

05/26/2007, 09:24 AM	#27
johns Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,684	I also use a gatevalve but I do not allow any air to enter the valve. I do not have a exhaust on my gatevalve. The valve is poistioned at a 45 degree to allow for less backpresure and prevent overflowing once the skimmer is restarted from a cleaning. This is sort of confusing to me. Can you explain a bit more or attach some pics to understand what you are doing here? __________________ Visit my Reefkeeping Tank of the Month: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/component/zine/article/4 Current Tank Info: 190G Custom Starphire Peninsula, External Overflow, 30G Sump, 70G GrowOut, 2x400W MH + 4x54W T5 over peninsula, 1x250W DE HQI over GrowOut, Octo Pro 300 skimmer, Eheim 1262 return w/ Wavysea, 2xTunze Streams + 2 Nano Streams, Neptune ACIII controller

05/26/2007, 10:05 AM	#29
johns Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,684	He has a pic earlier in the thread, all he did was remove the outlet T with vent and replace it with a 90 pointing down. I see 2 pics he posted in this thread. In the very first post, I see a pic of the grey PVC Tee with the silicone air tube going in, and a elbow that appears to be connected horizontally to the Tee. In the second pic, about 3/4 down the page I see the gate valve and it looks like an elbow going down from there. Is that elbow submerged? Also, what is meant by this 45 degree placement of the gate valve? And I agree with twisted TwistedTiger, any air in the plumbing has to exhaust somewhere, either up or down. Unless I dont understand something, I'm not sure how you can keep air from entering the plumbing. __________________ Visit my Reefkeeping Tank of the Month: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/component/zine/article/4 Current Tank Info: 190G Custom Starphire Peninsula, External Overflow, 30G Sump, 70G GrowOut, 2x400W MH + 4x54W T5 over peninsula, 1x250W DE HQI over GrowOut, Octo Pro 300 skimmer, Eheim 1262 return w/ Wavysea, 2xTunze Streams + 2 Nano Streams, Neptune ACIII controller

05/26/2007, 10:32 AM	#32
derick75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Posts: 451	Tiger, thank you, I try to post many times in this thread that it has worked for me as I am not a skimmer guro, I dont want to give wrong advice to people because much has been givien to me in the past , Johns, the elbow is submerged, and I try to make it easier to understand, my whole gatevale is poistioned down at a angle, this way I am able to restart the skimmer with out it overflowing on me. If I had it straight like normal it would overflow. Another plus I see is I do not see any visual bubbles being released from the valve, they way I had it before there was quite a bit of salt creep from the bubbles rising to the surface. Last edited by derick75; 05/26/2007 at 10:44 AM.

05/27/2007, 10:01 AM	#33
johns Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,684	Derrick- Wasn't trying to create an argument or anything. If it works, it works. I was just trying to understand if there was something I was missing, and couldnt see in the photos very well. Now I can see that the gate valve is pointing downwards. At what, maybe a 45 degree elbow? And this was accomplished by simply rotating the elbow coming off the Tee downward a bit, is that right? Also, earlier you posted that removing the Tee fitting reduced the back pressure on the skimmer, but these last couple posts you are now saying it increased the back pressure, allowing for better skimmer performance. Sorry, I'm just trying to understand exactly what is going on here. __________________ Visit my Reefkeeping Tank of the Month: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/component/zine/article/4 Current Tank Info: 190G Custom Starphire Peninsula, External Overflow, 30G Sump, 70G GrowOut, 2x400W MH + 4x54W T5 over peninsula, 1x250W DE HQI over GrowOut, Octo Pro 300 skimmer, Eheim 1262 return w/ Wavysea, 2xTunze Streams + 2 Nano Streams, Neptune ACIII controller Last edited by johns; 05/27/2007 at 10:07 AM.

07/03/2007, 02:18 PM	#44
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	Post some pics of it off and also running so we can see what it looks like. __________________ - Scott

05/26/2007, 10:24 AM	#30
derick75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Posts: 451	Let me say this again, what I have done had worked very well with my skimmer. Removing the t fitting has made a huge differnence in the performance of my skimmer It lowers my water level below the neck, at that point I am able to fine tune my skimmer. If I have the t fiting on, the water level is 1 inch from the top of the riser. Generation 1 had a problem with the water level being to high, this is how I overcome that issue. I am not advovating, the way I set up my skimmer as the holy gospel, I was asked how my skimmer was set up, And I try to explain this way, The way I have the gatevalve set up is no different then the ball valve that was sent out with ATI. I think if people have problems or are not happy with their skimmers there are several people on this board who can help. Tiger you are right, air is still being allowed to be removed from the gatevale. The exhausts (t -fitting) puts less back pressure on the skimmer, By removing it I have added more which is one of a few things I have done to increase the skimmers performance. I also have no clue how the second generations perform so Doing what I have done may make it perform much worse, Greg or Ed could help someone much more then I could

05/26/2007, 10:30 AM	#31
TwistedTiger Moved On Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: B.R. La. Posts: 925	I'm not knocking your mods or trying to give you a hard time, you definitely should go with what works for you. I just thought that maybe you were thinking that taking off the vent stopped air from exiting through the outlet.

05/27/2007, 12:26 PM	#34
derick75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Posts: 451	positioning the gatevalve downward allows my skimmer to restart after a cleaning. If the valve is straight it will overflow when i restart because i do not have a exhaust in the valve, if i did use a t- fitting I could position the gatevalve any way i like. to clarify, I increase the backpressure of the skimmer by not using a exhaust, but this is too much backpressure, when i restart the skimmer it will overflow, so I overcome this issue by reducing some of the presure by adjusting the elbow from the skimmmer t downward, I hope that makes sence.

05/27/2007, 04:09 PM	#35
klam114 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Francisco Posts: 685	Hey D75, look what Ed did after reading your thread. He usually doesn't recommend submerging the exhaust as the results are sometimes inconsistent. But it's working for him too. He says that its cut down on noise & splashing, so salt creep is down to a minimum. I remember he learned (from palawan) about the reducing elbow on the gate valve kit. He was concerned that reduction to the exhaust would cause backpressure that may not get consistent results, but it's work and all BM200 are using the reduced size elbow and gate valve now.

05/27/2007, 05:50 PM	#36
derick75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Posts: 451	Im glad its working for Ed, Ive been getting consistent results since I first tried it.

05/27/2007, 06:17 PM	#37
mavgi Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: queens n.y Posts: 2,209	I am so happy to read that glad you didn't threw it a way

05/27/2007, 06:35 PM	#38
klam114 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Francisco Posts: 685	D75, you were thinking of throwing it away? Nah, it's better than a lot of other brand skimmers that I've seen. I also had a generation 1 BM200 and it worked great just stock with no mods. Ed gave me a ball valve kit that worked fine for me, but I didn't think I really needed it. It seems that generation 3 needs to use the gate valve kit to easily adjust the bubble breaking level up or skimming maybe too dry.

05/27/2007, 07:32 PM	#39
derick75 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Posts: 451	LOL yea there were a few times I wanted to throw it out the second story window...but patience is a virtue (still trying to learn that)

07/02/2007, 11:26 PM	#40
coralgal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 3	I just bought a Bubble Master 200 skimmer used, It has been set up in my 125 gallon tank for 4 weeks now, sits in 8 inches of water in my 33 gallon sump. I have been getting some decent color skimate, but nothing like I see in Derick75 pictures, any tips for a newbie?

07/03/2007, 02:05 AM	#41
klam114 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Francisco Posts: 685	It depends on your bioload and feedings. I know that one thing that really helps boost the performance for the BM200 on smaller tanks is the air valve to restrict the air a little bit, definitely darkens skimmate.

07/03/2007, 10:28 AM	#42
coralgal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 3	I have tried using the deltec air valve, but I notice when the air is reduced I get huge amounts of "turbalance" right at the neck of the skimmer. It is like a whirlpool, Dont we want to keep the bubbles calm and rise up to the collection cup smoothly? I hope this makes sence.

07/03/2007, 02:00 PM	#43
coralgal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New York Posts: 3	Guys, I just read through the old bubble master thread (wish they would reopen it). I would love to see some pictures of your bm200 in action, as I dont think mine is set right. My bubble size is much larger then others I have seen, and using the air valve is creating a whirpool at the neck, please help me out...sonya

08/26/2007, 06:12 PM	#45
Reef Sponger Moved On Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: TX/USA Posts: 696	Come alive, old thread! Maybe other BM200 owners can add on... hee, hee, hee!