Waste collectors-how do they work?

[mr_alberta]

I've always been a bit confused as to how Waste collectors with the auto shutoff work on skimmers.

I know as the skimmate rises in the collector, it eventually causes a flapper or ping pong ball to seal an opening or something like that. So, does the air intake for the beckett hook up to this opening or something? Please enlighten me as to how these collectors work and how they can stop the air going into your skimmer.

Thanks.

[Delphinus]

The skimmer essentially needs to be sealed (except for the drain tube) in order for this to work. So the air that gets sucked in by the beckett, it has to have somewhere to go, so it exits through the drain tube into the waste collection cup (the waste collector has to be vented). Once the ping pong ball closes off the drain tube, from the collection cup, the air can't get through to that vent anymore and this basically shuts down the skimmer. It actually doesn't take much of a blockage to stop a beckett from skimming. HTH

[Cap'n]

Why would you need the auto shut-off, ball valves, etc?

My skimmer has a small hole in the collection chamber with a piece of air line tubing going from this hole to a reservoir (2L pop bottle) under my stand. Skimmate rises to the level of the hole and runs (slowly) down to the reservoir. Whenever I clean the skimmer I make sure to spray a bunch of water in the chamber and down the tube to prevent blockages.

This is the way the skimmer came and is the only skimmer I have ever used so I assumed most would have something similar. It is an airstone operated skimmer which could explain the extra requirements for a beckett. What would be the pros and cons of a setup like mine?

[mr_alberta]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the reply. What confuses me is when the air is blocked from venting. Since the pump is still pumping in water, won't the beckett continue to suck air into the reaction chamber and since it has no where to vent, won't the air pressure keep building until the skimmer pretty much explodes?

[Delphinus]

No, luckily not. Basically it can only create a localized section of pressure differential and not really very much at that. So the water is still flowing through but the beckett can only suck in so much air. The skimmer drain will still be open so that will prevent the pressure from buildup up too high.

Tim, on a beckett skimmer the valves on the output is just to help adjust where you want your water/foam interface in the reaction tube. Depending on the pump you use, how high your skimmer is in relation to the water your pumping out of, and so on, you need to fine-tune this. The foam production can be a little finicky, i.e., if you feed the tank or even so much as put your hand in the water for a minute, the oils will disrupt the foam production and it can take as long as a few hours to start producing foam again. So because of this it's easy to overset the foam, then you come back in a few hours and the skimmer is spewing water all over the place. If you have an auto-shutoff collector then at least you haven't drained your tank.

With that said I don't run waste collectors on my two beckett skimmers, so I don't think it's a necessity (just a luxury). One day I might see about changing that but it will depend on budget and stuff like that.

The advantage of a setup like yours is simplicity, and efficiency (a downdraft airstone driven skimmer can be the most efficient skimmer you can get). The disadvantages are 1) you need a steady supply of woodstones because they only last for a few weeks 2) air pumps only last a year or so before they start to get finicky (unless you use a piston driven pump or whatever) and 3) particularly for large tanks, the size of skimmer that you need to maintain efficiency (in terms of height and diameter) can start to get a little ... large. A beckett skimmer on the other hand might be able to be fit into your stand.

[Aquattro]

Just to add, the ping ball is just for show. As soon as water touches the housing with the ball, the air stops and shuts downthe skimmer. My ping pong ball has never touched skimmate!!

[Cap'n]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Tim, on a beckett skimmer the valves on the output is just to help adjust where you want your water/foam interface in the reaction tube. Depending on the pump you use, how high your skimmer is in relation to the water your pumping out of, and so on, you need to fine-tune this. The foam production can be a little finicky, i.e., if you feed the tank or even so much as put your hand in the water for a minute, the oils will disrupt the foam production and it can take as long as a few hours to start producing foam again. So because of this it's easy to overset the foam, then you come back in a few hours and the skimmer is spewing water all over the place. If you have an auto-shutoff collector then at least you haven't drained your tank.

Got it. Thanks for the info. Also confirms that I will be sticking with this skimmer for quite a while.

[hockey nut]

What are peoples thoughts on the bullet skimmers. Are they very finicky and are they reliable?