Skimmer testing for FREE!

[StirCrazy]

what exactly are you testing and what are you using as a basis for comparason?

Steve

Originally Posted by fkshiu

Ever wonder how your skimmer is actually performing? Ever wanted a more objective measure other than "Gee, a lot of brown crud is coming out?". Well wonder no more as your friendly neighbourhood GVRD skimmer testing team (a.k.a. Vic, Anthony et moi) is now on the loose!

We'll be heading out to visit some LFS in Abbotsford on Saturday and bringing my
Dwyer RMA-22 airflow meter and Kill-a-Watt with us. Just let me know if you want us to put your skimmer through its paces!

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

what exactly are you testing and what are you using as a basis for comparason?

Steve

Air draw (or "suckage" as I like to say) of the pump versus electrical draw of the pump. It is a good objective measure of the efficiency of the skimmer pump since skimmers are basically air/water mixers. It also puts the manufacturer's advertised numbers to the test and you can compare the numbers to what others have measured with the same or comparable skimmers.

The interesting thing in particular about needlewheel skimmer pumps is that they are being used for a purpose that they were never designed for. Needlewheel pumps are all initially designed to pump water and only water. When you add air into the mix a lot of things can change. Firstly, the amount of energy the pump uses goes down since air is easier to move than water. Secondly, things such as needwheel design, volute design etc. can affect how much air is drawn and how much energy is used. As a result, the Sedra on TomR's ASM G5 is probably pulling a different amount of air at a different wattage than the same model of Sedra on a Euroreef, for example.