Stone's 225 Carbonate Factory

[Stones]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Did you compare the Vectra against the Avast unit at all? I'm curious, I'd like to try one someday as well and the two seem similarly priced.

One idea I had if I ever get ambitious and energetic enough was to put a cleaner head on my skimmer and see if I could also attach a mist nozzle attached to a pump on the RO/DI reservoir doing the top up. Get a wipe AND a spray-down kind of thing .. but maybe the squeegee does a good enough job on its own?

I didn't really look into the Avast unit Tony but I did know that they made a similar product. I've been quite happy with every Vertex product I've owned so I didn't have 2nd thoughts on pulling the trigger on this purchase come black friday.

Thats a pretty slick idea using a spray nozzle and pump to help aid the cleaning process. When I first heard of these neck cleaners, I assumed they would have had hardware in place to do just what you described so I was a bit dissapointed that they were simply a motorized squeegee.

The trick to pulling off such a design would be running the hose to the spray nozzle if it were mounted on the wiper blade arm. You'd have to figure out how to get around the hose getting wrapped up as the wiper arm rotates. You could just mount the spray nozzle protruding just below the inner lid of collection cup so that it sprays the entire skimmer neck I guess but this wouldn't be as effective.

However, I'm not sure that a spray down would be necessary or even help the cleaning process at all. It seems the foam head inside of the skimmer neck keeps the surface of the neck continuously wet. When the wiper blade makes its rounds, it removes most of the grime on the surface and after each pass, the rising foam column cleans off any loosened gunk that the wiper blade may have missed. If the foam head were to collapse shortly after the wiper blade started moving, then I could definately see a mist of freshwater aiding the cleaning process but this is not the case.

I'm also running the wiper blade for 1 minute intervals twice a day so the wiper blade goes around 6 or 7 times per cycle. After each run cycle, the skimmer neck appears just as clean as if I had gone over it with a scrubber so I'm happy enough with how this unit performs without the use of an added fresh water mist.

[lastlight]

I'm not sure it's made anymore but the AquaDriver units had water nozzles:

http://reefbuilders.com/2009/07/31/a...m-custom-nice/

They also cost as much as the skimmer lol.

[Delphinus]

Cool, thanks Stones, yeah I agree Vertex seems pretty top notch on all their other things too. I'm still sort of tempted to consider Avast because I'd probably get one of their waste collector buckets (with a skimmer shutdown relay? Boo yah!)

Brett - Oh wow, neat, it almost looks like that would spray down into the cup area. I didn't even think of that but man would that make for a nice feature.

[Stones]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Cool, thanks Stones, yeah I agree Vertex seems pretty top notch on all their other things too. I'm still sort of tempted to consider Avast because I'd probably get one of their waste collector buckets (with a skimmer shutdown relay? Boo yah!)

Having a skimmer shutdown relay has been one of the best additons I've made to my equipment lineup in years and I highly recommend installing one for all those hobbyists using in sump skimmers. Prior to the Vertex Alpha 250, I had never ran an insump skimmer before and didn't realize how finicky they were in regrard to water level consistency. I'd end up with an overflowing skimmer every time the power would go out or if for some strange reason the water level in my sump rose by more than 1".

Posted this pic at the beginning of the build but it shows how I added a 2 way shutdown relay to my skimmer.



This way if the sump level rises above the level where I have float switch #2 or if the skimmer collection cup gets full it triggers float swith #1. If either switch is engaged, power is cut to the skimmer pump until the float drops back down. This way, I'm protected against power outages where the sump level rises by ~6" or if I add something to my tank like 2 part epoxy that makes the skimmer go crazy for a day or two the skimmer also shuts down when the collection cup is full.

[Reef Pilot]

Not sure if you have an Apex, but if you do, you can use it to have your skimmer come on 5 min after your return pump following a power outage. Also similar to your float switch relay, you can use the Apex with a water sensor to shut down your skimmer when it overflows. I use this DIY sensor with my Apex (which can recognize an off/on switch event) to shut off pumps. It could be taped to the outside of your skimmer cup. Or use your float switch inside with the Apex (no relay needed). Just some alternatives...

[Stones]

Thanks for the advice Reef Pilot but I do not own a reef controller at this time. I think you have the option to shut down your skimmer after a power outage on pretty much all of the major brands of controllers now whether it be via timer, sensor or float switch.

As stated earlier, this feature has saved me multiple times from having to shop vac my aquarium stand after it gets blasted with gross skimmer foam following a power outage. Depending on how long its been since I drained my collection cup, it also prevents all of the skimmate from flowing back into my sump and contaminating the system with a concentrated shot of nutrients.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Stones

As stated earlier, this feature has saved me multiple times from having to shop vac my aquarium stand after it gets blasted with gross skimmer foam following a power outage. Depending on how long its been since I drained my collection cup, it also prevents all of the skimmate from flowing back into my sump and contaminating the system with a concentrated shot of nutrients.

Totally agree you need some kind of solution with these skimmers. Sounds like yours does the trick. I learned my lesson a couple years ago, when I had a skimmer overflow that splashed water outside my sump and onto a power bar that I had hanging on the wall. Almost had a fire....

I also had a hose pop off a return pump outlet (wasn't using a clamp) once when I was adjusting flow with a ball valve. Water shot right up to the ceiling of my sump room. Luckily I was right there, but I still got soaked and lots of water on the floor before I found the right plug to pull. That's what inspired me to use a water sensor to instantly shut off my pumps...

BTW, you could use my DIY water sensor (nails and solder) with a relay too (without a controller), to stop a pump. It acts like a closed switch as soon as the paper towel sucks up some water. Works on RO/DI water just as well as salt water.