New scrubber design people. Lets think outside box!

[Gigaah]

I've been tossing around this scrubber design since I made my first scrubber and the idea came from a project I did 20 years ago I saw in middle school science class.

Watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6vQU94wws

Notice how the water exiting the top bottle sticks to the outside of the bottom bottle as it runs out?
All you have to do is get the water into a slight rotation and it will do this(this could be accomplished in may ways)

My idea is with this basic concept in mind why shouldn't we try to put a scrubber inline with an overflow? Expand the 1" overflow tube say 6" diameter figure out how to get the water stick to the sides(possibly with the help of a internal cone instead of the vortex method) of the 6" tube reliably. Put some CFL or LED in the center with a cylindrical polycarbonate tube(sealed from water), tack screen to the wall of the 6" tube. Close it up turn your system on and viola!

This seems like a scrubber design anyone with a sump could easily install. Cut your overflow tube, place in unit, and go. the diameter of the tube would be dictated by how much flow you got and space you have.

I'm involved is too many detailed lighting and other projects i don't know when I'll get to this one. So I figured I would spring the idea on the general public and let them toy with it.

If you get one working before I do. I WANT PICTURES!!

Gigaah

[rygh]

Interesting.
But I think the vortex would almost certainly not work.
The horizontal component that creates the vortex is purely from momentum, as you spray water into the pipe horizontally around the circle.
The problems is that the rough mesh and algae would "stall" the water. Once you lose that horizontal velocity component, it simply drains straight down.
At that point, it is really just a single sided ATS, much like the ATS in a box type designs.
A nice advantage is being able to make it out of a standard pipe. So well sealed, cheap.
Plus, you have an even distance all around from the center light.
But then you must have a rounded (single sided) screen and some sort of round pipe to distribute the water.
Might be hard to build.

[Gigaah]

I understand what your saying completely. However if decided to use the vortex type method to accomplish this. Then you could make sure the screen was far enough down that when it did disturb the flow it wouldn't ruin the vortex. So ...down tube(something to start the vortex)...to cone from 1" tube to 6"..to 6" tube...say 2-3" down that tube plop in the screen. I'm figuring distrubing the flow at that point wont matter it'll not stall the vortex and will just hit the screen and flow over it. sure not easy..but probably do able.