Hi All,
So sorry i haven't been updating the thread. I actually haven't because I've been putting off a project with the scrubber. I was doing a bunch of design tests and ended up poking one to many holes in the scrubber container i used. So it leaks frequently if touched and i still have to tweak the bar. Basically i have to rebuild it. I bought another container (large rubber-made) and I'm going to rebuild from scratch and just transfer the screen. Couple improvements I'd like to make
1) I have 4 fans mounted through the side walls of the first unit. This proved to be great for cooling but not so great for keeping the unit water tight! LOL. So I'm bringing this down to 2 fans and going high with them so the penetrations are way above the water line.
2) They spray bar (i guess i can call it) had to be modified. My original bar was doing OK i guess but the flow was uneven so i made a new one. That one was going great with even flow and then i read the cross cut article by Santa Monica and violated the "if it ain't broke don't fix it rule" and well... broke it. SO i made another. This time i think i may have made the slit to narrow. I get flow on one side of the screen and none on the other. I have 2 -700 GPH Catalina pumps running the scrubber so i should have TONS of flow but i don't. SO I'm thinking i have to make the slit just a little larger.
3) I'd like to incorporate a "dorso" stand pipe "type" of drain. For 2 reasons. The first is that the current design (just the bulkhead fitting facing directly UP with the water draining thought it similar to a drain in your bath tube) is unbelievably loud. And the second and the more important i think is that i went through quite a bit of trouble and many arguments with the wife to mount the scrubber ABOVE the display tank as to get the benefits of the pods draining down into the display tank. Well problem is that i get tons of bubbles in the tank if i just stick the drain hoses into the tank so i currently and just going down my main overflow vent stacks so the pods go directly into my sump and probably never make if back into my display.
4) I'd like to make the lid a little tighter fitting. Its to loose and lets out a ton of light into the room and i have it on a reverse photo period so sleeping in my room (where the tank is) is a little like sleeping on the las Vegas strip without the blinking and the drunk pedestrians. OK sometimes there are a few drunk pedestrians but not often : -)
So thats about it. I plan on getting this done SOON cause I've been given a deadline. My wife is away on business this week and returns Friday night. If its not done by then I've been told the tank is being placed on the porch! LOL I think she's kidding... i hope she's kidding.
OK u guys I'll let you know.
Oh one last thing. IN regards to how the screen is doing. Great! Where i do get water flow i have outstanding growth. i was getting "turf" , real turf i kid you not in about 3 weeks after i started it up. It really seems like the Ideal material for this application.
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