lets talk skimmer water depth height

Discussion in 'Protein Skimmers' started by Dingo, Jun 21, 2011.

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  1. Dingo

    Dingo Giant Squid

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    Hey all, how about a skimmer discussion.
    I usually kept my skimmer submersed at about 7" of water depth (recommended at 6-10"). At this depth the skimmer pulls air in strong and has to "work" to get the air/water ratio through the skimming column. I felt my skimming was adequate and efficient at this height. Recently I have arranged my sump and moved the skimmer into about 10" of water depth. Changes I have seen are that the skimmer does not have to work as hard and I have less precise control over the water height in the chamber. I have not had this setup long enough to determine if it is more or less effective.

    What are your experiences and personal observations on this matter?
     
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  3. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    I'm interested to see more replies on this. I just got my first skimmer and actually just siliconed the baffle in my sump last night at 10 inches, I figured I can always block the skimmer up if I need to. I haven't ran it yet so idk how it will work, but it puts the output of the skimmer about 2 inches below the waterline I believe.

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  4. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Sorry Dingo, I have nothing to add, but I am curious I would think at 10" it would actually have to work harder. Is your reasoning that because you have less precise control over the water level in the chamber that pump is not working as hard or visa versa?

    I fail at most equipment details. A trait I admire in others, the ability to analyze these types of things.
     
  5. evolved

    evolved Wrasse Freak

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    I have an Aquamaxx 250, and I run it at 9". FWIW, the manufacture's recommendation is 8-10". I haven't even bothered to try it anywhere else, as my sump baffle set the water height. All I'm really getting at/wondering is what the manufacture's recommendation for yours might be?
     
  6. Dingo

    Dingo Giant Squid

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    My train of thought is that the water level is naturally higher in the skimmer area, the skimmer pump does not have to pump as hard to raise the water level in the chamber as much. Not sure if this is the correct way to word it but the head pressure is less on the pump.
    I am curious as to what a difference in head pressure does to the amount of air pulled in? (where is powerman when you need him lol)

    Most are recommended at 8-10" and I believe that is what mine is also... but it still runs effectively all the way down to just below 6" depth
     
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  7. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    I have found the higher the water level the more difficult to get dry skim and the harder to control the water height. I now have my skimmer in the middle of the manufacturers suggested range. I believe that wet skimming is better as you remove more organics since you have more bubbles going into the collection cup.
     
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  9. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    What kind of skimmer? Generally the pump works harder if there is more water. If you have a controller that displays power consumption, or kill-a-watt etc...
    you should see an increase in power consumption when you raise the water level. It also tends to be tougher to adjust and get dry skimmate as others have mentioned.
    Perhaps there is some difference in skimmers, but for all the ones I have used or seen tests of this is the case.

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  10. evolved

    evolved Wrasse Freak

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    This will always be the case. The deeper a pump is, the more power it will pull. This is due to increased pressure head which is the differential pressure between the static pressure of the water (increases with depth) and atmospheric pressure. The pump must work against this, the deeper it gets.

    This also adds to the overall head the pump is under, and is why submersible pumps always have a max submersible depth. Submerged 1 foot is more head than 1 foot of vertical rise.

    The pump will always see the same amount of head for the skimmer (as the height of the skimmer does not change). It's the pressure head that's the variable.
     
  11. ComputerJohn

    ComputerJohn Panda Puffer

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    The only thing buddy is that every mfg & model skimmer's height requirement is different. I think it's better if we know everyone's mfg & model, then each one of those can be discussed.. Confusing I know.. Sorry.. :(
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2011
  12. cgarner

    cgarner Skunk Shrimp

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    I have a SWC 160 cone and I think the recommended water depth is 7"-11". I have it in 9" of water. It was running fine until the pump crapped out on me. Waiting on a replacement.