Vincerama2
Guest
I emailed AquaC to ask them if I could buy their "1 inch injector upgrade" which is a sort of secret item that may or may not help make an AquaC EV skimmer more efficient. For this type of skimmer, which is basically like a hose spraying into bucket, as opposed to a Venturi/needlwheel that other skimmers use, there was some small internet grumblings about a magic 1" injector that improved performance. This is the response I got from Steve at AquaC. I thought I'd share it for discussion;
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"If you're getting a stronger, upgraded pump, the 1" injector really isn't necessary. The skimmer can only handle a certain amount of pressure, and if you're planning on using a pump that exceeds that pressure/flow, then you're already going to be above the limit of what the skimmer can handle.
Using the 1" injector will further increase pressure, meaning you'll just have to throttle the pump back even more. For example, let's say that the skimmer can handle 600 gph (this is simplified, as backpressure from the injector and the pump's max. head will affect the actual flow rate). If you're using a pump that pushes 700 gph, then you'll have to dial it back to 600 gph. The larger diameter tubing will deliver more pressure to the injector, so you might be getting the equivalent of, say, 750 gph. Again, if the skimmer can only handle 600, you'll just have to throttle back the pump even more. Again, this is a simplified explanation just for the sake of clarity, but you get the idea. In reality, pressure is as important as flow, so you'll want to check the specs on your pump and make sure it's an increase over what the recommended pumps deliver. For example, the Mag 5 pushes 500 gph, with a max. head of 10'. On paper, the other recommended pump, the Rio 2100, might seem more powerful, pushing 692 gph. However, because it only has a max. head of 8', it's actually less powerful when used with our skimmer. So, you'll definitely want to make sure that the pump you're going to use is over 500 gph and 10' max. head - otherwise, it's not going to be much of an upgrade."
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Now this may not apply for other skimmers that use venturis and needlewheels to chop up the bubbles... those seems like bigger is better, but that is interesting what he says about flow vs pressure!
V
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"If you're getting a stronger, upgraded pump, the 1" injector really isn't necessary. The skimmer can only handle a certain amount of pressure, and if you're planning on using a pump that exceeds that pressure/flow, then you're already going to be above the limit of what the skimmer can handle.
Using the 1" injector will further increase pressure, meaning you'll just have to throttle the pump back even more. For example, let's say that the skimmer can handle 600 gph (this is simplified, as backpressure from the injector and the pump's max. head will affect the actual flow rate). If you're using a pump that pushes 700 gph, then you'll have to dial it back to 600 gph. The larger diameter tubing will deliver more pressure to the injector, so you might be getting the equivalent of, say, 750 gph. Again, if the skimmer can only handle 600, you'll just have to throttle back the pump even more. Again, this is a simplified explanation just for the sake of clarity, but you get the idea. In reality, pressure is as important as flow, so you'll want to check the specs on your pump and make sure it's an increase over what the recommended pumps deliver. For example, the Mag 5 pushes 500 gph, with a max. head of 10'. On paper, the other recommended pump, the Rio 2100, might seem more powerful, pushing 692 gph. However, because it only has a max. head of 8', it's actually less powerful when used with our skimmer. So, you'll definitely want to make sure that the pump you're going to use is over 500 gph and 10' max. head - otherwise, it's not going to be much of an upgrade."
===================
Now this may not apply for other skimmers that use venturis and needlewheels to chop up the bubbles... those seems like bigger is better, but that is interesting what he says about flow vs pressure!
V