Need help adjusting Nautilus EX skimmer
- Thread starter sw65galma
- Start date
frogger
Member
did you ever get your Kent Skimmer figured out? I just got one and am having a real hard time adjusting it. I have it wide open and the foam still creeps over into the collection cup filling it up in seconds. If I crank it down, it blows the collection lid off. Anything you've figured out would help greatly.
Tanks!
Tanks!
turbonut
Member
yes i have one of these skimmers , and there are two ways to adjust them the first being the gate valve the second being the flow you have going into it make sure you dont have anything covering the air inlet tube altough it is noisey restricting it will hurt the skimmers performance
howardcu
Member
I actually added an airpump to push air into the venturi opening of the skimmer and it seems to work very well. Also I have a Mag 12 powering the skimmer and have had to add a T with a gate valve before the intake of the skimmer to be able to control the flow. The T feeds back into the sump and the valve just controls how much returns to the sump and how much goes to the skimmer. This way there is no extra pressure on the pump itself like there would be if it was just a valve before the skimmer.
tony detroit
Active Member
I had an EX on my old shark tank.
You'll get optimal results when your drainpipe is:
1. 1'', not 3/4''. You'll get much better flow through your venturi and won't have problems overflowing the skimmer.
2. open with no pipe at all
3. If it is piped it has no restrictions whatsoever
When I ran 3/4'' pipe or smaller, the venturi didn't pull air because the water volume was so small. I also had overflowing issues when adjusting the gate valve. You'll get your best results using 1'' pipe for the drain, or run it in sump with no pipe at all. You should supply the skimmer with 3/4'' pipe and use as minimal number of elbows as possible.
Remember if you are running pipe make sure it flows downward and is not submersed. Doing either will put backpressure on the unit itself.
tony
You'll get optimal results when your drainpipe is:
1. 1'', not 3/4''. You'll get much better flow through your venturi and won't have problems overflowing the skimmer.
2. open with no pipe at all
3. If it is piped it has no restrictions whatsoever
When I ran 3/4'' pipe or smaller, the venturi didn't pull air because the water volume was so small. I also had overflowing issues when adjusting the gate valve. You'll get your best results using 1'' pipe for the drain, or run it in sump with no pipe at all. You should supply the skimmer with 3/4'' pipe and use as minimal number of elbows as possible.
Remember if you are running pipe make sure it flows downward and is not submersed. Doing either will put backpressure on the unit itself.
tony
tony detroit
Active Member
Also, if you're running a mag 12, what size skimmer did you get?
You may have too small a pump for your skimmer.
Also be careful with that mag, when you run them on a high head app. they heat the water up a bit. Mine would heat my tank 3 degrees.
You may have too small a pump for your skimmer.
Also be careful with that mag, when you run them on a high head app. they heat the water up a bit. Mine would heat my tank 3 degrees.
tony detroit
Active Member
The skimmer should come shipped with a gate valve on the output direct from Kent.
The riser tube you see functions different than the one on the ER.
The one on the ER serves to raise/lower water in the skimmer
The one on the EX is actually a ridgid air pipe.
This is just plumbed to the venturi inside the body, there's a hose conecting the two, you just don't see it unless you have one right in front of you. So in a nutshell the pipe you see on the Kent is the same as a venturi hose. Adjusting the water level is done with the gate valve.
Follow me?
The riser tube you see functions different than the one on the ER.
The one on the ER serves to raise/lower water in the skimmer
The one on the EX is actually a ridgid air pipe.
This is just plumbed to the venturi inside the body, there's a hose conecting the two, you just don't see it unless you have one right in front of you. So in a nutshell the pipe you see on the Kent is the same as a venturi hose. Adjusting the water level is done with the gate valve.
Follow me?
golfish
Active Member
Originally Posted by tony detroit
The skimmer should come shipped with a gate valve on the output direct from Kent.
The riser tube you see functions different than the one on the ER.
The one on the ER serves to raise/lower water in the skimmer
The one on the EX is actually a ridgid air pipe.
This is just plumbed to the venturi inside the body, there's a hose conecting the two, you just don't see it unless you have one right in front of you. So in a nutshell the pipe you see on the Kent is the same as a venturi hose. Adjusting the water level is done with the gate valve.
Follow me?
Gotcha, I've seen a few of these in action but never really paid much attention. They seem like a pretty good skimmer for the price...way over rated for tank size tho, but that's nothing new, most of em doit.
The skimmer should come shipped with a gate valve on the output direct from Kent.
The riser tube you see functions different than the one on the ER.
The one on the ER serves to raise/lower water in the skimmer
The one on the EX is actually a ridgid air pipe.
This is just plumbed to the venturi inside the body, there's a hose conecting the two, you just don't see it unless you have one right in front of you. So in a nutshell the pipe you see on the Kent is the same as a venturi hose. Adjusting the water level is done with the gate valve.
Follow me?
Gotcha, I've seen a few of these in action but never really paid much attention. They seem like a pretty good skimmer for the price...way over rated for tank size tho, but that's nothing new, most of em doit.