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    Thread: Phoam Phraxionator part Deux

    1. #41
      Ethan25's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by rainblood View Post
      Hows your water clarity?
      good, except its green because my UV went out and I get a lot of full sun. new bulb should come today. Nitrates and nitrite are almost zero. Never had that.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
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    2. #42
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      Quote Originally Posted by Ethan25 View Post
      larger pipe used on both the water column and the base where water settles and bubbles settle out. This means longer dwell time. Just like settling out solids with a settlement chamber, the bubbles need a short time, enough to settle UP and out.

      I used a ball valve on the end to adjust height of water in the base, which permits me to adjust flow, a tad, but more importantly, the height of the water. Before I just had a swivel pipe that moved up and down, and that was ineffective.
      Thats the only difference?
      -Rain

      :I CAN'T BRING THIS SHIP INTO TRTUGA ALL BY ME ONESIES, SAVVY?:

    3. #43
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      larger pipe everywhere combined with the ball valve at teh end makes the difference.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
      faith is a gift, not a personal talent.


    4. #44
      Paultergeist is offline Senior Member
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      This is really a great thread, Ethan. I really appreciate all the photos and descriptive details you have provided of the construction -- I learn a lot in this way.

      A few follow-up questions:

      1. Am I correct that all the bubbles are being produced from the mechanical action of the water splashing down past those bioballs? In other words, you are not also injecting air into the water; is that correct?

      2. I gather that most folks do not run these things (phoam phractionators) continuously -- How long, and how often would someone typically run one of these?

      3. How problematic is the presence of hard water to the making of the foam?

      Thanks for any additional insights.

      Paul

    5. #45
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      Quote Originally Posted by paultergeist View Post
      this is really a great thread, ethan. I really appreciate all the photos and descriptive details you have provided of the construction -- i learn a lot in this way.

      A few follow-up questions:

      1. Am i correct that all the bubbles are being produced from the mechanical action of the water splashing down past those bioballs? In other words, you are not also injecting air into the water; is that correct?



      2. I gather that most folks do not run these things (phoam phractionators) continuously -- how long, and how often would someone typically run one of these?

      3. How problematic is the presence of hard water to the making of the foam?

      Thanks for any additional insights.

      Paul
      1.
      correct, i am not injecting air. All the action is from the water splashing against the bio balls, and having much contact with air by doing so.
      2.
      i would run till one doesn';t have phoam. Although, you may not get phoam on the top of the water, yet get it in this unit. I wasn't having problems with phoam, becuase my waterfall is pretty mild. Yet, i figured i had docs to remove. I hooked it up, and voila! Phoam!
      3.
      i don;t know about hard water since i don't think i have hard water. I suggested to someone that they could salt to .01% which wouldn;t affect the fish in my opinion, to aid with phoaming action. I don't know that it would do it though.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
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    6. #46
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      So, four days going, and here's what I have. the broken down phoam turned into almost one whole gallon of brown smelly DOC goo.

      I poured it at teh base of two plants that needed some help. We'll see what happens now.
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    7. #47
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      Alright, I made the bio ball purchase and will do the assembly this weekend. Ethan, I hope you are on KP this weekend so I can PM any questions.

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    8. #48
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      Quote Originally Posted by Ethan25 View Post

      The ball valve allows me to adjust the exit flow to assure that the water stays at the level I desire.
      Ethan, for my own understanding: You would want the water level such that it is as high -- or maybe just a touch higher -- than the height of the opening of the 2" outlet pipe? That way, none of the foam gets a chance to escape back into the pond, but is instead forced to go "up" (through the large elbow)? Do I have this right?

    9. #49
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      Alright, I made the bio ball purchase and will do the assembly this weekend. Ethan, I hope you are on KP this weekend so I can PM any questions.
      I will be all weekend.

      I counted, and I needed 1500 bio balls, +/- 50 for the phoam phraxionator. That's with 1" bioballs. I went home and filled the 5.5 foot tall one I am working on. Counted how many fit in a 2.5 gallon bucket, poured those in, then multiplied by how many times I filled it.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
      faith is a gift, not a personal talent.


    10. #50
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      Quote Originally Posted by Paultergeist View Post
      Ethan, for my own understanding: You would want the water level such that it is as high -- or maybe just a touch higher -- than the height of the opening of the 2" outlet pipe? That way, none of the foam gets a chance to escape back into the pond, but is instead forced to go "up" (through the large elbow)? Do I have this right?
      not a touch higher, or you will create a vortex most likely that will suck out phoam.

      THe water level must be maintain to where shown in this picture.
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    11. #51
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      Quote Originally Posted by Ethan25 View Post
      I am sure you bought plenty (hopefully!)

      if not, I am sure I have some extra I could send you.
      Thanks, I cleaned the guy out on the link you sent, lol.

      May be a silly question but how do you know where the water level is in this beauty?

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    12. #52
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      Thanks, I cleaned the guy out on the link you sent, lol.

      May be a silly question but how do you know where the water level is in this beauty?
      see the picture I just drew up.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
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    13. #53
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      Lol, I get where the level is supposed to be but how do you know you have it there? Do you start kicking out really wet foam if too high and no foam if too low?

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    14. #54
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      Lol, I get where the level is supposed to be but how do you know you have it there? Do you start kicking out really wet foam if too high and no foam if too low?
      if too low, you just risk sucking some of the phoam down back into the pond. Probably giving you more phoam than you had bephore.

      If too high, you risk not only too wet of phoam, but also water coming out that 90 degree elbow where phoam comes out.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
      faith is a gift, not a personal talent.


    15. #55
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      Lol, I get where the level is supposed to be but how do you know you have it there? Do you start kicking out really wet foam if too high and no foam if too low?
      put your little hand in the 4" pipe and feel where the water is. I actually didn't connect my outlet pipe there with glue, so I can take it off and see what's happening.



      I figure if it leaks a bit of water, who cares....its a koi pond. not an indoor aquarium. I'd rather have the freedom to take that pipe off and see what's going on inside.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
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    16. #56
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      Here;s teh deal.

      ON the first one I made, I used a 90 with hubs on each end, as well as teh "T" having hubs on each end. SO, I have a 10 inch piece of pipe that fits into the 90, and into the "T" to connect teh two, here, shown with the BIG red arrow on the bottom of the picture. What that did was give me an extra, say, 1 gallon inside the chamber which may be aiding in giving settlement time for the bubbles to rise to the outlet 4" 90.




      I am trying it without that on the next one as I got a street 90 instead of a double hub 90 (got a deal on it).

      we'll see how it goes with less space. It may not work. I am trying this next one out first with water before I glue the two fittings together.
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    17. #57
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      I'll get the hubbed 90 if they have it.

      Still learning as I go but y'all can call me Marilyn

    18. #58
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      Here's the deal. TOO MUCH FLOW with this, and you are screwd. Because unless you can somehow cut back flow before the water enters the unit (put a ball valve before hand I guess), then you certainly can't do anything about it once it enters the unit. You only have a 2" opening out. You don;t want three inch and allow more flow, becuase then you will be down to VERY LITTLE dwell time in the chamber, which won't allow the bubbles to settle up and out.
      Last edited by Luck; 03-22-2010 at 12:21 AM.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
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    19. #59
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      Quote Originally Posted by Marilyn View Post
      I'll be the hubbed 90 if they have it.
      Then you will need a short 8-10 inch section of PVC to go inbetween that hubbed 90 and the "T".

      and see if you can get the long 5-6 foot piece to be a piece that has the hub at ONE end of it. Have that 6 foot long 6" diameter piece attach with the hub on the top of the unit, so it makes it a breeze to add more pipe later (higher) if you ever wanted to.
      Ephesians 2:8-9
      faith is a gift, not a personal talent.


    20. #60
      rainblood's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Ethan25 View Post
      Here's the deal. TOO MUCH FLOW with this, and you are screwd. Because unless you can somehow cut back flow before the water enters the unit (put a ball valve before hand I guess), then you certainly can't do anything about it once it enters the unit. You only have a 2" opening out. You don;t want three inch and allow more flow, becuase then you will be down to VERY LITTLE dwell time in the chamber, which won't allow the bubbles to settle up and out.
      What if you increase the length of pipe where your red arrow is at?
      -Rain

      :I CAN'T BRING THIS SHIP INTO TRTUGA ALL BY ME ONESIES, SAVVY?:

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