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    Thread: Yet Another Electrifying Blue Eco RFD

    1. #1
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      Yet Another Electrifying Blue Eco RFD

      Blue Eco Conversion to Electric Drive:

      After reading ICU2's great post on his conversion of a Blue Eco RFD, I decided to try a similar project. I picked up a used Blue Eco at a great price which I figure was less expensive than trying to build my own case and DIY drum. Made from thick 316 stainless, it is built like a tank and makes a great starting point. The project is described here in several posts.

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      The used unit needed some TLC, so I stripped out all the hydraulic drive parts and gave it a good cleaning with vinegar and calcium remover. I removed all the hydraulic tubing and plugged the threaded holes with 1/4 nylon plugs from the local ace hardware store. On my unit, most of the pvc pipes were standard USA sizes, although some had non-tapered electrical threads. I kept the existing pipe that holds the spray bar but replaced their irrigation control valve with a section of 1" sched. 40 pipe.

      The UV unit was broken, so I used a 1 inch threaded bulkhead fitting to fill the hole, then cut a 3/4" compression fitting in half to hold and seal a 3/4" quartz tube in place (see photo). When the compression fitting was cut and lightly sanded, it fit nicely into a 1" threaded to 3/4" slip adapter (compression fitting -> adapter ->bulkhead). I had to use a grey electrical adapter because it was larger inside than a standard plumbing adapter and allowed my 3/4” quartz tube to pass through. Inside the unit, I epoxied a 1" Tee fitting to the bottom of the unit and inserted the other 3/4" compression rubber seal to hold the quartz tube in place inside the unit (see photo). My 40 watt UV bulb slides inside the sealed quartz tube and since my filter house is enclosed, I didn't need to waterproof the electrical connector.

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    2. #2
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      I plugged the booster pump hole with a simple pvc threaded cap.

      Drilling the stainless case for the motor mount and shaft was a lot more work than I anticipated. I highly recommend using a quality carbide bit. I used a cheap harborfreight "titanium" step bit and it took forever even when using water and as much pressure as I could generate to cut a 1.125" hole.

      The motor I used was from Oriental Motor, but not the same as ICU2s. Here is an Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JG4CDLA It has slightly less power but more than enough to turn a fully loaded drum with ease. The major difference is the gear set which is straight instead of angled. Not being angled means that the motor weight is hanging further off the side of the RFD, but I found there is no problem as the stainless case is heavy duty on the BE unit.

      My first thought was to use a gilmer belt drive, but I was able to purchase a pinion and spur gear from Tom Tran, who had been selling complete conversion kits for the Blue Eco. He didn't have the kits anymore when I inquired, so I had to figure out the mount, shaft and seal. Luckily ICU2 had posted detailed photos of his kit which was very helpful.

      The drive shaft of the motor/gear set that I purchased was short, so I had to make my own shaft adapter to hold the pinion gear. The short motor shaft had a keyed, 5/8" dia. shaft, so I purchased a 5/8 collar and then welded a metric hex bolt to the end to extend the shaft to fit the metric pinion gear. (see diagram)

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      The shaft collar had a 1.125" outside diameter where it penetrates the stainless case, so I purchased a shaft seal to fit that size. Here is the one I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005M2RP8Q

      To hold the motor and seal, I cut up a couple of my wife's polyethyene cutting boards that were 5mm thick. I drilled one piece with a hole large enough for a hump on the case of the motor to pass through and the other with a hole that matches the outside diameter of the seal to hold it in place. Once sandwiched together between the motor and the stainless frame these cutting boards hold the seal tightly in place. (See diagram). I used some old rubber pond liner to cut gaskets that sealed each piece of the mounting plates.

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      Last edited by avorancher; 04-06-2019 at 01:58 AM.

    3. #3
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      For the interval timer, I used this inexpensive unit from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0752PHMTL It only controls one unit, but the electric valve and motor operate on the same timing sequence, so I just used a surge protected power strip and plugged both into that. Upon purchase I plugged it into a load to test it and let it run for a month with no failures while I worked on the conversion. It is a cheap but adequate timer for anyone looking for a backup.

      For the spray control valve, I purchased a brass 110V solenoid valve from Ebay.com for around $40.00.

      Results: My "Electrified Blue Eco" has been running on the pond for a couple weeks now and hasn't missed a beat. I had run the pond without bottom drains for a couple months this winter while I worked on the conversion and plumbing. The only active circuit was a skimmer and I had most of my K1 media stuffed into mesh laundry bags floating in a 275 gallon tote connected to that circuit. The pond water was as green as I had ever seen it with visibility at about an inch or less (normally it is 8 feet). So at start-up, I had to set the cleaning cycle for 20 seconds every 2 minutes. But after several hours I was able to gradually extend that to 20 seconds every 30 minutes.


      Price List:
      Oriental Motor: $137.70
      Interval Timer: $15.99
      Seal: $3.95
      1 inch brass solenoid valve: $40.00
      5/8 keyed collar: $5.49
      Metric hex bolt/nut: $3.50
      Cutting boards, rubber liner gaskets, SS bolts and nuts, pvc connectors, and other miscellaneous items: approx. $50.00, but many of these items were salvaged from my old equipment or our kitchen.

      Bio filtration: A major part of my conversion was having to remove my two Nexus 300 units and a Cetus sieve and replace them with a 600 gallon DIY moving bed filter tank. The Nexus filters were doing a good job but I didn't have room for both plus the RDF and still maintain a low-head plumbing scheme like my original. I built the tank out of 2x4s with 1/2 inch plywood walls, then coated with fiberglass resin and 4 oz. cloth to waterproof it. I covered it with galvanized roofing material for looks and to keep things clean. A 3/8" air line with holes drilled every 6 inches provides the air along a network of tubes on the bottom.
      Last edited by avorancher; 04-06-2019 at 02:05 AM.

    4. #4
      kevin32 is offline Inactivated
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      Nice. My blue eco is going but I had to take waste gate off. Solid platform but for $3,000 I'm little upset still

    5. #5
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      Good job...I love that stainless steel!

    6. #6
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      Amazing job!
      The use of the poly cutting boards to create the space for the seal was perfect.
      --Steve



      Koiphen 2021 Koi Person of the Year!

    7. #7
      JGS107 is offline Senior Member
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      Where did you purchase the motor from. Awesome conversion

    8. #8
      stevek is offline Supporting Member
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      Outstanding job on the graphics and photos !

    9. #9
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by JGS107 View Post
      Where did you purchase the motor from. Awesome conversion
      You can get it directly from Oriental Motor (https://www.orientalmotor.com) where you can choose from many models and configurations. Or in my case I purchased from Amazon. Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JG4CDLA

    10. #10
      Primitive is offline Senior Member
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      How much was this whole project in total?

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    11. #11
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by Primitive View Post
      How much was this whole project in total?
      I put the prices for the actual conversion pieces in post #3 above. But the major expense will be the used Blue Eco.
      I paid $150 for the spur and pinion gear but those may not be available anymore. I think you could set up a gilmer belt or pulley system for around the same price if not less.

      I made major changes to the filtration also which added to my costs for replumbing and building a moving bed filter, UVs, etc. All of those expenses are variables based on what you already have and how you want to configure your system.

    12. #12
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    13. #13
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      Thanks for sharing this Avorancher.
      I have a used BE that I plan to retrofit. It has actually served quite well for two years. Just a few things about how it has operated have made me a little nervous when I leave town for a week. It's hard to coach a house sitter on how to remedy a malfunctioning RDF.
      Anyhow, I bought a Red Label from Tom to replace it with. Though I kind of want to pull the BE, retrofit it, then put it back in and sell the Red Label. I will start a thread when the time comes to actually do the retro.
      If someone really wants a BE retrofit then I will likely sell it.

      Finding the gear seems like it will be one of the most challenging things.

    14. #14
      phil hunter is offline Senior Member
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      Looks great Steve. Glad it worked out so well.

      Phil

    15. #15
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      I bought a never used Blue Eco from Tom. I knew the few weak points are guaranteed time bombs. This thread will help for sure.

    16. #16
      Kathy is offline Senior Member
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      Thank you! Great post!

    17. #17
      abuchi123's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by mplskoi View Post
      Thanks for sharing this Avorancher.
      I have a used BE that I plan to retrofit. It has actually served quite well for two years. Just a few things about how it has operated have made me a little nervous when I leave town for a week. It's hard to coach a house sitter on how to remedy a malfunctioning RDF.
      Anyhow, I bought a Red Label from Tom to replace it with. Though I kind of want to pull the BE, retrofit it, then put it back in and sell the Red Label. I will start a thread when the time comes to actually do the retro.
      If someone really wants a BE retrofit then I will likely sell it.

      Finding the gear seems like it will be one of the most challenging things.
      What made you want to sell the Red Label and use the BE again after retrofitting?

      I have a never-used BE sitting in my yard (Tom is a good sales guy). I do like to retrofit it before using it. There are at least a couple of flaws that make me nervous. Maybe we can start the project together.

    18. #18
      mplskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      Abuchi, I have not yet installed my brand new Red Label or retro fitted my BE. This is in the planning stage. To clarify, I have had a BE in use for two years. While it works very well I get nervous of it possibly malfunctioning while I am out of town. It never has, but I am a worrier. So when Tom put some Red Labels on clearance I bought one. I initially thought I would just swap them out. Take the BE out and put the RL in.Sell the BE as is.
      With a 4200 gallon pond the RL with a capacity of 6500 GPH should be fine. But I have to admit that I think there are some upsides to the BE over the RL. So my current plans are to swap them out, and with the luxury of time to play around and do a retrofit of the BE. If I like my results then I will put it back in service. Of course if I put in the RL and it works super amazing I might change my mind. I guess either way I will have the luxury of testing both of them and keeping the one I like best.
      My BE was offline for 4-5 months of winter. I brought it back online a few weeks ago. It is performing flawlessly.

      But yes, maybe we can do this project together. Do a little collaborating. That is what I was looking for in my post. I think my biggest questions and what I want to collaborate on is the gear and the motor.

      In rereading your post, if you are asking specifically why I think I will like a retro BE over a new RL, here is why:
      I love the stainless steel chamber. It is a beast. Should never warp, crack twist or deform.This advantage includes for me that I can stand on it without worry! This helps me access other parts of my pump house.
      I do worry that the internal components of the RL will outlast the chamber itself.
      I like the increased capacity of the BE over the specific model of RL that I have. I don't like to push my BE over 7000 GPH and I think it is rated for 12,000. What if I discover that the RL really performs best at 3-4000 GPH? ( I don't think that will happen though.)

      Anyhow, I hope I have answered your question. Lets collaborate.

      Ben

    19. #19
      mplskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      BTW, one of the crazy ideas I have for a retrofit is to have it be belt driven. Yes, belt driven. Imagine running a shaft the full length of the unit, centered above the spray bar. When I say above, I think I might want to make the unit several inches tall to accommodate this. Then from this drive shaft run an adjustable length nylon belt all the way around the entire drum. So there would be no gear needed. Just one pulley mounted on one shaft. The belt I would use is like this:
      https://www.cshincorporated.com/3l-l...AaAk7fEALw_wcB

      edit,
      or better yet this one
      https://www.harborfreight.com/vibrat...0aAnAgEALw_wcB
      Last edited by mplskoi; 04-17-2019 at 02:50 AM.

    20. #20
      abuchi123's Avatar
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      Belt driven was one of the options I thought about too. The advantage is to avoid drilling into the stainless and have to deal with seal and other water proofing concerns. The drum is surprisingly heavy therefore requires high torque mechanism to turn. I think it is do-able because the ratio between the shaft and the drum is effectively a high torque setup.

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