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  • Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
    Results 21 to 33 of 33

    Thread: Yet Another Electrifying Blue Eco RFD

    1. #21
      ccna101 is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by avorancher View Post
      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.

      Attachment 591174

      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.

      Attachment 591175Attachment 591176Attachment 591177
      Hi Steve,

      I m interest in retrofit mine and may exploring your method of UV ...

      I am using a drop in UV and it works - floating inside but I think it may be more effective under ... perhaps remove the existing (factory) glass and find a way to keep them under inside a PVC pipe ?

      Dong

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    2. #22
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      I decided to use the original mounting position because it places the bulb parallel to the drum which I figured would help keep the bio from forming on the screen. I didn't have the original glass (most likely quartz) tube because it was broken on the unit I purchased, so I used a quartz tube and bulb that I already had laying around from a 40 watt DIY system I had. Just make sure the pvc compression fitting works for the diameter of the tube so you get a good seal.

      I will say that my BE has worked flawlessly since installing it. Took me a couple days to get the timing set so it wouldn't plug and overflow, but since then I've had no problems. I've hosed out the debris tray a couple times... mostly because I'm so used to doing regular filter maintenance that it seems odd not to do "something".

    3. #23
      Kathy is offline Senior Member
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      Great job! Thanks for the post! Where'd you get the spur and pinion gear from? We're using our BE as a poorly designed sieve on a 1700 gal pond after we had it fail so many times. It was initially set up on our 6000 gal pond. Would like to get it up and running again. May need to pick your brain when we're ready as neither Mike nor I are well versed in anything mechanical!

    4. #24
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      I was able to get spur and pinion from Tom Tran who was selling complete kits. As far as I know, he doesn't have any more available. And the kits were not available when I got the gears.

      But I don't think that should stop anyone from doing the conversion. I had planned on using a gilmer-belt drive before I found the gears, so there are many ways to proceed. Maybe someone else will chime in with other alternative places to get the gears. Also make sure you check out ICU's post on his conversion because he has a lot of the gear specs and measurements that I didn't repeat in my posts.

    5. #25
      mplskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      Now that I have swapped my BE out and put a Red Label in I am ready to start work on my retrofit. I will have all summer and winter to get this done so no hurry, but I am looking forward to figuring this out. And trying to do it in a way others can copy.

      For now here is what I am thinking:
      Belt drive with this belt:
      https://www.harborfreight.com/vibrat...0aAnAgEALw_wcB

      I like the controller that came with my RL and am considering buying a RL float and controller. Then it is a matter of finding the right motor to spin the drum. That is what I am really hung up on right now. Don't know where to start with that search.
      I think the RL controller once triggered runs the drive motor for a specific amount of time, rather than the BE which stopped rotating the drum as soon as the float came back up. I will time that interval and honestly if I can figure out how to have my BE rotate just 40-50% of a rotation per cycle then I think that will be fine. So I need to calculate time and rotation speed and pulley sizes.

      Another thought I had, rather than belt drive how about chain drive? I could get a used set of gears off a 21 speed mountain bike and mount both sets of gears and essentially have 21 gears of adjustment. I might need to replace the chain even every year if it rusts and wears bad but they aren't that expensive. Hmm...

    6. #26
      mplskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      I know someone else considered a rotisserie motor. They turn at 6 RPMs. So a 10 second cycle would do one rotation- too fast. Gearing down at a 3 to 1 ratio would get to 2 RPMs or 1/3 of a rotation in 10 seconds. Still a little too fast. Maybe at a 6 to 1 ratio, one rotation in one minute, or 1/3 in 20 seconds.
      My BE was running about 7 second cycles and only doing maybe 1/6th to 1/10th of a rotation.

      Not sure about the shaft length on this. Is there room to make a water tight seal?


      https://www.amazon.com/MOTOR-LAMB-RO...89368783&psc=1

    7. #27
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      I had considered using a rotisserie motor but the reviews I read on Amazon were not very good for one that I felt was powerful enough. I will say that the Oriental Motor that I chose is super quiet, smooth and well built. There is a link to it in the 2nd post of this thread, but it looks like the price went up a bit since I purchased mine. With the included gearbox, the output shaft turns at 10 RPM and I couldn't stop it with my hands when I was testing it, so it has plenty of torque.

      A metal chain would probably work but maintenance may be more to keep it clean. Also keep in mind that certain metals shouldn't be in contact with each other to reduce galvanic corrosion, especially if you are treating the pond with salt or other chemicals.

      After playing around with the timer for a while, I turn about 33% each cleaning cycle and I've shortened it to every 10 minutes for summer feeding and was using 30 minutes in winter when not feeding. I could probably extend the time but I use a lot more water if it overflows than I do if I keep the drum clean. I'm running approx. 12,000 gal/hour through it. Every pond has a lot of variables, so plan on experimenting a bit with timing once you get it running.

    8. #28
      mao83515 is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by avorancher View Post
      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)

      Attachment 591178


      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.

      Attachment 591179Attachment 591180Attachment 591181Attachment 591182
      Do you know if the gear head shaft made of stainless steel?

    9. #29
      avorancher is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by mao83515 View Post
      Do you know if the gear head shaft made of stainless steel?
      I'm not sure but I doubt it. I should have put a magnet on it but now it is too late. The adapter shaft I made covers it completely, so on my installation the shaft is not exposed to water. My adapter shaft is steel, so I gave it a good coating of primer and rubberized paint after seating and pinning the plastic pinion gear on it to prevent rusting. I expect I will have to clean it off occasionally and watch for rust.

    10. #30
      ccna101 is offline Senior Member
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      Hi,

      I am exactly in a same boat and already have oriental motor (90w)-90 degree gear combo to reduce the speed to 2RPM or so: direct drive is what I am after, two way of doing this
      1. Internally mount the unit ( 13x4x6) with an IP68, IP69 enclosure box and provide a watertight shaft seal / wiring for motor .
      2. Externally mount the unit on the side: I need to remove the original BE shaft and take it to machine shop to have it extend to another inch and connect to my 5/8 motor shaft utilize -Avorancher- design

      I do know the exact gear dimension from Steve, but still think it will be more expensive to get, unless someone prove me otherwise.

      Dong

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    11. #31
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      Excellent jobs


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    12. #32
      Love koi's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by avorancher View Post
      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)

      Attachment 591178


      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.

      Attachment 591179Attachment 591180Attachment 591181Attachment 591182
      Where you buy this motor please


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    13. #33
      Love koi's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by avorancher View Post
      Attachment 591183

      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.
      Hi aborancher ! Can you take pictures or video all your new convert to motor. So i can understand more please help me. Sorry my English not good that’s why i m slow thanks


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