asm mesh mod

F

flyline

Member
does anyone have a link handy on how to make a mesh mod for a asm-g3 skimmer? or where to buy one alredy made. thanks
 
kinghokus420

kinghokus420

Active Member
its easy. heres how.


1) Remove impeller
2) remove ALL needles from impeller disc with dremel or razor blade.
3) drill a half dozen of so holes in the impeller disc. (theres already 4 just add a few more)
4) cut desired mesh material into a square a bit bigger than the disc.
5)make a hole in the middle of the mesh for the bearing and shaft.
6) take some fishing line and sew the square of mesh material to impeller disc using the holes you just drilled.
7) break out the scissors and trim the mesh until it fits "nice and clean" with no rubbing on the inside of the volute, but as close as you can get to it. it will take a few trims to get it good. this is the most important step, take your time and just keep trimming,just keep trimming,trimming,trimming.
8) enlarge the venturi air hole as big as you can.
9)re-assemble the pump and hook it back up to the skimmer. (dont forget the airline)
10) sit back,crack a beer, and watch your collection cup over flow.
11) realize that you really need a gate valve on the outlet to make adjustment easier
12) add gate valve
13) sit back again with another beer and be amazed at the amount of skimmate over a stock impeller.
 
kinghokus420

kinghokus420

Active Member
i used a 3m scrubby pad and it worked well for a while but eventually got weak and flimsy.
i am using the enkamat p4 mesh that everyone is all hyped up about. i went to colbond-usa.com and asked for a free sample. i forget product# it is but its not p4,its 4 numbers. look over on r/c, they are fairly easy to find.
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
I just came across this information regarding mesh mods.




Deltec Pinwheel Vs Meshwheel | The Aquarium Solution

Before every body gets too excited and starts exchanging their Deltec pinwheel impellors for the 'new ' mesh type impellors, I thought people may be interested in some information regarding the mesh wheel.


Deltec use the same mesh material in various applications and experimented with the mesh wheel impellor about 15 years ago, so this idea is not new.
The small diameter of the mesh does produce very fine bubbles as it cuts through the air however there are also a number of disadvantages of this material which is why Deltec chose not to develop it further in a serious commercial product range.
As water enters the pump, the first thing that it comes into contact with is the mesh on the impellor. Any algae or detritus entering the pump can easily become trapped within the mesh where it will start to build up requiring regular maintenance - a thing that most people like to think that they do, but in reality do not. As detritus builds up in the mesh the ability to split the air and therefore the performance will drop.
The mesh by the nature of the material is totally non uniform in construction so no two mesh wheels are the same which can lead to differences in performance from impellor to impellor.
With its non uniform shape it is almost impossible to balance which becomes even worse when there is any detritus lodged in it. An unbalanced impellor will oscillate which creates irritating vibration noise and the possibility of wear on the ceramic shaft and bearings which reduces the life of the pump.
A protein skimmer is about adding the maximum amount of air into the maximum amount of water to maximise fractionation and waste removal.

It was found that for all the mesh will draw air and smash it in to fine bubbles; the mesh wheel impellor draws far less water through the pump than a pinwheel. This means that you get lots of air but clean less water. The reduced water can even cause the pump itself to run hot and trip out the internal thermal switch.
The mesh material itself has a limited life span in salt water and will start to break down over time, especially in the turbulent conditions of the pump housing with potential for becoming trapped inside the pump. As the mesh starts to break down the efficiency of the skimmer will once again start to fall.

The design and operation of the Deltec Pinwheel Skimmer has been developed over many years and relies on exact engineering tolerances to get the best mix of air and water which can not be achieved with a random mesh.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
Upon further reading, it seems the mesh mod is used by many, many people and get better performance from their needlewheels --without issues.
Maybe the deltec info above is used to help sell a $100 impeller?
Here is a google search that found a LOT of information:
enkamat p4 mesh - Google Search
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
Per Jason at Premium Aquatics:

Hi,

I tried taking a photo, but you can't really see the difference, so i just used the same photo for both.

The weaving is really close. Seems like the main different is just the Flatbottom is completely flat on one side and meshing on the other side, where P4 is meshing both sides. I can see how flatbottom might be easier to attach the flat side to an impeller. P4 is a little thicker overall though.

__________________
jason
Click to expand...
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
I prefer the gutter guard for all the reasons Woody posted from Deltec, this stuff may not perform like the mat BUT it is consistent and dosent clog up or breakdown and a 50' roll is like $7 lol
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
So did you buy a 50' roll? If so, how much is a 5"x5" piece shipped? .... how does $.75 sound? LOL
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
:LOL: Oh gotcha!! Yeah I have a couple of rolls of it Myself (bought one, apparently HID it from Me so I bought another). I've used it ALL over the place... even fashioned a "Trainer Pad" for my new RC Helicopter using it!! Now I'm gonna try some on my new ASM G-2 Skimmer when it gets here tomorrow :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top