PVC bubble trap design

C

Curtis

I have a 90 corner tank that just doesn't have the space for an inexpensive rectangular sump. So I'm going the 18G Rubbermaid route.

I need an air trap for my EV-90 skimmer.

I thought that I might be able to build a functionally equivalent one based on concentric cylinders rather than boxed baffles.

Take the standard bubble trap model and wrap it into a cylinder and you get my model

Some initial dimensions:

Outter PVC: 4"
Center PVC: 3"
Inner PVC: 1"

To scale, this model is just 9" tall. There is about 27" of water travel from inlet to outlet. Each additional inch in height provides 3" of travel.

The top is completely open. This gives a surface area of 12.5 sq-in.

The center PVC ends at a T in the bottom. Only one side expels water. The unused pvc provides support for the middle tube. (I need to work on that part of the design.

I'm a little concerned that suction down the 1" pipe may be too small and may result in too much downward suction that any bubbles that come up the middle chamber may be sucked down. But this will really be a function of the pressure coming in. A 2" pipe would also relieve the pressure, but that would drastically reduce the space between the inner wall and the center wall. I'm not sure what effect that may really have.

The top of the inner tube should be below the top of the water level of the sump. If the water level gets too low in the sump, then water would cascade down into the inner tube creating bubbles!

I'm very interested to know what you folks think.

Where are the flaws?
What do I need to consider?

Have a good weekend,

Kurt
 
Wow, that is quite a gizmo you've created.

Any chance it will cause too much back pressure, reducing the skimmer's efficiency?

If you just want a way to reduce the bubbles coming from the skimmer, I'd have it pour into a tall container (PVC or Rubbermaid "loaf of bread" container) filled with LR rubble with holes around the base. The water will flow out the holes but the rocks will help impede the bubbles and reduce their ability to escape.
 
what keeps the water from over into the center tube? The Center would have to be higher than the outer tube and the drain would have to be lower than the outer tube to make that work. That's what I guess :roll: keep us posted on how it comes out. If it doesn't work Mark ideal is what I've done for years when I've had buble problem from skimmers
 
Marc: Bah! That looks very soo simple for me to try. :)
It isn't created yet. I was looking for feedback.

Actually, I have extra live rock, so I'll give that approach a first try.

I've never studied fluid dynamics. I believe the output from the skimmer is just 1inch, so if my inner tube is the same or larger, I hope back pressure won't be much of a problem.

Hit: I originally had a cap, so that wasn't an issue. Of course, giving the escaping gas somewhere to go would have been impeded, so I removed the lid.

However, I think if the outside water surface is between the top of the outer tube and the center tube, then overflow shouldn't be a problem.

While buying my supplies, it seems that things become much easier if I refuse the connections. Have the incoming water flow into the top of the center tube which is elevated off the bottom of the mechanism. The middle tube rests on the bottom and then the outlet comes out of the bottom of the outter tube. Makes everything much less complicated, but still not as simple of the breadbox/live rock solution.

Thanks for the feedback. I might give it try just for grins. :)

Kurt
 
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