Kessil

Mesh wheel Vs. Needle wheel

finalphaze987

Supporting Member
So I had to pick up another Sicce pump to replace a burnt out one i had on my BM-250. While shopping around for the best price i noticed that there's alot hype behind optional needle wheel impellers. I know they have fewer restart issues compared to the mesh, but is that the only advantage? I remember having a euro-reef and everyone doing a mesh mod, but now were going from mesh to needle wheel? Anyone have any experience with these? specifically the warner marine red demon one.
 
IIRC, and YMMV the mesh wheel will give you a finer air bubble mix, also I seem to recall looking at the specs when those needle wheels started coming out they also pull less air. So with the exception of a restart issue and not really needing to replace the material I don't see any reason to use them. That said however I noticed no restart issues with my BM250 once I changed the water level that it was sitting in, before it was in quite a bit more water, not sure if that had anything to do with it though.
 
One comment I have heard with modified wheels is their longevity goes down. Not sure by how much and which is more affected.
 
For my ATi BM skimmer, I replaced the mesh wheel with a pinwheel from Neptune. It had stalled numerous times with undesirable results. I attribute this to the fact that the mesh migrates in time and can easily catch and bind the impeller. Some folks just take it out and trim the tag ends as part of routine maintenance. I don't like that approach very much. Since replacement of the impeller, it's been running constantly every since. I'm pretty sure that skimmers of this design tent to have restart problems no matter what one does. I've been told that rotating the motor 180 degrees is another mod. that helps. I tried that but found that there insufficient clearance between the motor housing and the bottom place of the skimmer for me to buy that approach. So far, so good. BTW, the BM skimmer still has an issue with setting a proper level of flow through to insure consistent results. What I mean by that is that if the water level in the sump varies by more than about a 1/2 inch, the skimmer either gathers no organics, or it gathers a full load in less than a day and is overflowing back into the sump. It's a little like you have to hold your tongue "just right" and set it and pray for good results.
 
screebo said:
For my ATi BM skimmer, I replaced the mesh wheel with a pinwheel from Neptune. It had stalled numerous times with undesirable results. I attribute this to the fact that the mesh migrates in time and can easily catch and bind the impeller. Some folks just take it out and trim the tag ends as part of routine maintenance. I don't like that approach very much. Since replacement of the impeller, it's been running constantly every since. I'm pretty sure that skimmers of this design tent to have restart problems no matter what one does. I've been told that rotating the motor 180 degrees is another mod. that helps. I tried that but found that there insufficient clearance between the motor housing and the bottom place of the skimmer for me to buy that approach. So far, so good. BTW, the BM skimmer still has an issue with setting a proper level of flow through to insure consistent results. What I mean by that is that if the water level in the sump varies by more than about a 1/2 inch, the skimmer either gathers no organics, or it gathers a full load in less than a day and is overflowing back into the sump. It's a little like you have to hold your tongue "just right" and set it and pray for good results.
ouchy like that for a couple weeks unt
My BM was super till i found its sweet spot...it took me a while, but what helped me the most was the tunze osmolator keeping water levels stable.

Gomer said:
One comment I have heard with modified wheels is their longevity goes down. Not sure by how much and which is more affected.
this is what im affraid of. OTOH one of my meshwheels its FUBAR so its worth a shot.

sfsuphysics said:
IIRC, and YMMV the mesh wheel will give you a finer air bubble mix,

Ive heard this same thing, stating that the finer bubbles will help pull more organics.
 
My skimmer seems to gather plenty of organics with either wheel. The quantity of organics gathered varies dramatically depending on time of day. It will have less than a 1/2 " of waste water for several hours then in the span of a short period, begin to rather at a much greater rate. It requires vigilant observation like the ATO system. The one thing that I can count on is that if the float switch for the ATO even begins to get sticky from salt accumulation, the first result is to see the sump level just 3/4" higher than normal and the skimmer filling like crazy. As Patrick says, there is a "sweet spot" for these skimmers that must be found and sump level is critical. For me, it requires a full day of observation in order to set the flow-through high enough to prevent over filling of the waste vessel. Less flow-through, more organics gathered. More flow-through, less gathered organics.

By the way, does anyone find the organics removed from tank a little nasty besides me? Quite a fragrant elixir! :~
 
screebo said:
By the way, does anyone find the organics removed from tank a little nasty besides me? Quite a fragrant elixir! :~

I'm a father of 3 so it takes alot to make me squemish. One would have to come with more than the thickest skimmate, acro slime, or even two twisted chicks with a cup to parallel the ungodly stuff my kids have put out. :D
 
finalphaze987 said:
screebo said:
By the way, does anyone find the organics removed from tank a little nasty besides me? Quite a fragrant elixir! :~

I'm a father of 3 so it takes alot to make me squemish. One would have to come with more than the thickest skimmate, acro slime, or even two twisted chicks with a cup to parallel the ungodly stuff my kids have put out. :D
+1
2 girls. and 3 dogs
 
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