Andy - I am not going to go back and forth, but that was a quote if you recall when I suggested one of the Becketts might be for the recirc pump and one for the feed pump.
I got absolutely NO feedback with anything like "we are working on something along those lines and will get back with you." There was no mention of we are thinking about doing it this way, what do you think. The feedback I got was that a few people had brought up this subject lately, nothing else, no mention of I am looking at it for the future or I am in testing now, etc.
Those issues you pointed out were the reasons why I e-mailed you two months ago about this. After the last comment above I never heard anything else. What was I supposed to think?
Like I have said in other posts (and I have been consistent) is that I have no beefs with the performance at it's peak( just after cleaning). I just had too much stuff build up in the reaction chamber and was a royal PIA to clean that every few days. If I set the water level higher, the skimmer would overflow at times. There were just too many things to adjust too often and the cleaning was a chore to make me happy with a Beckett.
I think a recirc Beckett is very interesting and could eliminate the problems with sludge in the reaction chamber by making finer bubbles whose level can be more easily set. There really is no reason you can't get to a set and forget Beckett, but I just couldn't get there with mine.
I have thought about it quite a bit more and I have come to the conclusion that the flow rate will be an experimental thing. I would think that, like the Deltecs, you would have to size the pump/skimmer chamber so that the recirc pump sucked water from the bubbleless bottom (like the Deltecs), the same as the return to the sump. I would also think that you might benefit from having a riser output tube like the Deltecs so that the water level is dictated more by the feed pump, but still have the valve should you need to regulate it more.
What I was really looking for from you is a kit with instructions on how to modify each model skimmer. The kit would include all of the plumbing and instructions with suggestions on the pumps to be used for each. An easy thing for you to try would be to drill two holes in the box, both for the recirc pump with one having the elbows down like the current output to take in water as bubble-free as possible and the other hole being the return with plumbing to route the flow higher into the water column and in such a way as to induce a circular current. That would be the first thing I would try if I had the time and the tools.
Another thought, use both the needlewhhel Sedra pump and the Beckett. Play around with whether the needlewheel should be the feed or whether the Beckett should be the feed. There are multiple combinations that need to be experimented with and you and a few others are better suited to do those kind of experiments.
Sorry to go on and on, the thought just sorta flowed as you can tell I have been thinking about it a bit. No hard feelings with regards to the lack of contact, but there could have been better communication.
Mike
