havent got the capacitor yet. it's arriving soon. i was going to turn it on (as in the ampmaster pump) and manually rotate the OM motor to see the water flow. of course, plumbing issues have stopped me doing even THAT. :evil:

if you look on the motor housing there is a label near the bottom which i think is the value capacitor you need. "180mfd" or something like that. You should be able to find one locally easily enough.

Do you have the motor manufacturer and model number? I'd be interested to see what type of motor they actually use. I should have written it down when I was at Steve's the other day.

Layton

if you look on the motor housing there is a label near the bottom which i think is the value capacitor you need. "180mfd" or something like that. You should be able to find one locally easily enough.

Do you have the motor manufacturer and model number? I'd be interested to see what type of motor they actually use. I should have written it down when I was at Steve's the other day.

Layton

Hey Layton-

I just checked on the motor, and it states the following:

Hurst

1 RPM

Model PA-SP

P/N 3202-071

I went back down to Southland Components as you suggested and they assured me that they originally gave me the closest capacitors to those suggested. I've been running it for two days now and just noticed that it is fairly hot. Do you think that this is a worry? I should be patient like Chimera and just wait for the appropriate capacitor, but couldn't help myself.

Other than that, the performance/flow is amazing. I couldn't be happier!!

Pic's dude, PIC's!!!!

Ok so the correct capacitor should be 0.18uF rated at 440VAC according to the hurst datasheet.

It's a synchronous motor which means if the capacitor is not correct it will not operate smoothly, and will loose synchronisation with the mains power frequency, that's when it vibrates and heats up. Probably should just wait till the correct cap arrives. Could save a damaged motor.

Layton

Ok so the correct capacitor should be 0.18uF rated at 440VAC according to the hurst datasheet.

It's a synchronous motor which means if the capacitor is not correct it will not operate smoothly, and will loose synchronisation with the mains power frequency, that's when it vibrates and heats up. Probably should just wait till the correct cap arrives. Could save a damaged motor.

Layton

Thanks Layton. I've unplugged it and waiting for the correct capacitor to arrive.

Chimera. Is it running yet? Photos?

Piemania

So, have to wait til tomorrow when I can either go buy, hire or borrow some plumbers pipe grips (know what they look like, dont know the name!) to remove it

Replying to my own post here...

I searched EVERYWHERE today for a tool to do this, Mico's, Chesters, Humes, Bunnings, Carters, even went to Supercheap Auto's. No one had anything. Last of all, I tried LG Carder and wow, they had the ultimate tool. It's called a 'Boa Contrictor Strap Wrench' and it was on Trade special for $20. This is the love daddy of plumbing tools. It undid the thread in seconds. I've added more teflon tape to the thread and tightened it back up with the strap wrench. So, the parts will be plumbed back up tonight and hopefully this time we'll be all go! Here's the Boa Contrictor tool. I bought the aluminium version on the right:

Oh, and being a 'strap', it undoes irregular shaped pipes too! Way cool.

Vice grips.

I already have 2 pairs of those! they weren't big enough. needed to expand to 60mm.

i dont have the power captain! whoo hooo, like hell i dont. took me another 10 minutes to have the courage to turn on the power switch. wicked water movement, unreal in fact. no leaks,... yet,... touch wood. not you steve

dolphin is quiet, still not as quiet as i'd like. dont think it's the pump though, just vibration off the timber it's sitting on. i think getting an old school mouse mat under it will quieten it down.

i'll get pic's up as soon as i can

a couple of quick pic's before I head out tonight! will get some better shots later.

Closed loop plumbing complete:

The right side of tank can be aquascaped now that the closed loops are done - hopefully sometime this week. the inlet's into the tanks are temporary though - still sourcing something adequate for here (like lin-lock plumbing)

I don't think you've got enough pipes!! 8)

Bit of kiwi inginuity ..damn cant spell it

Chuck an old jandal under the pump

Go the Jandal!

Good work Chimera, its not how i'd do it, but 10/10 all the same.

Pies.

Lookingggg Good!

At least she's tidy Chim!

Nice job!

Cheers all.

Good work Chimera, its not how i'd do it, but 10/10 all the same.

Thanks, not how I would have done it either but still works well enough. I would, if I had more knowledge prior to designing the tank, gone with 2 x 32mm outlets on the bottom of the tank to a single intake rather than 4 outlets. Would have also had a one-to-one outlet/inlet on the bottom of the tank for an additional spray bar run via a single Eheim.

Anyways, it's hard to know how the 'randomness' of the current will take effect yet as the OM 4-way isn't actually running yet (because of the capacitor) As soon as that is plugged in, the "randomness" of water flow will be alot better because only 2 of the 4 outlets are currently working At least I now have just over 31 times turnover (13,500lph via closed loop and 3,500 lph via overflow) Would be looking at about 75 times per hour if I went with a TS24 stream kit!!!

its shaping up really well.

what is the current lighting situation over the tank??

2 x 250W single ended M/H's, 14k narva's in each. I think it's too blue - I like the colour of your tank more Brian! What do you have? I need to find a happy medium that is why I was thinking a 400W 10k in the middle.

i think it comes down to brand of bulb, mine is a aquamedic 20k.

i've got a brain and some calustrea that would look stunning under a more actinic light

agree, might try the 20k aquamedic then.... later on of course!

capacitor still hasn't arrived :evil: still haven't got loc-line or similar attachments to direct water flow within the tank :evil: anyone know where to get the loc-line nozzles or similar from???

anyone know where to get the loc-line nozzles or similar from???

You should add it to your Marine Depot order. That's where I got mine and it is WAY cheaper than anywhere that I've seen here.

FINALLY, aquascaping finished today - thanks heaps jetskisteve for giving me a hand, much appreciated! here's the final result - i managed to source 4 unique "plate" rocks to give a different look, im really happy with it, just need to allow the coralline to grow to cover the gaps and give it that more natural look.... oh, and of course fill it up with sps frags now! unfortunately the pic's dont do it justice, viewing from the lounge is really awesome!

WOW

that is going to look great with corals on it (looks good by its self)

the best thing is how you'll be able to get so many onto that space