Hmmmm I smell something burning. must have been thinking.
sound like you need the upside down version of some kinda borneman device.
a smaller float guided to the suction hole for when the water gets to the top. so when the water is at the top the float is sucked into the hole stopping the suction.
Then a larger float which is much heavier floats down with the water.
And a cable connecting the two.
So when the larger float is at the bottom the cable pulls with upper float away from the suction hole, restarting the suction.
the devil will be getting the right bottom weight to pull of top float off the suction. And insuring the top float reblocks the suction when the water rises. You might put the top float in a pvc pipe to limit it's fall and guide it as the water rises.
The bottom float will still have to float but not jam in the container and still have enough mass to pull the top float off the suction.
and the denser the top float is as long as it still floats and seals the suction the better.
Does that sound like a plan?
sound like you need the upside down version of some kinda borneman device.
a smaller float guided to the suction hole for when the water gets to the top. so when the water is at the top the float is sucked into the hole stopping the suction.
Then a larger float which is much heavier floats down with the water.
And a cable connecting the two.
So when the larger float is at the bottom the cable pulls with upper float away from the suction hole, restarting the suction.
the devil will be getting the right bottom weight to pull of top float off the suction. And insuring the top float reblocks the suction when the water rises. You might put the top float in a pvc pipe to limit it's fall and guide it as the water rises.
The bottom float will still have to float but not jam in the container and still have enough mass to pull the top float off the suction.
and the denser the top float is as long as it still floats and seals the suction the better.
Does that sound like a plan?
Don't you hate when you write out a huge long post, only to find at the very end that you didn't account for one little thing?
What I was thinking with a float valve would only accomplish little tiny surges, because once the water level started to drop, the float would close the air intake.
Sorry for not actually being helpful.
What I was thinking with a float valve would only accomplish little tiny surges, because once the water level started to drop, the float would close the air intake.
Sorry for not actually being helpful.
still burning here and not generating any good ideas.
Don't have any way to do it but it seems to me that valve held in place blocking the outside are, by the vacuum is needed. Then the water reaches the top the vavle floats and opens the outside air to rush in. And then is held in place by the bernouli effectof the in rushing air. the when the the container empties, the air stops rushing in and the valve is sucked back to blocking the outside air by the vacuum suckingthe water back into the container.
Don't have any way to do it but it seems to me that valve held in place blocking the outside are, by the vacuum is needed. Then the water reaches the top the vavle floats and opens the outside air to rush in. And then is held in place by the bernouli effectof the in rushing air. the when the the container empties, the air stops rushing in and the valve is sucked back to blocking the outside air by the vacuum suckingthe water back into the container.
I have a feeling it won't. Your second picture shows the float up high. It will never get up there. As soon as it starts to lift, air starts to come in, the surge starts to happen just a little bit, water goes out, float goes down, surge stops, and you have a constant trickle of water ad infinitum. Also, water is going to get in your little pipe thing and eventually fill it up. Air won't pass through it.
I'm telling you it just needs a solenoid or something. Much much simpler.
I'm telling you it just needs a solenoid or something. Much much simpler.
Matt_Wandell":3n0g5vmd said:
I think the devil is in the details. the main problem (if this would ever work) would be balancing things out. the bottom valve needs to be dense enough seal the outside tube from the vacuum. The floats just above it need to hold up the valve while underwater. And the top float needs to provide sufficient bouancy to pull everything up against the max water height. and the outside tube needs to be large enough to allow air to enter faster then the vacuum and therefore start the surge.
damn...how much time do you guys have to kill? I have a hard enough time keeping up with cleaning/upkeeping the tank and feeding the fish as it is by itself, along with a career, kids, leisure time, friends, family, yardwork, doing things around the house, and 1000 other things per week!
Just go buy a damn surge unit already lol...
Just go buy a damn surge unit already lol...
Here's one of the ideas I came across, it uses a venturi to suck the air out, when the water level rises to a certain degree it pushes up on the styrofoam (or just a watertight clear block with air in it) that pushes the flapper up at the top, and air rushes in and the water just falls out, the water should fall out faster than the flapper can fall back since the air rushing in should prevent it.
The problem though if you have 10 pounds of water, you'll need to have atleast that much up force via buoyancy on the floater.
The problem though if you have 10 pounds of water, you'll need to have atleast that much up force via buoyancy on the floater.
Sfsu,
Why would the air rushing in keep the flapper open?
I think it would just fall down as soon as the water
level dropped a little bit.
I think this would work best. Anything that opens and closes in a pattern. The problem is finding a cheap solution to this.
Why would the air rushing in keep the flapper open?
I think it would just fall down as soon as the water
level dropped a little bit.
RobertoVespucci":29czel7z said:
I think this would work best. Anything that opens and closes in a pattern. The problem is finding a cheap solution to this.
I dunno, I'm just guessingMatt_Wandell":32nqmrzm said:
I figured most of the buoyancy block would be underwater, the force you'd need to pop that sucker open would probably be in the same ballpark as the weight of the water (this why most of the block would be underwater) after that sucker pops though there's no "suction force" anymore, so the foam block would stay at the waterlevel as the thing drained , which if you planned nicely should close right as it hits the end of its cycle.The problem with all of the float variants is that as soon as the vent opens and air rushes in, water rushes out, the float drops and seals the vent. So, only the water in the section that the float actually moves through will be surged. I hope I'm getting that idea out reasonably. Maybe I'm making it more confusing.
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