New Build ~ 600 Gallon

CrimsonFog

Piranha
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Apr 2, 2012
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#TrollAlert

That wood in your 600 looks dumb! I'll be by to pick it up tonight. :cool:
 
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JK47

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Wait, was there a Modest_Man Modest_Man sighting?!
Not yet, I think he is enjoying himself in Mexico at the moment. We going to knock out the Apex this weekend? The intake plumbing comes in Thursday night, FYI
 

CrimsonFog

Piranha
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Apr 2, 2012
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Not yet, I think he is enjoying himself in Mexico at the moment. We going to knock out the Apex this weekend? The intake plumbing comes in Thursday night, FYI
Yes sir, either evening this weekend is promising.

<insert> Tie-Fighter drive-by noise </insert>
 
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Reedmaster16

Piranha
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Oct 13, 2005
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Just some info on sieves and the screen material.

A flat 304 stainless steel xxx micron screen will not work as intended. A mesh screen will do very little besides get clogged. Then have the waste break down more into the water column as it gets smashed against the screen making it harder to remove from the water column later.

Sieves use a tilted/wedge wire screen that is bent at a precise angle so the edge/angle of the wire is pointing up forcing clean water down, separating larger particles from the water and washing them down the screen. Using a flat piece of wedge wire will not work very well either as it will clog easily and have a much lower flow rate (even when clean) than a properly engineered sieve screen.

I have found pre tilted wire screens available at different angles but they are expensive and doing the math for water velocity at given angles is time consuming with a lot of variables.

It is less costly in my opinion to just buy a ultrasieve/cetus replacement screen to work with if you are dead seat on trying to go the DIY route. Those companies spent the time and money on R&D to get the screen calculations and manufacturing correct. It starts approaching the cost of a real sieve very quickly if you add up the cost of proper materials required. Not counting labor, mistakes, etc.

Don't let me discourage you at all, I just wanted to give ya some info so you didn't waste money on trial and error.
 
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JK47

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Just some info on sieves and the screen material.

A flat 304 stainless steel xxx micron screen will not work as intended. A mesh screen will do very little besides get clogged. Then have the waste break down more into the water column as it gets smashed against the screen making it harder to remove from the water column later.

Sieves use a tilted/wedge wire screen that is bent at a precise angle so the edge/angle of the wire is pointing up forcing clean water down, separating larger particles from the water and washing them down the screen. Using a flat piece of wedge wire will not work very well either as it will clog easily and have a much lower flow rate (even when clean) than a properly engineered sieve screen.

I have found pre tilted wire screens available at different angles but they are expensive and doing the math for water velocity at given angles is time consuming with a lot of variables.

It is less costly in my opinion to just buy a ultrasieve/cetus replacement screen to work with if you are dead seat on trying to go the DIY route. Those companies spent the time and money on R&D to get the screen calculations and manufacturing correct. It starts approaching the cost of a real sieve very quickly if you add up the cost of proper materials required. Not counting labor, mistakes, etc.

Don't let me discourage you at all, I just wanted to give ya some info so you didn't waste money on trial and error.
This is exactly what I didn't want to hear...! Thanks for saving me a few bucks Reed. The sieves here were just an experiment that would likely have taught me the same lesson you just described but I appreciate you explaining why.

The screen I have (already purchased) to build that system is below:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/262906747106 8 sq ft 24" x 48" 100 mesh 316L stainless steel screen pollen kief sieve filter

Any thoughts? I would only be willing to drop the kind of money a cetus goes for if it served as sole mechanical and it will have right at 7k GPH flow.
 

Reedmaster16

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 13, 2005
652
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Happy to help!.....and sorry for being the one to bring some negative news lol. That screen would not be feasible for use in a sieve. Luckily it was fairly cheap and I'm sure you could find a use for it in another project. I can take a pic of my sieve screen this evening after work to show you how different the material/angle/wedge is very different.

True wedge wire would be in the $300-600 range depending on size. I did a lot of research around 4 years back looking into a way to DIY a cheap alternative to paying out the ass for a sieve. Chased my tail for a long time until I gave in lol. Not saying it cant be done DIY, but the price of required proper materials adds up to or exceeds the cost of buying a manufactured one that's guaranteed to perform its job.

I don't have hands on experience with a Cetus but all sieves essentially operate the same. Cetus flows just under 5,000gph if I'm remembering correctly. First step of mechanical in my main system is an Ultrasieve with a est max flow in the 7,900gph range. It's gravity fed by two 4" inlets.

Would this be an add on to this current build or an expansion for future project? Currently are you running filter socks for mech prefilter to MBBR?
 

millerkid519

Aimara
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Feb 16, 2015
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stratford ontario canada
Just some info on sieves and the screen material.

A flat 304 stainless steel xxx micron screen will not work as intended. A mesh screen will do very little besides get clogged. Then have the waste break down more into the water column as it gets smashed against the screen making it harder to remove from the water column later.

Sieves use a tilted/wedge wire screen that is bent at a precise angle so the edge/angle of the wire is pointing up forcing clean water down, separating larger particles from the water and washing them down the screen. Using a flat piece of wedge wire will not work very well either as it will clog easily and have a much lower flow rate (even when clean) than a properly engineered sieve screen.

I have found pre tilted wire screens available at different angles but they are expensive and doing the math for water velocity at given angles is time consuming with a lot of variables.

It is less costly in my opinion to just buy a ultrasieve/cetus replacement screen to work with if you are dead seat on trying to go the DIY route. Those companies spent the time and money on R&D to get the screen calculations and manufacturing correct. It starts approaching the cost of a real sieve very quickly if you add up the cost of proper materials required. Not counting labor, mistakes, etc.

Don't let me discourage you at all, I just wanted to give ya some info so you didn't waste money on trial and error.
I bought proper sieve filter from McMaster.com

https://www.mcmaster.com/#wire-cloth/=17kzzp2
 

JK47

Retired MFK Admin
MFK Member
Aug 4, 2008
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Happy to help!.....and sorry for being the one to bring some negative news lol. That screen would not be feasible for use in a sieve. Luckily it was fairly cheap and I'm sure you could find a use for it in another project. I can take a pic of my sieve screen this evening after work to show you how different the material/angle/wedge is very different.

True wedge wire would be in the $300-600 range depending on size. I did a lot of research around 4 years back looking into a way to DIY a cheap alternative to paying out the ass for a sieve. Chased my tail for a long time until I gave in lol. Not saying it cant be done DIY, but the price of required proper materials adds up to or exceeds the cost of buying a manufactured one that's guaranteed to perform its job.

I don't have hands on experience with a Cetus but all sieves essentially operate the same. Cetus flows just under 5,000gph if I'm remembering correctly. First step of mechanical in my main system is an Ultrasieve with a est max flow in the 7,900gph range. It's gravity fed by two 4" inlets.

Would this be an add on to this current build or an expansion for future project? Currently are you running filter socks for mech prefilter to MBBR?
I was doing mini sieves on this tank to "play". The sump on this tank is there for displacement of gallons on the newborn tank and a place to mount my gear for monitoring the system. The big one is for two other tanks that I am currently rebuilding. I need to keep that project under budget because I am replacing those tanks with the next upgrade just as soon as I find the right tank/next project. I suppose a sieve is a good investment since it can easily carry over to a larger system.

Design:
x4 2" incoming lines through the sieve
x2 2" lines from sieve to MBBR
out to tanks
 
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