I repaired the bubble plate on the 60S while waiting for the replacement from Vertex. Not sure how long it would take and wanted to begin the break-in while the load was low.
So far it's been running for around 24 hours (12 in vinegar/RODI) and 12 in the tank. So far this thing is a beast. I did make some modifications to it though. Mainly it was loud for me (because this thing gobbles up air!). I skipped the air muffler (but it's still in to plug the wedge pipe) and went direct to outside air. It's super quiet now. Sounds like low grade static on a TV in the background. The Vortech's are as loud because it's a low grade variable speed hum instead of constant higher pitch white noise. I could do a better job sealing the back of the cabinet up (and will) now that wires are where they should be. However, with good wire organization, comes the pain to remove equipment. Taking out the WS-1 I had to remove all the zip ties and loom ;Meh. Since I will replace the bubble plate assembly when the new one comes, I didn't bother re-doing it at the moment.
Secondly I'm working on a water change station. I did the first water change, and buckets were a pain. My original station was in the garage (on the other side of the house on a different floor). Pumping this would be a pain, and it gets very hot (100+) very often in there. Not good for storing salt water.
Since the shower in my office bathroom gets used about 4 times per year, I am sticking both my RODI & Saltwater BRUTE cans in the shower. I'll fill 30 gallons of RODI to have on tap, move it with my little pump between the two units, have the second container mixed and I have a hose connected to my pump setup which I'll bring to the tank. I have a remote outlet controller that has been sitting on the shelf I'll use to start/stop the pump from the tank.
I don't think my wife will honestly notice, I can't remember the last time she went in there.
Nitrite still purple, Nitrate still building (was 35 yesterday after water change, probably at 50 again now...)
I put the bubble sponge back into the sump while it breaks in. There were micro-bubbles last night, but not this morning when I woke up. I opened up the air valve a tiny bit more too.
Here's my review of the Somatic 60S:
First Impression: Big (but not what the "footprint" says it is). The footprint is more like 6 x 8 not 9 x 9. It looks like it could handle a much larger bio-load then what it's rated for. There is a lot of surface area in this beast. The acrylic is sold and the o-rings are nice and create a tight seal. Obviously they have shipping issues. I've ordered 2 of them, both arrived broken. They need to address this. They pre-assembly pieces, and this is what breaks in transit. I can easily screw in the bubble plate if I knew it would come in tact. Keep in mind, there are no directions with this unit. None. Watch the BRS Video...
Assembly: Straight forward. Run the tubing, assembly the neck, install venturi, and insert silencer. Done. At first I did not install the valve because I knew I was going to use an external air line.
Operation: Lots of movement! This Sicce pump blasts air/water. On vinegar it shot out the top immediately. Luckily there is a skimmate fitting for an external drain. Take this off while running it, it allows all the water to drain back into the bucket. Also do not use the cap, it will bubble off. Adjust the pipe to 100% (which is confusing because the numbers do not intuitively line up). There is a bolt looking at it from the side which holds the wedge pipe in place. Do not line the number up with this. Line it up 90 degrees away or perpendicular (on the outside) with this nut. Yes, it confused me too... Let it run on vinegar/RODI to break in. I used 12 hours; you will see a reduction in bubbles getting to the cup. However, micro-bubbles will be crazy high!
The air intake is on the loud side, but installing the valve makes it louder. But I'm not well versed in the industry so I don't know what "loud" is. Hooking it up to an external or remote air line silences the unit. All I hear is slight bubbles from the actual pump operation.
Break in-was quick. I ran it in RODI only and rinsed parts. Put it on a stand in my sump (having it run at 8" currently; my fixed water level is 9.5" in that chamber). I installed the external air line with the valve and cranked the valve down to almost closed (you will cavitate pump if it's closed, it will sound like rocks in the pump). Still set on 100% (lowest amount of water in body); and low air you will get the bubbles to break just at the neck.
Reaction: After only 5 minutes, I already started to see "different" bubbles. This is the organics building up. Woke up this morning and there is junk inside the neck. Mind you there is only bacteria and algae in my system currently. I am also seeing the highest pH since initial fill with this because of the amount of air it pulls. I could only imagine it would be better with a CO2 scrubber (which I don't see myself doing).
So far I am pleased with the skimmer for the price of $179.99; however the shipping headaches were not fun and in no way BRS or Premium's fault. I initially ordered it almost a month before it was operating because of this and I'm still running on a temporary part.
I would recommend this skimmer if you have a remote air line. I do think it's noisy without it, but could be muffled if inside a cabinet. I only ran it outside without the line. The WS-1 did great and pulled out skimmate. However the o-ring doesn't create a bubble tight seal and was under-sized for my system.
