protein skimmer water discharge

[TonyD1988]

Good morning R2R, I have a question regarding my in sump protein skimmer. My wife doesn't like that our house sounds like a waterfall, so my question is, does the outlet water from my protein skimmer need to "fall" and drop into the water, or can I just run an elbow and pipe so it discharges under the waters surface? Oxygen is added before that where the overflows dump through the filter socks so just wanted to check with you guys. Thanks.

 

[ludnix]

You can definitely add your silencing elbow. As long as the water flow is not impeded it should all be working as expected and the waterfall is not necessary.

 

[Pntbll687]

Good morning R2R, I have a question regarding my in sump protein skimmer. My wife doesn't like that our house sounds like a waterfall, so my question is, does the outlet water from my protein skimmer need to "fall" and drop into the water, or can I just run an elbow and pipe so it discharges under the waters surface? Oxygen is added before that where the overflows dump through the filter socks so just wanted to check with you guys. Thanks.

You can add an elbow to the discharge to bring it to the water surface, thus making it quieter.

I would use a 45 on the end and have 90% of the opening under water. This way the air has a place to escape. It will prevent bubbles from getting trapped and building up pressure inside the skimmer. The pressure won't hurt the skimmer in any way, but could cause fluctuations in the water level in the body of the skimmer, maybe even causing an overflow of the cup.

You'll have to experiment with some different fittings and find what works best for you.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

You could build a tower and put some type of media in there to make it quieter.

 

[TonyD1988]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I put on a 90 degree elbow and it discharges right below the waters surface now with no cup overflowing issues.