Also worth noting, I've found a new Penn Plax Cascade 1500 for $140 shipped online, considering that as well. It seems like a fairly basic design and not very power efficient, though. http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...ister-filters/prodCascadeCanisterFilters.html
Odyssea CFS 500 Can-filter review and circumference modification
- Thread starter CWO4GUNNER
- Start date
I've seen Gunner's and Funkman's remedies for spreading force out from the locknuts and I was wondering how rigid the ring or under-washer material would have to be. I have an 11"x14" sheet of .093" (roughly 3/32) acrylic lying around that would work well to make a ring. Would there be too much flex to make it worthwhile? I can get 1/4" plywood or thicker acrylic, but like I said, I have this onhand...
I honestly don't see the acrylic helping much because it would have even more give than the plastic lid. As far as preventative measure, I feel like the washers that I used alone would work to stop cracks from forming. The nuts are being applied at such little surface area that cracks are inevitable. Gunner's remedy goes one step further by ensuring that you don't screw it down too much, although I would probably have washers on both sides of the squishy material. I HAD to go with 1/4" plywood because of all of the cracks that I already had, so it was no longer simply a preventative measure.
If you go with washers only, you'll still need to be really careful about not overtightening the nuts. That's why Gunner went with some type of squishy material to buffer the force.
"I am a sometimes impatient soul and spend a few hours and a few more dollars doing the mods, so call it $65, $70 + mild frustration. Roughly half the cost, and I'm on a very tight budget as a law student right now.The question is, either of these would be going on a fairly small 29 gallon tank"
My purpose of the modified CFS500 was to provide high capacity/high efficiency/high endurance filtration using circumference filtration technology. If you are only looking to filter a small tank between say 10 to 50 gallons, on a tight budget and time constrained like a student, I would go with a filter that is right in class with the Eheim 2026 and buy the Sunsun 302w which is every bit the performer notwithstanding inline stacked filter design which is far less efficient. Nevertheless a very good reliable filter out of the box. I recommend the following vendor who I believe offers spare parts and better service then others. http://cgi.ebay.com/3-STAGE-CANISTE...985?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2558e0f5f1
With respect to the CFS500 top flange, beside the very even displacement a full wood flange provides the lid of the CFS500, the wood surface provides a firm yet soft pressure point against the plastic which is also very important. You do not want the steel washer contacting the plastic causing pressure points, why I use neoprene pads, however the wood flange is actually better becasue it allows you the same cushion while being firm enough to gauge tightness while neoprene has a tendency to flatten over time allowing unexpected looseness after a few days. Wood is far better.
My purpose of the modified CFS500 was to provide high capacity/high efficiency/high endurance filtration using circumference filtration technology. If you are only looking to filter a small tank between say 10 to 50 gallons, on a tight budget and time constrained like a student, I would go with a filter that is right in class with the Eheim 2026 and buy the Sunsun 302w which is every bit the performer notwithstanding inline stacked filter design which is far less efficient. Nevertheless a very good reliable filter out of the box. I recommend the following vendor who I believe offers spare parts and better service then others. http://cgi.ebay.com/3-STAGE-CANISTE...985?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2558e0f5f1
With respect to the CFS500 top flange, beside the very even displacement a full wood flange provides the lid of the CFS500, the wood surface provides a firm yet soft pressure point against the plastic which is also very important. You do not want the steel washer contacting the plastic causing pressure points, why I use neoprene pads, however the wood flange is actually better becasue it allows you the same cushion while being firm enough to gauge tightness while neoprene has a tendency to flatten over time allowing unexpected looseness after a few days. Wood is far better.
Point taken on not over tightening--more is definitely not always better. While picking up some washers today I also found some thin (about the same thickness as the metal washers) rubber washers of a slightly larger diameter. I think they may serve the necessary softness without to much give.
Went ahead and purchased one of these -- I appreciate you taking the time to respond, Gunner, but I've got some unexpected free time and I don't think the mod will be too difficult -- I can handle some gluing and cutting foam, etc
Again, where should I go to get cotton batting like you used in your mod?
Again, where should I go to get cotton batting like you used in your mod?
I buy mine from Jo-Anns. You can usually find a printable 40% off coupon online and they have different density poly-batting for you to choose from. I use the thickest available in mine.
Wrong size O rings, a lid that cracks, valves that crack.....I dunno this thing is starting to look more like a POJ. Based on it's defects out-of-the-box, I am wondering how long the motor/impeller will last on these things.
