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Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 2 | Abanaki
Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 1| Abanaki
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What is the best belt for oil skimmer?
There is a great deal of variance in applications where belt skimmers are present. Figuring out what would be the best belt material for your belt skimmer will depend on a few factors. For the most part, belts pick up the oil in the same fashion so the big difference is finding what will give you the longest operating life. 
The two factors that play into your belt choice the most is your combination of temperature and pH levels. This will typically dictate the use of a steel, elastomer, or polymer belt. When rust inhibitors are present in your application, you will want to stay away from steel because the belt can get coated in the inhibitors reducing the pick-up rate. It is best to call with details of the application and ask your Abanaki representative what will work best with your belt skimmer.
Is it too much water in your oil skimmers?
Sometimes there are situations where your oil skimmer will collect water. If you are running your skimmer 24/7 and the tank or pit runs out of oil, your skimmer will pick up whatever is remaining in the tank, and most of the time that will be water or coolant.
There is a way to prevent this and that is by utilizing an oil water separator(concentrator) in conjunction with your oil skimmer. The oil water concentrator attaches to the skimmer and helps in further separating the water/coolant from your oil. This unit is placed on the back of the skimmer. The skimmed material is drained into the concentrator and then it separates the water from oil. You can then drain the water back into the tank or well through one hose, and the oil drains from another.
Is there a test that I can do to see if a skimmer will pick up my oil?
Yes. The simplest way to test if your oils will be picked up by the skimmer is to stick a PVC pipe or steel rule in the water where the contaminated oil is located and pull it out. The oil that sticks to the pipe or rule indicates that an Abanaki oil skimmer will work in the application.
Call 440-543-7400 to speak with one of our technical sales representatives to specify the proper oil skimmer for your particular application.
To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com
How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers
Learn how Abanaki oil skimmers help you save by “taking just a little off the top.”
Selecting and sizing your next oil skimmer correctly is important – the wrong decision can cost your facility thousands over the long term.
How Do You Know What Size of Oil Skimmer You Should Purchase?
Oil skimmers operate with a very basic principle. That basic principle is the breaking of surface tension to attract oil to the belt or tube. Because of this design, it is critical to size the oil skimmer according to the surface area being skimmed rather than the amount of oil in the tank.
For example, you could have a tank or pit that measure 144 square feet but only contains 2-4 gallons of oil at any particular time. Sizing the oil skimmer according to 2-4 gallons versus the surface area would yield unproductive results. Yes, you may only have small amounts of oil, but if your oil skimmer is undersized, that oil skimmer will not have enough power to break the surface tension with enough force to bring oil from the other side of the tank.
Therefore, you could run the oil skimmer for days and never retrieve the oil from the far side of your collection point. Always take into account how large of an area you want to skim oil from when determining what oil skimmer will work best for your application.
What are the general questions you need to know about your application?
There are a few things to consider when choosing an oil skimmer for any application. The most important thing is to pick an oil skimmer that is suited for the size of the application and the correct belt type. The questions below will help narrow it down:
- What is the size of the tank or sump you wish to skim from?
- What is the type of oil you are looking to remove?
- What amount of oil do you need to remove?
- What is the point of access on the tank or sump?
From here you can either use our oil skimmer selection guide or call your Abanaki representative at (440) 543-7400 to help point you in the right direction.
To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com
How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers
Learn how Abanaki oil skimmers help you save by “taking just a little off the top.”
Selecting and sizing your next oil skimmer correctly is important – the wrong decision can cost your facility thousands over the long term.
Abanaki Corporation Oil Skimming Division
17387 Munn Road
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
Phone: (440) 543-7400
Email: skimmers@abanaki.com
Fax: (440) 543-7404
ISO 9001:2015 Certified Company
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Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 2 | Abanaki
Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 2 | Abanaki
Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 1 | Abanaki
Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions: Part 1| Abanaki