Belt Oil Skimmer with Stainless Steel Belt

The frequency at which you should run a tramp oil skimmer depends on many factors, including the type of machine or process you are using it for, the level of contamination in the coolant, and the specific requirements of your operation. 

Tramp oil skimmers are used in industrial settings to remove unwanted oils and contaminants from coolant or other fluids in metalworking machines, parts washers, and similar applications. Here are some general guidelines to consider:

1. Continuous operation: continuously running the tramp oil skimmer is recommended if the machining process generates significant tramp oil or if maintaining a high fluid cleanliness level is critical.
2. Intermittent Operation: For less severe contamination situations where the coolant mixture has a light oil mixture, consider running the tramp oil skimmer intermittently, such as a few hours a day. It helps maintain the fluid’s quality without overworking the skimmer.
3. Monitoring: Regularly monitor the level of tramp oil in your coolant to determine when it’s necessary to activate the skimmer. Visual inspections or oil concentration sensors can help you gauge when the skimmer should be operating.
4. Customize to Your Process: The frequency of skimming can vary significantly from one operation to another. The timing for using the skimmer depends on the particular requirements of your process and how quickly tramp oil builds up.
5. Manufacturer Recommendations: Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and recommendations for your specific tramp oil skimmer model. They can provide valuable insights into optimal operation and maintenance.
6. Fluid Analysis: Regularly analyze your coolant or fluid to assess its cleanliness and the effectiveness of the tramp oil skimmer. Adjust the skimmer’s operation based on the results of these analyses.

Ultimately, the ideal frequency for running a tramp oil skimmer will depend on your specific circumstances and the goals of your production environment. Striking a balance between removing tramp oil efficiently and avoiding excessive wear and maintenance on the skimmer must be considered. Regular monitoring and maintenance will help ensure that the tramp oil skimmer operates effectively and prolongs its lifespan.

Both units feature the same gear assembly. The primary differences is the motor and the Haas style unit features a 14″ tube. The Zebra Sidewinder Tube skimmer is available in various tube lengths starting at 8″ all the way up to 95″. Another slight difference is the gear assembly for the Haas unit sits on top of the metal enclosure while for the Zebra unit it is at the bottom of the metal enclosure. Other differences are listed below:

Haas style differences:

1. Larger enclosure
2. Clear collection tray included
3. Included 25″ extension cord
4. Standard 14″ tube, not expandable
5. 7 rpm motor for the Haas style

The temperature of a parts washer tank can vary depending on the specific type and model of the parts washer. Parts washer tanks are typically designed to operate at temperatures between 100-180 degrees Fahrenheit (38-82 degrees Celsius). The exact temperature range may also depend on the type of cleaning solution used in the parts washer. Always consult with the manufacturer for their recommendations.

The good news is that belt skimmers can be used for skimming oil out of the parts washer tank. Our recommendation is our Belt Skimmer with a stainless steel belt as a regular polyurethane belt will not work. The stainless belts that Zebra Skimmers stock have a max operating temperature of 212ºF.

Yes, all motors used in our line of Tramp Oil skimmers (Disk, Belt and Tube) are manufactured in the United States and meet RoHS compliance. This helps reaffirm our commitment to our customers and the environment to provide a quality long term product to meet your skimming needs.

Browse our full line of skimmer products and solutions.

Yes, you would need to replace the foot and the belt assembly. For example, if you have a belt skimmer with an 8″ footer and you want to move up to the next size you would ask for a BPF1-12 footer and corresponding belt. Please call customer service at 888-249-4855 and they will assist you in ordering or you can learn more about our line of belt skimmers by clicking here.

Selection of a mechanical skimmer is based upon sump or tank factors such as:

1) Access to the area where oils naturally collect (mount location of the skimmer)
2) Reach needed to the lowest fluid level (distance from mounting point)
3) Required rate of oil pickup (quarts or gallons per hour)
4) Temperature of the solution (as in wash water)

If using a mechanical skimmer, we recommend the use of the Diverter accessory, which mounts below the skimmer to redirect any removed coolant back to the sump or tank. See the Diverter section for details.

If the sump runs only one or two shifts, then we also recommend the use of an Oxygenator™ during the time the pump is down. It will help to prevent bacterial rancidity by keeping oxygen in the fluid. See the Oxygenator section for details.

It is a matter of what best “fits” your application as well as your equipment preference.

A mechanical skimmer will remove the tramp oil layer via a pickup mechanism, such as a disk, belt, or tube. The tramp oil is then discharged automatically to a waste container, which will need to be manually emptied as needed. Since tramp oils are best removed daily, as they are a food source for bacteria, it is recommended to have one on each machine sump to run as needed.

A z17 coalescer draws in the entire surface layer of your sump, then gravity separates the oil within its holding tank for manual discharge to a waste container. Again, oil removal should be done daily, so dedicate a coalescer (such as a Muscle™) on each sump to run continuously, or daily utilize a portable unit (such as the Snapdragon™) on each sump.

More information on each product selection can be found in their product sections.

We supply replacement belts for other brand skimmers, but have only the 3/8” cogged, flat poly, or flat steel variety. All we need from you is the width and OAL (over all length or end-to-end) measurement. If you do not have the original belt to measure from, then we have a specifications worksheet which you will need to provide a few measurements of your brand skimmer. We can calculate the OAL from there and get you a replacement to get you back up and running.

Either a Zebra Belt Skimmer or Sidewinder™ Tube Skimmer, depending upon the access to your sumps. We recommend also mounting the Diverter and the Lockjaw™ Mounting Clamp. With the Lockjaw, you can then easily move the skimmer set up between each sump as well as to your barrel.

Long Answer: It is extremely rare for a ZVA tube to break for any reason. 

Why don’t they break? For one thing, we put every tube we make through a rigorous QC process for one, rejecting every tube that fails any single test. And then we put a sample of every batch of tubes through a destructive test. Mechanically, our tubing is very strong, and our weld is many times stronger than the tubing.

If tubes don’t break, then how could it happen?

The most obvious reason is that it may have been cut. Sometimes this happens if someone closes a sump without seeing the tube. It’s almost always an accident. You can tell when the tube is cut because the edges of the cut are very straight.

There is another reason why the tube can break – chemistry.

Without getting too complicated, water breaks the mechanical weld. That’s right, our weld is mechanical, and water breaks it apart. Like velcro, the polymer chains that make up our tubing join together during the welding process. The ends are like bent fingers that hold onto each other. Mechanically, this is incredibly strong.

However, our tubing is made to resist oils, the kind of oils that are found in metalworking fluids. If our tubing is exposed to water, the water attacks the polymers, relaxing the fingers. When the fingers straighten, the ends of the weld let go. And the weld breaks.

Where does the water come from?

A machining center is designed to hold metalworking fluid (MWF) that makes cutting metal much easier than not using anything at all. If you use straight oil, the cutting is easy but there is too much heat. If you use straight water, then there is very little heat but the cutting is hard. Also, with water, the expensive machine will rust and be ruined. By using a specific mixture of oil and water, the cutting can be easy and cool at the same time.

The problem is that the MWF is made to be used at an exact ratio of water to oil. Most of the time this ratio is 10 parts water to 1 part MWF concentrate. If someone doesn’t mix the MWF correctly, then the ratio changes.

If the ratio becomes 12 parts water to 1 part MWF concentrate, then that means there is too much water in the mixture.

This is where the water comes from. This “free” water is available to attack the weld of our tube. And the mechanical weld breaks.

However, this free water is also available to damage the more expensive machine. This free water also makes cutting more difficult, so that tools don’t last as long.

In this way the ZVA tube weld works like an electrical fuse. It breaks at the weld indicating the presence of too much water. Replacing a failed tube is very inexpensive and easy. Repairing an extremely expensive CNC machining center is difficult.

This is why, when Zebra learns of a tube break, we take extra care to learn about how the customer is taking care of their machine and their MWF. We teach them that the skimmer is giving them a warning. Once our customers understand that, they appreciate the information and learn to take better care of their machines.

How Zebra changed the market.

When the ZVA was first introduced 20 years ago, there were many tube breaks. We took care of all our customers and learned why the breaks happened. If the break is our fault, we always replace the tube for free. If the tube break is because of chemistry, we replace the tube one time for free, but we teach the customer why this happens.

Today, there are almost no reports of tube breaks due to chemistry. We are proud to have taught our customers the proper way to maintain their sumps. Not only does this mean they have fewer problems with the skimmer, but their machines and their production work much better.

If your mechanical skimmer is not on a timer, it will lift off your coolant too.

Most coolants have some type of oil to their base (ie. mineral oil, vegetable oil, etc.) for lubrication purposes. A mechanical skimmer loves oil, and does not know the difference between the bad tramp oils you need to remove from your sump and the good oils that may be within your coolant base. It will pick up anything it knows as oil…period.

The Diverter does know the difference, and uses gravity separation to separate out the tramp oils form the coolant, and will revert the coolant back to the tank. All you will have in your waste container is tramp oils, saving hundreds of dollars a year in wasted coolant.

However, the Diverter does know the difference, and uses gravity separation to separate out the tramp oils from the coolant, and will revert the coolant back to the tank. All you will have in your waste container is tramp oil, saving hundreds of dollars a year in otherwise wasted coolant.

The other option is to put the skimmer on a timed cycle, so it runs only as long as the oil layer is present. Once the tramp oils are picked up, the skimmer is turned off by the timer. Most often, getting this timed cycle just right is the challenge, and can take several days and a lot of hassle!

Mechanical skimmers (disk, belt, or tube type) are designed to pick up oil, and will continue to do so as long as the oil layer IS just oil. Once the pickup mechanism no longer attracts and picks up the surface layer, the layer has become something other than just oil (referred to as biofilm) or it is coated with a rejection chemical.

Biofilms are formed when an abundance of bacteria have colonized. They combine with their food source- the oil layer. Until the bacteria are under control, this mucous layer will grow larger, clog lines and filters, give off foul odors, and eat away at the good stuff in your coolant. Nothing will pick it up except for a coalescer or shop vacuum. It is recommended that the machine be fully cleaned and decontaminated, then recharged with fresh coolant. You will know the machine is decontaminated when its rinse bath is a pH of 7 (that of water).

A rejection chemical is a chemical that is in your coolant blend or from another source (such as rust preventative or anything else that may end up in the coolant soup). The most common chemical that can cause this rejection is silicone. Once it is wiped off the pick up mechanism, the skimmer will work-but only until it is recoated! We recommend the use of the Muscle Coalescer instead of the mechanical skimmer for this situation.