Skimmer problem... again.

I can't wait to replace this crappy skimmer, but until then, I have to keep trying to make it work (PC, I know how you feel)

Anyway, I have this

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The middle chamber is where the water should foam up the top. Currently, it's not foaming, it's just bubbly. The left chamber (the return) should be basically clear of bubbles. But for some reason it is getting an equal amount of bubbles as the middle chamber. So my DT is being flooded with them.

This is not a matter of not liking bubbles in the DT, it's a matter of the skimmer not working. The bubbles are in the wrong chamber so it's not foaming - so it's not doing its job.


I have replaced the pump, checked the air lines (and replaced them, again), taken the whole thing apart and put it back together...


What in the world would cause the bubbles to go to the far left chamber instead of the middle one? It makes no sense to me.

 

bump

 

Honestly i dont have the answer to your question. But i am fed up with my cheap ebay skimmer aswell. I get no foam just bubbles. I plan on purchasing a NICE one, but not till i get a little bit more income for my tank. Vehicles issues have set me WAY back. The Pontiac Grand Am blew up, and i have to do maintance on the Ford Explorer. Income ax is just around the corner..

 

If its a HOB skimmer i would defienetly go with an Aqua Remora. Is there anything you can adjust on this skimmer? Also is the skimmer level when on?

 

The only thing I can adjust is the height of the collection cup.

Is it level? Do you mean is the machine level or are you asking if the water in all 3 chambers is level?

Yes, it is leveled in 3-D with a bubble level.

No, the water level in the three chambers are not at same level. The chamber with the pump, the water level is about halfway up the pump (does not submerge pump). I've checked it for overheating and it doesn't get hot at all...



Historically, the water level in the return chamber (far left in pic) has been level with the top of the return pipe so I wold have gurgling noise. Since I replaced the pump, the water level in that same chamber is higher than the return, so it doesn't gurgle.

 

Do you have a video or pic of your skimmer in operation? It might help reveal something.

My guess is that the pump is drawing too little air, and thus too much water. The extra flow is causing some of the bubbles to be drawn to the last chamber.

There are several things that can cause this in skimmers. There can be salt build up in the airline that develops over the course of a few days that needs to be flushed out with some warm RO/DI water. This salt usually crystalizes next to the venturi and is sometimes hard to see.

Another thing that can screw up air intake are blockages inside the pump, like a small strand of Chaeto wrapped around the impeller shaft, or calcification of the pump/impeller. Completely taking apart the volute and impeller parts, soaking them in a 1/3 vinegar/water solution for 24 hours and scrubing the parts with a pipe cleaner and pad can do wonders to some skimmers.

Some skimmer pumps can have idiosyncratic problems like reverse-starts, and stuck flappers. Not familiar with the pump on your skimmer. The best way to know if a pump is performing is to use a Dwyer air flow meter to measure the air draw.

Lastly, water depth can affect the performance of skimmers, but since your skimmer is a HOB, there is probably no chance of that.

One (probably unrelated) question- what is the valve at the top of the siphon tube? Is that for a pump to maintain the siphon?

 

some times i try 308 or 12g, but that wont help your skimmer, hope you fix it so you can at least sell it

 

Story of my life. Seems like octopus just can't make a good HOB skimmer. Im still thinking about getting another skimmer. Let me know what skimmer you are getting if you decide to get a new one

 

yay! Thoughtful post, THANKS!

I will make a video of the problem tomorrow - I can see how this would help.

The airline tubing has been completely replaced and this is the second pump with the same problem... it didn't do it to begin with on the second pump, took a few months to really get bad. I have taken the whole thing apart and soaked it in vinegar/water overnight... I actually took it apart and cleaned it 3 times in a one week period to no avail... Most recently (as of today) I let it run like this non stop to see if it would "break in" again... but I'm not thinking it's a break in issue.

You are referring to the white thing with the blue top? That is to create siphon.

Pump off. Open white valve, stick in some tubing, turn skimmer on and use a pump (or mouth) to create siphon. Once siphon created, close white valve, removing tubing and rock n roll. Siphon is definitely created.

It was mentioned earlier, I did go back after the last cleaning and made sure the thing is perfectly level back and forth and front to back.

One other thing I tried was to use my mouth to force a lot more air through the air intake... as far as I could tell, this had no impact.

Video tomorrow.

308 or 12g? I don't follow what that means.

 

ok, got a video finally. you can see (if you look against the black backdrop) there is even a little tornado in the return (about seconds 15-20). ton of bubbles.

I currently have it running with the return chamber completely empty and this doesn't make any difference at all...