Help! Last ditch attempt to tune my ev120 before changing brands

I purchased my in sump EV120 skimmer last summer and until a few months ago was doing quite well. Then I removed and cleaned the mag5 pump. Since then I have not been able to get it operational for any more than a few hours. I have read everything posted in here and have tried every suggestion but to no avail .. I have even upgraded to a mag7. I have contacted AquaC and they have been more than generous with their input and more than patient with me. I'm not questioning the capabilities of the skimmer, comments in here continuously testify to how great it is and my experience using a remora on my 29 gal has also convinced me that AquaCs are great skimmers. The only way I can get skimmate is to close the gate valve until the water is at the junction of the foam tower and dark plexi, fully opening the mag5 and air valves. It takes several hours (overnight) for the foam to rise into the collection cup but it is a very wet foam that runs out the collection cup drain back into the sump. I then open the gate valve and close the mag5 valve gradually until wet foam stops overflowing and it turns into darker skimmate. It'll collect skim for a few hours and then the bubbles will drop back into the foam tower and skimming will stop. I've left it in this state for up to a few days and the foam does not rise back into the collection cup, it just doesn't recover. I've tried all the suggestions that have been offered but to no avail. Before buying a different skimmer I'm appealing to anyone who might have been in a similar situation and corrected it.

 

Never had this happenn but it sounds to me like there's something coating the internal walls of the skimmer. Id take it out and clean it.use vinegar and water then bleach and water and again in vinegar and water.just to make sure u get it clean.

 

First things first.... do you have an ATO or a baffled sump? Do you have a constant water level?

Next.... skimmers do not necessarily produce skimate all the time. If your tank is clear of DOCs, then your skimmer will shut down until enough build up to be collected. It is very possible you were behind when you bought it and now your tank is clean. Especially putting a bigger pump on it making it able to process more.

If you do not have a constant water level... then you will never get consistent results with any skimmer. If you do, then set the pump valve to where the skimmer does not overflow and leave it alone. Some need to throttle their pump but I didn't. I ran a 7 wide open.

Next, set the water level in the skimmer where it needs to be and leave that alone. The level needs to be where it needs to be. You are moving to many variables at once.

Set the air valve where you think it needs to be. If you get wet skimmate, then let it keep going. You will need to get a bottle and let it run in there. A two liter pop bottle works fine. Adjust the air valve for wet or dry. If the wet does not go away, tweak the gate valve just a bit to lower it.

I think you are just doing too much. And I'm sure you have tried every possible way and taken care to do it right. If the folks at AquaC can't get you dialed in, I doubt I can.

The other problem here is that this is what AquaCs do. They are temperamental and not very consistent. They can work for some, and they are good on paper, but there are much better bubble machines out there with much more consistent operation with smaller pumps. Mine was very inconsistent. In it's defense I didn't have a stable water level. However, going to a needle wheel was the best thing I ever did for multiple reasons.

 

In addition to the above, CALL THEM. Their customer service is amazing.

 

Thanks loneracer. I've cleaned the collection cup and wiped down the foam tower with paper towel but I have not removed the skimmer and did a total clean. I think I'll try it though. I'm OK using vinegar and water but I'm not too comfortable using bleach.

 

Great reply powerman, thanks!
I do have an ATO and baffled sump so my water level is constant.
I was also wondering if my tank was too clean to produce any skimmate but I have gone as long as a week without producing any at all. I have intentionally overfed just to dirty things up a bit but I still get minimal skimmate before it stops skimming.
I do have the mag7 throttled but it's a ball valve and not very sensitive so I run it wide open and use teh air valve to control.
I'm trying not to move too many variables at the same time or close together but it's a valid point so I'll make a point of being more patient ..
I'm beginning to think that your last paragraph best reflects my problem and that the skimmer just won't work for me. AquaC has been great though. They have replied virtually day and night to my emails lol .. and I've sent several. I'm hoping I can get it working though because I've invested a lot of time & money!

 

I have the EV-180, and I'm not sure that operation of the 120 would be the same...however, AquaC recommended for me to always have the Air Valve fully open, and throttle back the pump to dial it in. They said it was designed to have the air valve 100% open. I have also been told to fully disassemble, remove and clean once every 4-6 months to keep operation of the skimmer at its highest.

I am running mine with a mag 7 wide open, air valve fully open, and I tweak the gate valve to give me the right amount of water/bubbles inside the neck. I have a fairly new system, but have been pulling dark brown/black skimmate for over 2 months now(3.5 month old system). It took about 2 weeks of not touching it to get anything but yellow water skimmed, but after that 2 weeks, been working like a champ. I also have a baffled sump, and it is sitting 7 inches below water line (3/4" above gate valve bottom).

Don't know if any of that helped, but my advice is get it where the bubbles are just below the separation of the neck, and leave it alone for a couple of weeks...whether you pull out any skimmate or not.

 

Bleach is ok to use so long as u rinse it good.for an extra measure of safety u can use a declorinating product after you rinse it I've used it for about a year now no ill effects

 

I don't think the skimmer body itself needs to be cleaned, but you can. However, you will have to go through another break in period before you can get to troubleshooting again.

What does need to be cleaned is the spray nozzle. It will get fouled. Also the air valve. It will get full of salt creep. Take both of those out and make sure they are clean. Assuming the pump is clean, those will be your biggest set backs to performance.

Ya day to day maybe but a week .... it isn't that clean. Sounds like you are doing some good things, just need to get you dialed in. E-mails are good, but nothing beats a conversation. Every time I called AquaC they answered and were more than helpful.

 

Bottom line is AquaC skimmers are excellent performing skimmers. Customer service is also top notch. You need to understand how the skimmer differs from other designs such as needlewheels to fully see how great of a performer it is. The design works buy building a massive foam head unlike anything possible in a needlewheel skimmer. because of this users are frustrated when the skimmer looses it's foam head due to feeding or sticking their hands in the tank. Needlewheel skimmers also suffer the same issues however they are only building a 2-3" foam head so it takes less time to rebound.
When you loose the foam head in an AquaC, there is no need to panic. it will come back. Once you get the skimmer dialed in very little adjustments are ever needed.

Always remember these things:
1. Have patience. Good things in this hobby happen slowly. Bad things happen quickly.
2. The skimmer needs a consistant water level. 1/2" water fluctations will cause problems.
3. Do not do adjustments to the skimmer after doing anything to the tank. (feeding, maintenance, hand in water, ect...)
4. Always make small adjustments and allow several hours to see results
5. Do not make adjustments before leaving or going down for the night.
6. Always empty the cup before the adjustments (in case adjustment causes an overflow)
7. Empty and clean the cup every 3 days for best results. (I always had a dish brush handy to scrub down the cylinder and neck every day or two to prevent buildup if noticed.)