Help with PM Bullet Skimmer Needed

yeah if your going to use a mag drive step up to an 1850 or something to gurantee your getting enough pressure, you may also need to tear the 1200 apart and clean is, their recommended maintenance cycle is like every 30 days if I remember right, and they do lose alot of head pressure if the impeller is gumming up

 

I wonder if this is the same slime I see sometimes, but not in my skimmer. If I prepare new salt water in my big Rubbermaid tote, or 5G bucket and leave it for a few days with no water movement, where the surface of the water makes contact with the sides of the container--this sludge develops. It's very viscous, totally clear, like mucous. If I get some between my thumb and forefinger I can "roll it around." It's very much like gelatin. No smell either.

I've often wondered what the heck is this stuff?

 

Hey that's a good thought- I haven't taken my pump apart to clean it at all. Didn't realize they needed that much maintenance.

 

Make sure your muffler is clean and the hoses that feed the injector doesn't have restrictions. My bullet flat lines some time but it picks back up in a day or two. Tank water may be clean....

How long is your output tube after the skimmer??? If it's more then a few inches then you will have a suction problem with the water. It will be hard to keep the water level stable in the skimmer chamber.

 

Running without a muffler - removing helped my performance. I have cleaned air valve and lines. Output is just a gate valve and is above water level. Not clean water - the skimmate builds up in the riser and hardly makes it to the cup. Whatever makes it into the cup is now green tea. The skimmer was unreliable before, this is a somewhat new development. I'm wondering if it isn't the pump... I used to get skimmate into the cup after tweaking - now it seems to stay in the riser.

 

Then there is not much else to the skimmer....water and air. If it's not air then I would point the finger at the pump.

 

That's what I'm thinking. I'm taking the mag apart this weekend and making sure everything is good. Never thought it would need cleaned every 30 days. Hopefully it clears up my issue. If it does, that will hold me over until I hear some decent reviews on the new octo-cone 2000.

Thanks for your help

 

If you are able to go with a external pump then that is what I would switch to. Less heat and usually lower power consumption.

 

If I have to buy another pump, I'll replace the entire skimmer

 

I would just try the pump. I haven't had any problems with mine, don't see the reason to spend more money then have spare equipment laying around.