Newbie Skimmer Q's

Ok, I was just going to tell you that it was an Aqua-C. The black logo on the neck is the dead give away. My suggestion would be to remove it and come that puppy out like there is no tomorrow. These are top notch skimmers and will work beautifully when running properly. I clean mine 2 times a year, you never know what gets trapped inside. I once had a bristle worm living in my EV-180. I have no clue how it got past the impeller without getting chopped up.

 

The water line inside the skimmer should be where the dark acrylic and clear acrylic meet, the neck reaction tube. The best thing to do is to cut the air off completely and see where the water level is. If it is too high, open the water gate to drop the level, if it's too low, close it until it's at the joint described above. After you do that, open the airline about 80-90% open, that should give you a good quality air mix and good skim.

 

Welp..

We sat and messed with it for awhile this morning. Turned the whole pump off, drained the water, turned the red PVC valve off, and tried to refill it slowly. I have it at the point RIGHT below the line in the chamber right now. So I guess per your advice that I need to still raise the water line. I will try to do that right now. I think something is wrong with mine...either the PVC connection or the air chamber. Should the air chamber have a little water in it?

The cylinder meets the rectangle INSIDE the contraption as well...so when you say the water line needs to be at the cylinder and rectangle meeting spot, do you mean from the outside looking at it, or with a flashlight looking IN it?

 

+K, good tip

 

Check the images I have attached. I have noted on each one what you should do.
When you clean the hose barb, soak it in mild vinegar water, then brush it with a toothbrush to remove any hard deposits. To clean the air valve, just run it under clean fresh water to remove any salt creep and break off any calcium deposits that may be stuck. When you screw the hose barb back in, you don't need to twist it where it is tight, just get it where it starts to get tight, then back it out to the position it was before you took it apart. Same for the air valve, and use teflon tape to seal the airvalve threads. I hope this helps.
You will always have some water in the air induction chamber since it is not a sealed off area. The bubbles are produced by the force of the water entering the skimmer body and the air coming in from the valve.

 

Hey you!!!

Thank you!!!!!

 

You got it. If you need any help, let me know.