Question for Bubble Magus Atman pump users

After six months of flawless performance, my Bubble Magus NAC6 skimmer's Atman 2500 pump won't restart after power-off every time. It did this recently after a power outage and then last night after some tank maintenance.

My question for Bubble Magus users is how many nylon washers are supposed to be on the impeller? I have one on the magnet side. I do not have one on the meshwheel side. Did I lose one?

This pump is clean - no calcification that usually does this - help, I need to figure this out! Pulling the skimmer out of the sump every time is a drag.

matt

 

My friend said his only has one.

 

i have a nac7 which is new but i only have one. i did have the same problem on a koralia 750 powerhead which is connected to a wavemaker that didn't want to restart but now seems to be fine after i removed the impeller and placed it back in. the powerhead was also clean and new at that so not sure what to tell you wish i could help. have you tried a new impeller not sure if these could possiblely expand and contract being water temp stays the same but might be something to try. sorry not much help.

 

No worries! cbs have you taken the NAC7 apart yet?

Thank you. k+
I am thinking of adding another to the bottom if I can get away with it and see if this helps.

Anymore suggestions are welcome.

matt

 

Mine only has one. I've had mine not want to restart after cleaning it but found that if you blow into the airline it starts right up. I guess a little bit of air will allow the impeller to cavitate and help get the pump running again.

 

Whoa. I hope this works for me! k+ THANK YOU! :thumbs_up

 

the only time mine was apart was when i got it and put it together. not really alot to put together. mine came with an extra impeller which is actually why i looked at mine when i first got it because i thought maybe the impeller wasn't in the pump but it was just an extra impeller along with an extra meshwheel. i looked at the extra impeller and only see one nylon washer.

 

Matt,

No joke i went through the same thing this weekend with my NAC6, frustrating to say the least. My skimmer just stopped working one day and it was because my mesh wheel broke where the impeller goes through.

You should have had a spare mesh wheel that came with your NAC6, with a spare washer on it, use it for reference. After I took my pump apart and put the mesh wheel in, I put the washer that came with my original mesh wheel on top of the new mesh wheel; put the pump together; and then put my skimmer back into my sump only to find out it didn't even seem to turn on. After a bit of troubleshooting, I realized that the new washer was part of the new mesh wheel and I could just throw the old one out.

Also, in terms of you NAC6 not pulling air, I had a similar issue and my only resolution was to remove the muffler. The muffler got wet once, and after that didn't work right since. Now that the skimmer can pull air full throttle I've actually noticed an increase in performance and noise. Fair trade-off for me.

Anyways, hope this helps.

If you're looking straight on at the pump, this is the order you should have (from front to back):
Pump seal locking mechanism
threaded pump seal, in which sits a rubber stopper
top of impeller
washer
mesh wheel
magnet drive

It's also a good idea to test the pump in a bowl before you put it back into your sump, again. hah.

 

Thanks Dr - so you have the washer on the mesh-wheel side, not the magnet side of the impeller? That is opposite of me..
I do test in a bucket before putting back in. Once I get it to work 3 times in a row, it goes back.

 

Hey Dr - I got hold of NuOcean and they confirmed what you told me - the washer goes on the meshwheel side.

To me this explains why it started jamming after I replaced the meshwheel which was prior to power-outages. I recall not remembering which side it came from at the time and I put it on the magnet side.

I am anxious to put the washer back on the meshwheel side and see if it stops jamming. Thanks!

And for the record Jim522's suggestion of blowing through the airline to release jam DOES work.

THanks all!

matt