Skimmer Problem

I have a Bubble Magus NAC6. The skimmer pump stopped working. If I unplug it for a few seconds and plug it back in, it will run for about 30 seconds or so and then stops again. Is my pump bad??

 

On any skimmer the pump should run constantly, as long as its plugged in. Many pump use magnets to drive the impeller, so it could be that it is encountering resistance and after 30 seconds it is enough that it fouls the impeller.

When was the last time you cleaned the pump? Have you disassembled it to see if there are wear spots or debris that could be interfering?

For example, I have a maxijet 900 that does the same thing and its because one of the spacers that keeps the the magnetic impeller shaft from touching the sides broke and the shaft then started to wear along the one end making it unbalanced.

 

Have you taken it apart and checked the impeller for debris? I"d start there.

 

I had it apart 2 nights ago and cleaned it thoroughly

 

But even if there was debris, I would assume that it wouldn't run at all. When it does run for the 30 or so seconds, it pumps water and produces bubbles as if theres nothing wrong

 

Moved to---- Protein Skimmers.

 

When it does stop is there any kind of sound or does it just stop silently?

 

No sound. Doesn't seem to struggle. It just stops.

 

Could possibly be a short then- aka it runs for a few seconds before something in the electrical components either gets too hot or starts arcing to another part.

You may want to take it out of the tank and check for stray voltage while it is running in another container with water.

After that, I am out of ideas, so hopefully someone else can help. I'd probably recommend contacting the company, especially if it is still under warranty. If not, you should probably just get a new pump because the time, parts, and aggravation to figure out how to fix it may be more costly in the long run.

 

I had that skimmer. Sometimes the mesh wheel would rub when worn. How does it look? Ever replace that? It's pretty easy. I got my wheels from TB Aquatics FWIW.