Tuning an ev120

I replaced my skimmer a couple of months ago with an ev120 and I have had a heck of time getting it dialed in. It took a full 3 weeks to 'break in' and I was finally able to get it to produce very watery skimmate. I left the adjustments alone for a while, but finally decided I wanted to try and get dryer foam. I made a small adjustment and it quit working again (like it was not working during break in). It has been about 3 weeks now and no skimmate and I'm getting yellow water and a film on the surface of the tank.

I am unable to follow the directions for setting it for the simple matter of not being able to see into the container to set the water level. My sump is in a tight place and I have tried every manner of lamp/flashlight etc and no go, so visually setting the water level is out of the question.

The first time I got anything out of it it took a month after a 3 week break in, turning each dial a degree or 2 one way or the other and letting it sit for a day each time, until I finally got something out it. Now I am out of adjustment again and getting a little frustrated, there has to be a better way.
Any suggestions, given that I can not see the water level in the dark plastic?

 

What size pump you running on it?

Is the output port on the unit above the water level in sump?

 

It came with and still has a mag 5 on it. Yes the output is above water level.

 

So shut the air off and see where the water level is. It should be just below the clear start of the tube. Use a flash light if you need.

 

OK I will give that a try. I would have never expected the water level without air to indicate water level with air, but I'll try anything at this point.

My experience has been the unit allows way too much air, so I'll start with the air valve about 1/3 open. I'll post an update in a day or 2.

 

Keep us informed on what you find. The only way I can set the water level on my Bullet 3 is too turn the air off so I can see where the water is and to make sure it's not fluctuating. Then I slowly open the air valve a little at a time to get the right skimmate I want.

 

Well I had 1 puff of skimmate. Thought it might be close, but that was it. Nothing since. Is it possible the mag 5 is putting too much volume though the skimmer? It seem like its 2 or 3 times what other skimmers I have tried are doing. Heck, I am using another mag 5 for my main return pump with lift, so the skimmer has got to have a higher flow (no lift)than the main - that just doesnt seem right.

 

I have one of those skimmers and all I can say is try this open the gate valve the red one fully next open the air 1/3 of the way from fully closed you have to wait a few minutes before you see results if you have nothing keep opening up untill you get a watery skimmate The thing I noticed is that these guys take a while to adjust themselves after you do anything to them When you are getting watery skimmate just close off air a tiny bit at a time " barely moving the blue arm " you just touch it a tiny bit closed and it should give you drier and drier skimmate also this is important the skimmer has to breathe the vent tube "drain Port " must be clear otherwise it will not collect at all I got the collection thing for it and the skimmer cannot overflow because when the collection thing is full it cuts off the air exhaust and the skimmer shuts down untill you empty it maybe that is the problem you are having for now run a piece of 1/2 inch tubing from the drain to a bottle of some kind. Good luck it is a really amazing skimmer once you figure out the setting and it pulls stuff like you would not believe out of your water

 

I'm using a Mag 5 for my ev120 and it works great.

Like Crabby Jim said they take some time to adjust after any change, I let it sit for 12 hours or so after I made any changes. I'll check when I get home and post if its different, but I'm pretty sure I run mine with the gate valve fully open and the air valve about 1/4 closed.

How open is the gate valve on the outlet? Judging from the picture it looks like it might be closed too much.

 

For my EV120, I also use a mag5... but as Otty points out, the only way I could get mine adjusted in well was to use a flash light, shut off the air, and verify that the water level is at the bottom of the riser tube (+/- based on how I'd dialed it in). Then open the air up until the foam dried out to where it looked good.

One area to watch very closely is the outlet, it must stay un-restricted, if any changes (eg increasing/decreasing sump level) occur on the outlet it will be near impossible to get a consistent result with it.

If you have tubing on the outlet that drops more than a few inches, it will create a syphon on the outlet which will also give you a major headache! As mine would not fit in the sump, so it sat between the tank and the wall, it would over flow on restart until the syphon got started then settle down and run....using a vented line in the discharge stopped the syphon and gave more constant results....

It can make really dark skimate....