9002: Mysterious loss of power

[Dego Red]

Hey Roger, got an easy one for you (hopefully).

About three days ago I fired up my 9002 for the first time. Surprisingly it pulled a good amount of skim from only a cycling tank, and it wasn't even broken in yet. Everything worked perfectly.

Anyway, I turned off the skimmer to empty the first cup (not that I had to), and when I turned it back on via my AC Jr, I had almost no bubbles moving toward the cup. I've taken it apart 5 or 6 times now, and everything looks perfect, but even with the screw completely out the bubbles don't reach the bottom of the cup let alone the top of the tube.

It's such a simple design - that's what got me puzzled. The only thing I can think of is the motor in the pump just mysteriously lost power upon starting up again. I doubt its that, so here I am.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[rvitko]

I would suspect more likely that water is getting into the air intake. How deep is it submerged? Have you checked the elbow that connects the venturi? I have seen pieces of debris/salt creep clog this elbow.

 

[Dego Red]

The skimmer was submerged 1/2" above or below the marked waterline while experimenting, but generally worked best with the line 1/2" above the actual waterline, and the screw 3-4 turns out. This was when it was functioning normally.

The elbow fits snugly into the venturi, as does the line to the elbow. The skimmer has only about 12hrs of run time, so it's still squeaky clean. I can double check the line for cuts, but I believe it's clean and free of damage since I blew into it last night without blockage or leaks.

 

[rvitko]

Yes, the US pump is about 10% stronger than the european pump so I would disregard the water line that is marked and keep the waterline about 1/2" below that. You want the skimmer higher to accomodate for the increased water flow. Otherwise water enters the airline and restricts the water flow. Usually this creates a percolating noise. It sounds like things are OK, it is just a new skimmer and may have taken in some water into the air intake system.

 

[Dego Red]

OK, well I'm just cycling so I'm in no rush or panic to remedy the issue at the moment. I'll be running the skimmer later this weekend for a constant period (24-48hrs) and we'll see if the issue clears up.

I'll keep you posted, and thanks.

 

[Dego Red]

Just following up...

I made sure 100% of the water was out of the airline, then left the skimmer run wide open for about 2hrs last night. The bubbles slowly crept up the cup, then in one 10 minute period when I turned my back, the cup was 3/4 full of water! I re-inserted the screw and dialed it back. Now with just my cooking rocks and decently clean water (no livestock), its pulling some pretty good skimmate. I'm guessing there just wasn't enough buildup in the skimmer yet.

Very happy again. Thanks...