9420 Questions

[Jacob D]

Roger:

I'm looking to get a 9420 and I notice the footprint is listed as a "diameter" of 18.8 inches. Will this fit into a sump that is less than 18" wide? What are the actual length and width dimensions of the skimmer footprint?

Also, what is the body diameter? Looks close to 10" (?)

 

[rvitko]

The body is 8", I don't have a 9420 skimmer on hand to measure so I cannot answer the exact size except that I know it will fit in an 18" sump.

 

[Jacob D]

Thanks Roger. Do you know the smallest sump width it will fit into?

 

[rvitko]

It barely fits an 18" sump, I would not go any smaller.

 

[Jacob D]

Last question for you - with Tunze having so much backlog right now, if there was a problem with the pump on one of these (9420 or other new models) is it going to take weeks to get a replacement? What is the general availability of the Hydrofoamer 9400 right now, and do you sell these pumps separately (just in case)?

Some friends of mine with a BK got into that situation and were without a skimmer (except it was more like a couple of months), I realize different company, etc, etc... but it opened my eyes to the importance of service, which is part of the reason I'm looking at Tunze.


Thanks for all of your help.

 

[rvitko]

Right now the supply problem is related to the supply of needlewheels. We make the needle wheel ourselves out of a soft silastic material and this is pressed into a hard plastic disk that supports the needles. The labor is a bit complex. If something were to happen I would be able to get you by as I have a few old prototype pumps here I could part out but the original design was hard plastic and was noisy. This change in design is the main reason we were so late getting these things out. The pumps would chatter intermittently and we went through several redesigns to solve this. The soft needles was the solution. I think I will be able to get needlewheels and pumps fairly soon. If an emergency occured I am pretty sure I could get it from the factory within 2 weeks. I have a pretty good relationship with the company and it just takes a phone call to get something like this solved.