Aqua C Remora HOB skimmer

[Dingo Dog]

I've had this skimmer since 2004 and it's never done this before so I'd appreciate some input as to what could be wrong. This skimmer is what it is as skimmers go, there isn't much to it, its very basic. Except for the adjusting screw there isn't anything else to it really that I know of that could cause it to suddenly stop skimming.
I had a MaxiJet 1200 pump running the skimmer which I've just replaced, hoping that would be the problem but made no improvement.
Thinking something might have become lodged in the intake, I removed the adjusting screw and flushed the intake with water. Still on difference. The collection cup does have bubbles but not like it should and over the last 2 days only collected enough water to cover the bottom of the cup.

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[aquaman67]

The screw on the remora is not an adjustment screw, it's a clean out screw. Remora's come with a "bottle" type brush that you are supposed to use to clean out the injector. (You may have bought your remora used and don't have the brush.) I clean mine about once a month.

As for not skimming, I don't think it's not because it's not clean. Have you added anything new to the tank?

Also, how low is your collection cup? You might want to lower it if it's not all the way down now.

That's about all I can think of for now, I'd give it another day or two.

 

[Dingo Dog]

The collection cup is down as far as it can go, nothing new has been added to the tank, I flushed the intake and cleaned the injector with the brush.
This has never happened before and I can think of no reason for it to start now. Skimming isn't a complex process. There are no moving parts to the skimmer and the Maxijet is new. That being the case, I can hardly justify buying a new Aqua C since I don't think the one I have is technically broken.

 

[46FiatYamaha]

You should call Aqua C and see what they say, supposedly they have great customer service

 

[Dingo Dog]

46FiatYamaha - Thanks, I just emailed Aqua C and hope they can figure out this puzzle.

 

[Jane]

I'm curious what they tell you at Aqua C. This has just happened to me as well. I cleaned it, replaced it with a new Maxjet 1200 etc. I did find a small piece of debri lodged in the sprayer and when I cleaned it out for the second time with the small brush it has been pulling foam almost as it use to. You may want to try and really move that brush around to see if something is lodged in there. I could tell that the flow coming out wasn't right and after getting that small piece of debri out the flow is now strong again.

 

[Dingo Dog]

Jane, thanks for posting this. Now I don't feel so all alone.

I too noticed a decrease in the flow coming out, which has slightly improved after another scrubbing with the brush but still isn't like it is supposed to be.

I will post Aqua C's comments when received. Still, I'm puzzled as to how a 'small' piece of debris would result in such a disruption.

 

[psteeleb]

you may want to try running some vinegar or mild acid through it and letting it soak for a bit (outside of the tank of course)

There may be some Ca build up, that the brush just isn't getting to or can't break up. Like you say, the operation is simple enough, assuming you're getting flow you should get bubbles. If your getting bubbles but not foam it's likely somethign in the tank that needs to be broken down or removed.

 

[Jane]

Take the unit off the tank, take off the power head and use the brush up into the intake tube. Then take the little nylon threaded screw out and but your brush down into the sprayer and get it really good. I was amazed that such a small piece of debri caused it to slow down...but now mine is working at full speed.

 

[dylanirion]

I had a significant accumulation of detritus in the bottom of my skimmer after about 6 months of skimming. This was a couple inches of an almost mud-like consistency. Anyways, I noticed I wasn't pulling near the skimmate I was used to, and the flow out of the skimmer was severely retarded. A quick blast with the hose cleared it all out and had me skimming in no time.

 

[serum153]

I bought one of those bottle brushes (for babies) and cleaned the collection cup and my remora pro is pulling about 3x more than normal.

 

[Dingo Dog]

I thank you all for sharing your suggestions and experiences. At this point I'm not 100% sure which fix worked. It may be that it was a combination of things plus time and patience as I'm happy to say that it seems the skimmer is working fine now.