Bubble King Skimmer Club
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
slief
RC Sponsor
Sounds like you may need to take the pump apart and do a deep cleaning. You may have some buildup in the magnet cavity or between the impeller shaft and the bearing. Take a look at this thread for cleaning instructions on all red dragon pumps. Post 2 addresses the bearing in your pump that should also be removed, cleaned and reinstalled properly before putting the impeller back in.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2573406
Will inspect again, but I just have cleaned last week and that when all started
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slief
RC Sponsor
Follow the instructions in link to that thread. You may have the bearing inserted incorrectly or you may not have cleaned the bearing. If the bearing is properly cleaned or isn’t inserted properly, the rotor could bind intermittantly causing the symptoms you are describing.
slief
RC Sponsor
Glad to help. :beer:
Took it apart and cleaned again, must have missed a spot lol... it worked and skimmer is back to normal... thank for your help [emoji482]
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slief
RC Sponsor
Glad to help. :beer:
slief
RC Sponsor
Per your PM to me on Facebook and my reply. You need to quantify what your heavy load is? We consider a heavy load 1/2” (1.25 cm) of fish per display gallon (3.75 liters) which does NOT include the sump and refugium. And is your system 500-600l or is that your display size? This is important because when sizing a bubble king, you want to base the size on the display volume since sumps and refugiums do not contribute to the load. Sumps and refugiums reduce the load. That said, the Double Cone 200 would likely be oversized for your display volume and could be inconsistent. I’d more than likely lean towards the Double Cone 180 but would want to confirm the above details in terms of display size and actual load.
slief
RC Sponsor
You likely need to break the pump down completely and do a deep cleaning. Take a look at this thread. While post 1 shows an RD3 pump being broken down, the cleaning process is pretty much the same. Take the pump apart. Soak the motor, pump cover and impeller in Vinegar for 10 minutes. Then scrub inside and out with a soft brush. Rinse and reassemble. Note that post 2 shows the bearing inside your motorblock. That bearing should be removed and cleaned as well as part of the deep cleaning process. If calcium builds up inside that bearing, it will create friction on the end of the impeller shaft which will cause the motor to shut down. A lack of proper maintenance and cleaning will cause premature block failure so if the deep cleaning doesn't solve your issue, you will need a new motorblock. If that is the case, send me a PM and I will help you determine the correct replacement motorblock.
In the meantime, check out this thread on cleaning Red Dragon pumps and like I said, post 2 applies to the bearing inside your motorblock.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2573406
tenurepro
New member
So I clean the pump and bearing throughly - there wasn't much funk at all as it was recently cleaned 2 month ago.
The problem still persists: I plug it in, it then on, then off, then on, then off, and this continues for a few min then the pump turns off.
Seeing that there is no electrical components that I can open up and service, should I assume that the pump is a goner ?
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The problem still persists: I plug it in, it then on, then off, then on, then off, and this continues for a few min then the pump turns off.
Seeing that there is no electrical components that I can open up and service, should I assume that the pump is a goner ?
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slief
RC Sponsor
:blown:
Sounds like your motor is in need of replacement. I sent you the link for the replacement block in reply to your email.
Sounds like your motor is in need of replacement. I sent you the link for the replacement block in reply to your email.
slief
RC Sponsor
Yes. It should be fine for a 150 gallon display unless the fish load is really high. We don't count the sump since our sumps don't contribute to the load. Instead they reduce the load. If the fish load/stocking plans are really high than a 200 sized skimmer would be worth consider but the Bubble Kings are conservatively rated and the 180 would be well suited for a medium load on that size display. For reference, I'd consider a heavy load, 1/2" of fish per display gallon. Most don't ever come close to that.
slief
RC Sponsor
It really depends on the load but I'd aim for about 8.5"
nly04
Active member
I am running it in my new tank, no live stock yet. It was on 8" water level and I have the pipe at 1/2 open. I lower it to 8.5" water yesterday and still have the pipe at 1/2 open, I don't see much improve. water level right now is 2 inch below the water mark or around 2.5" near the bottom of the cup.
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