strikleebizness
New member
So about 3 months ago I purchased the 9010 from my LFS. When no "skimming" ocurred for the first few days, I wasn't worried, I had heard it might take a little while to break in. After a month, I had still seen no skimming, let alone any foam. After 3 months, I still haven't seen foam. The cup fills with clear evaporating water every week or so. Today I threw a fit and decided to really investigate. Supposedly, the internal water level is to remain constant, not the case here, it always matches the fluctuating external water level. It makes a humming sound, but there is no intake or output anywhere. It seems as though the motor is just buzzing but really serving no purpose. The guy at my LFS set the thing up for me so that it would sit in my sump. I pulled it out and did a cleaning and further investigation. I put about 6" of water in a 5 gal. bucket and put the skimmer in here where I could see more clearly. It seems as though the rotor (fan like spin-wheel) is moving irregularly and not in consistent motion. I have had problems like this before with cheap powerheads. I know there is something wrong here, and am a bit upset because it has NEVER worked. I know TUNZE makes great products and I was very excited when i bought it, and am still excited to see the results if and when I can get it repaired. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what my next step should be? I could bring it back to my LFS, but thats an hour+ drive. I guess that might be what it takes...
