H&S Skimmer Club

[Fliger]

Hey John, can you post a pic? I know you had one somewhere. I never had the overflowing issue with the A300, although I had it in the A200 when I first got it and didn't quite understand it. I'm really surprised you're flooding the cup. Try to get a shot of where the water level is in the curved part of the neck.

 

[MH MN]

flinger, i am planning on ordering a a200-1260 in the next few days. i'm curious as to what problems you had with yours? TIA

mike

 

[phlipper84]

Just received my 200x2-F2001 today and already have it installed in my sump. Waiting for my first 55 gal drum of goop! What kind of break-in time are you guys (and gals) seeing when you first started running your skimmers?

 

[MH MN]

philipper you got that 55 gallon drum full yet?

 

[phlipper84]

Had a balky aquabee. Brian at Finsreef sent me a new one that I put on yesterday and I am starting to see the goop! Will post pics soon.

 

[AJtheReefer]

Any recommendations for cleaning the skimmer? How often are you supposed to disassemble the H&S skimmer for clean-up? Is running vinegar through the pump(s) recommended?

 

[jnb]

dissassemble or maybe thru top - clean the gunky neck when it gets gunky to the point you sense proper skimming has been compromised - with experince with this skimmer, you will get a good sense of it - otherwise disasemble when it looks like you need to - I've had mine for almost a year and I have never cleaned below the removable cup - I remove the cup to clean neck etc once a week and/or as needed. at least once a year a vinagar treatment/inspection, etc may be neccessary on the pumps - earlier if you hear something knocking around in the impellor, etc. More important to ensure your air has a clear path - some people let it suck warm ro/di freach water to break up any salt deposits from time to time but I still have not even done that

you will want to focus on how wet/dry you want to skim and the tell tale is how many inches the line of gunk gets on the neck aft a day or so - e.g. 1/2 inch some would say you are skimming on the wet side; two inches you may be skimming too dry

jme, jmo mileage may vary depending on your particular system........

Any recommendations for cleaning the skimmer? How often are you supposed to disassemble the H&S skimmer for clean-up? Is running vinegar through the pump(s) recommended?

 

[cecilturtle]

I've had my A200-2xF2001 for a couple of months and I went ahead and cleaned the pumps and the skimmer base. Not much in the pumps but I had some detritus in the bottom and some hair algae stuck to the wall. I know it dislodged from my stockman pipes inside my overflow. My 200 feeds from a maxijet (first chamber of sump where drains go) so the maxijet screen is going back on.

As for cleaning the cup...I try to do it daily as the smell permeates the cabinet. I even have to rinse the sink with clorox cleanup afterwards. I'm running mine somewhat wet BTW, as setup in Brian's pics a few pages back.

As for cleaning the pumps with vinegar...I do...bi-monthly. Frequency depends on how fast your tank calcifies using additives or CR. HTH

 

[cmc5dc]

Is it 1:1 ratio of vinegar and RO....I forgot, I haven't done mine yet.

 

[Adobo]

c.turtle,

What smell? What is this smell that everyone talks about? My nasty looking skimmate doesn't smell like anything. Did my ENT screw up my nose when I got my somnoplasty done?

cmc5dc,

I don't even bother watering down vineger. Vinegar is a pretty mild acid.

Ted

 

[Remorarules]

A100 external or AP600. Difference?

A100 external or AP600. Difference?

What is the difference between both of these skimmers? The only thing two things I have noticed, are the diameter of the reaction tubes and PRICE!!! The diameter of the ap600 is 5 inches and A100 is 4 inches. Is there a difference in production between these skimmers? Just curious.

 

[Adobo]

Remora,

I am not familiar with the a100. I have seen a model called the a110. Is that what you mean?

If so, I think that you are correct in that they look very much alike. If you ask the deltec guy, he will tell you that they have modified the aquabee pump that comes with the ap600 to get better performance out of it. No details as to what the performance gains are or what was done. I believe deltec want to keep that info close to their vests.

The H&S guy will tell you that the aquabee pump they use performs every bit as well as deltec's "modified" pump.

If I had around $600 to spend on a skimmer, I would go with the h&S a150. It has a bigger aquabee pump than what comes with the deltec ap600 and a bigger reaction chamber. If I wanted the least expensive, top performing german skimmer, I would go with the a110. It's tough to beat at its price. Send an inquiry to fliger. He has one and can share a lot of his experience with you.

Ted

 

[getwood65]

customer service!
yesterday was a pretty rough day for me,while doing a water change and other maintenance,the pump on my skimmer wouldn't restart-not a huge deal-more of a pain in the arse.i removed the pump gave it a vinigar bath and cleaned it-although it still looked almost new-and still it wouldn't start.now the panic starts creeping in.i manually turn the impeller and the pump starts running,but once unplugged will not restart.now i'm getting wound up.i go to start writing a message to brian (finsreef),but decide to wait awhile and let a cooler head finish the message,so 3 beers later feeling just as frustrated but slightly less upset i finish my message to brian.oops,forgot to mention i tore apart the whole house looking for the receipt with no luck.while waiting for a reply i go out and plug the pump in-and what else it starts right up-i restart it about 5 more times-no problem.when i go to check my messages-brian has sent a reply in which he tells me he would send a pump to me right away-just the answer you want,but don't often get anymore-thanks for the prompt and often neglected in this hobby customer service brian,you helped to take a load off my mind,and continue to make me glad i chose to buy an h&s and buy it from you.

 

[getwood65]

oh yeah,another good reason to own an h&s.

 

[scarletknight06]

I got my new set up going, but I've got some problems.

I got my new set up going, but I've got some problems.

I finally got my new tank setup, but I've got some problems. First problem is that I cant seem to hardly put any water through the h&s a110 i have without the water level fluctuating and it making a flusing noise everytime the level goes down. I had it gravity fed from my overflow, but I switched back to using an eheim 1000 feed pump that I was using previously to feed it with no problems. the eheim is almost completely throttled back. Is it because I have 3/4" PVC connected to the output? On the finsreef website it says the outlet is 1" but I couldnt find any 1" stuff that fit it.

2nd problem. I have 2 leaks. I had no leaks when I ran a test with freshwater for 24 hours so i dont know why I am having them now. one seems easily fixable because i could probably just put some silicone on it, but the other is different. The one i am having a problem with is where its leaking around the adjustable outlet tube. If i twist it to have the dots matching up there is no problem but then the bubble are too low. When i raise the bubble level is when it starts to leak. Here are some pics.

I would ask brian at finsreef directly but I bought this skimmer second hand from somone who bought it from him about 2 or 3 months before me, so i was hoping you guys could help me. thanks in advance.

this is the "problem leak"

 

[FinsReef]

On the leak on the wedge pipe, pull the pipe out, and make sure there is no tears into the o-ring. Lube with some silicone lubricant and it should take care of that. As far as the ouput, it shound like you did not receive the US conversion piece, e-mail me on that. As far as the gurgling sound and the rise and fall, it is caused by backpressure on the output. You will need to run 1" and make sure the output come at a 45degree going into the sump. If the output is submerged, or restricted, that causes a odd flowing drain.
HTH,

Also make sure to lube the collection cup o-ring and the o-ring on the unions of the recirc pump.

 

[scarletknight06]

wow, thats great customer service. I sent you an email.

 

[Adobo]

Scarletknight..

Don't be shy about asking finsreef for service... even thought you bought the skimmer second hand. I have not had one incident where they refused a reasonable request. I think those guys actually want to try to earn your business.

BTW, hang in there with the skimmer. It make take you a little bit of talking with Brian to get it plumbed correctly and set up but you'll love the performance. And actually, once set up correctly, the only thing you will have to do is empty the collection cup every few days. That's all I do with mine.

Ted

 

[AJtheReefer]

On the leak on the wedge pipe, pull the pipe out, and make sure there is no tears into the o-ring. Lube with some silicone lubricant and it should take care of that. As far as the ouput, it shound like you did not receive the US conversion piece, e-mail me on that. As far as the gurgling sound and the rise and fall, it is caused by backpressure on the output. You will need to run 1" and make sure the output come at a 45degree going into the sump. If the output is submerged, or restricted, that causes a odd flowing drain.
HTH,

Also make sure to lube the collection cup o-ring and the o-ring on the unions of the recirc pump.

Brian,
I get salt creep from the lower connection of the wedge pipe. Is an O-ring supposed to be there? I tried teflon tape and teflon grease with no luck.

Thanks

 

[FinsReef]

AJ,
The lower part of the elbow need to be pvc glued to form a good seal. They are shipped without the elbow attached to be flexible to allow different output placement on your system. I do have some customers that just use PVC tape and then run a bead of aquarium sealent to try to eliminate the chance of a leak, but pvc glue is the most leakfree option.

HTH