My TUNZE 9015 DOC Skimmer

[alrha]

Ok, i got it.
It came today. It took exactly 30 min from when I opened the box till it was running in my sump. It really is plug and play (most of that time was just reading the instruction booklet).
It really is small and neat. (i like how the cover of the cup can double as a plate so it doesnt spill all over the house on the way to the sink).

1) The skimmer has been running for 5 hours and the foam is still not higher than the neck of the cup, could it just be breaking in? or did i do something wrong?

2) The output pipe came already in the elbow (i've seen you post that we should put it in well) i assume it is already installed properly.

3) Water comes out the back hole (which is normal), water also comes out from a small hole just below the cup (on the right side) is this normal? water also leaks out around the bottom of the cup, can this be ignored?

4) Why does the measuring sticker end at 600mL and not continue to the top of the cup? I like that you put that sticker on.

5) My skimmer only came with 2 suction cups (rather than 4). For now i just have it sitting on the sump floor without suction cups (just on the 4 small legs of the "Sliding Cover").

6) The "Sliding Cover with Slots" arrived cracked and damaged in the box (perhaps from shipping).

 

[grantrosehill]

If water is comming out the air intake (the hole without the screw) then you have pushed the outlet too far into the skimmer. What worked for me was to push it all the way in and the whilst running slowly remove it until the water stops comming out of the air intake.

Grant

 

[alrha]

Hey Grant, thanks for your help.

I took it all apart and put it back together again to make sure everything is correct.

I took off the "cover with sliding unit" and pushed the intake into it till it was even on the inside of the piece (to make sure it is not just up against the inside wall of the skimmer) and then put the whole cover on.

The "sliding cover for suction cups" is a bit loose on the bottom (can move slightly from front to back) even after being locked in. i pushed it to the back and placed the whole unit back in the sump.

I also lowered the sponge on the intake as the sponge was higher than the squigly line causing the water in the intake to rise higher (perhaps not a good thing?) - see above picture of unit in sump. Personally, i dont see the purpose of the sponge, the water just flows over it and into the tank, i figured raising it up would force the water through it to eliminate the bubles, but that ends up raising the water level too high.

Now water is no longer coming out of the non-screw hole on top of the skimmer, so that is an improvement. The foam seems better, but still has not risen above the 400ml mark (and the air screw is as open as possible). perhaps now i just need to wait for it to break in. i'll check back when i wake up.

 

[grantrosehill]

That looks similar to mine. I woke to two very dirty foam reactors. The foam is to reduce microbubles. I dont know if I have them set correctly. Mine are the same as yours - ie below the outake pipe level. The microbubble level in tank is negligable (well at least a hell of alot less than my old skimmer).

Btw I too had 2 less suction cups than required. I ran it without the cups as you are doing and it is working fine. In fact as the instructions say not to adhere the cups (wich I found impossible to do) they were more of a bother - in my first week I removed 500ml of dirty dark skimmate. Cleaned the reactors and 1 day later they are dirty again.
The new Tunze skimmers rock (hate that expression but it is appropriate)

Grant

 

[alrha]

Thanks Grant again for all your help.
Ok, I woke up to find 100mL of very wet skimmate, so i take it i have it more or less right, and i tightened the air screw a bit (to get it darker/thicker).
If it is possible to run it w/o the suction cups, why do they have them included? Supposedly they add pressure to the bottom plate, is it just the same to just set it up w/o the suction cups?
Maybe someone else will chime in about the foam/sponge. the way it is, i dont really see a point to it and would just leave it off (one less thing to clean)

 

[rvitko]

Hey Albert,

First, I can send you a new lid. Second, I am pretty sure the graduations on the cylinder should go to the top, I need to check this to be sure. The suction cups are their to put pressure on the bottom plate, dampen vibration and add stability. I would just stand the skimmer on them and not press them down, keep in mind in about 6 months, especially with some debris on the sump floor they won't stick well anymore anyway and will be basically just rubber feet like you want. The sponge is mainly a bubble trap, the water doesn't flow out that fast and just trickles down the sponge, you could remove it if you don't find you have a bubble problem.

 

[alrha]

here is how we look now after day 1:

Roger, the graduations on my cup only go half way up, (as you can see in the pic)
i found the 2 missing suction cups, so now i have all 4, thanks, sorry for that.
do you have my address? (i believe you do as PA said it was drop shipped).
the sponge doesnt seem to be doing much for me, i think the baffles of my sump are enough to handle the few bubbles that come out.

 

[just dave]

If you want to use the suction cups but don't want any suction just take a razor and make a slice from the perimeter towards the center. This will allow it to rest on them and provide dampening without creating a suction.

 

[alrha]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6249875#post6249875 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
If you want to use the suction cups but don't want any suction just take a razor and make a slice from the perimeter towards the center. This will allow it to rest on them and provide dampening without creating a suction.

cool. but the truth is that even the ones i want to suction (probes, etc) dont. so unless murphey's law takes effect, i wouldnt worry too much.

 

[rvitko]

Well, the label does only go halfway- the picture on the 9015 box shows that. That cup is made by hand by glueing two cups together. PM me your address so we can be sure the lid goes to the right person.

 

[alrha]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6251411#post6251411 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rvitko
Well, the label does only go halfway- the picture on the 9015 box shows that. That cup is made by hand by glueing two cups together. PM me your address so we can be sure the lid goes to the right person.

PM sent.

They couldnt just find a cup big enough and save all that extra work? Even so, you can just print up another sticker to mark the rest of the cup up (or i guess i can just use a Sharpie and mark it myself).

 

[alrha]

Roger, how do i add maximum air? just take out the blue screw?

 

[rvitko]

No, just open the screw all the way, the screw is uncovering an opening and the air comes in under the cup to silence the noise.

As for the cup, we need a bigger molding machine to make a bigger casting possible, just about everything has a fair amount of hand labor, the tube has to be glued into even the smallest cup.

 

[alrha]

well thats what makes your products of such good quality.

so you are saying i should just leave the screw at least one turn in to keep it quiet?

Air also comes in from the hole on the right correct? To make sure i understand, there are two holes for air to enter (left and right). The one on the right is always at full air, and the one on the left has a screw so that some air may be restricted if desired.

 

[rvitko]

Yes, leave the screw in. Air comes in from both nipples but the small one is where you would hook up ozone should you want to. The air comes in here, passes under the cup and goes into a hole that is infront of the screw (inside under the cup), from here it goes down a hole that the screw uncovers through a tube into an expansion tube and finally into the venturi. It is an elaborate system to eliminate any whistleing or wooshing noise of air.

 

[alrha]

oops, i had taken it out yesterday before reading this post - it didnt make any noise, but i guess i will put it back and keep it at least one turn in to make sure it operates most efficiently.

 

[alrha]

i put the screw back in, but then it started making noise from the air and the foam level dropped, so i took it back out and left the screw off.

day 3, almost 400mL:

and the foam i get:

 

[alrha]

ok, i got my first 500mL after 4 days of operation.
I decided to clean it out so that it may run as efficiently as possible. It was easy/simple to clean (no tough corners or anything like that) and the supplied cleaning brush proved helpful.

 

[alrha]

Update, all is still working well as expected.

Roger,
I noticed the collection cup is leaking at the neck.

 

[rvitko]

Where? The skimmate is leaking out or water is leaking in? Please explain it better.