New 9012 skimmer stops working

[Mightyfish]

Need some help please. I dont have much luck with my new 9012 skimmer. All the sudden it stops working its completely dead. I thought may be impeller is dirty so took it out to clean. From reading the manual the impeller is taken out in one piece but when i took mine out the plastic brushing came out first and the ceramic shaft still inside the pump. Is this normal? If it is then how can i take the ceramic shaft out of the pump? I tried but its impossible to take it out. Also i notice the plastic plate that sits on the ceramic shaft looks to be grinded around the hole. Is it because the plastic plate is not supposed to come off from shaft, but because mine come off so it has been grinding the plastic plate?

 

[rvitko]

The shaft is titanium and is not removable, you should be able to "throw" the magnet out, either do this outdoors or with a towel wrapped loosely around the pump, hold the pump firmly with the impeller end uncovered and make a throwing motion, stop suddenly and the impeller magnet will shoot out. I don't see any grinding, it broke at a weak point, the impellers are made by injection molding plastic through a ferrite magnet core and the center attachment point between the top and bottom molded pieces has broken, this was likely due to a defect and I can send a new impeller by Priority Mail, I just need your address.

 

[Mightyfish]

Hi Roger, would you think this defect is the reason the pump stopped working? I live in Australia so may be i should go back to the aquarium shop i purchased it from. Is it under warranty for impeller replacement due to defect?

 

[rvitko]

Yes, it should be covered. I know on the first impellers, the hole was hand drilled as the mold was not perfect yet and it had to be chased out to the right diameter. I suspect this is the cause. I might also contact AquaDepot, they are the importer/distributor for Australia, in case the store does not have the part on hand.

 

[Mightyfish]

Thanks Roger you are a champion! Will let you know if i have difficulty to get a replacement.

 

[Mightyfish]

Hi Roger, please refer to my post sent in January. I did receive a replacement impeller and skimmer was working fine until in early July it stopped again. Since it happened before so i knew the impeller broke again. My guess is the replacement impeller also belong to the same first batch so it had the same issue. I tried to open the skimmer box but after i broke my finger nails I still couldn't open it. Last time it took me couple of hours to open it and this time when my nails was broken i gave up. I couldn't wait for another replacement because i was going away so it would be too long for my tank to go without a skimmer. I really like 9012 skimmer so i went to the same LFS and bought another 9012 skimmer. I dont think 9012 is a great hit at my LFS so i have a feeling that this second 9012 is also the first batch when it was launced. Is there any way i can find out? I hope this new skimmer impeller wont break again.

 

[rvitko]

The newest 9012's have 2 minor changes besides the drive unit and it is possible the old one is not broken. I recently had one here that the issue was just some calcium was preventing the needle wheel from turning on the magnet, this type of impeller the magnet needs a running start before encountering the drag of the needle wheel so the needle wheel has 270 degrees of free play, if it locks it will struggle to start.

1) The intermediate plate (the one the pump mounts on) has a hook on the bottom to brace it against the bottom plate to prevent the shipping damage caused by this part coming loose.

2) The peg under the pump in the main body is reinforced by a larger diameter pipe over it. This was also done to reduce shipping damage by retaining the pump.

 

[Mightyfish]

Thanks Roger. Do you have any suggestions on how to open the skimmer box? I followed the manual but I find it impossible to open it.

 

[rvitko]

Squeeze in on the front portion while pulling hard, I would start on the bottom on one side and slowly work up that side.

 

[Mightyfish]

Thanks mate. 9012 is such a wonderful skimmer i just wish the disassemble and assemble process is easier.

 

[Mightyfish]

Hi Roger, my second 9012 skimmer died again. Exactly like last one. It is making a soft quiet sound but it is not running . I will give your suggestion made in July a try. If it does not work what can i do? I dont want to buy a third 9012 skimmer in 11 months they are not cheap.

 

[rvitko]

I don't understand why you would need to buy another, they are repairable and have a 2 year warranty, If you bought it in Australia, AquaDepot should be able to cover your warranty and get you any parts.

 

[Mightyfish]

I don't understand why you would need to buy another, they are repairable and have a 2 year warranty, If you bought it in Australia, AquaDepot should be able to cover your warranty and get you any parts.

Because i dont have another working back up skimmer.

 

[rvitko]

It should be completely possible to manage a tank for a few weeks with no skimmer and I can't see why it would take longer to resolve this.

 

[Mightyfish]

It should be completely possible to manage a tank for a few weeks with no skimmer and I can't see why it would take longer to resolve this.

I have 14 different Tunze products and loving them. I praised your prodcuts and friends and your Facebook page, but this particular skimmer is really let me down. It is impossible to open the cover and from reading this forum there seem to be other people have had exact same problem as me. They all need their impeller to be replaced. For a few months old skimmer consumer shouldn't need to be put through the inconvenience and trouble to have impeller replaced

 

[rvitko]

Here, I simply send an impeller, it should be that simple. I can get an impeller anywhere in the US in 2 days. The impeller is being redesigned and this will be solved once and for all in just a couple months.

 

[rvitko]

Also, thank you, and I am sorry for this problem, we accept fault, but I think if you contact AquaDepot, they should be able to cover this with a minimum of hassle.

 

[Mightyfish]

Here, I simply send an impeller, it should be that simple. I can get an impeller anywhere in the US in 2 days. The impeller is being redesigned and this will be solved once and for all in just a couple months.

Can i just ask LFS where i purchase from to order an impeller replacement from AquaDepot ?

 

[rvitko]

It should be possible, I would go in with the impeller and explain it to them, but it may be faster and easier to go direct to Aquadepot, I would think a copy of the receipt and photo of the impeller is sufficient.

 

[Mightyfish]

Ok i will try that. I might as well show them both of my 9012 skimmer receipts to ask for 2 impellers while waiting for you guys to work on an improved impeller. All my reefing equipment (except heater) are Tunze brand and i really dont want to change my skimmer to a different brand.