octopus pump problem

[gskidmor]

Well I just got a brand new skimmer (reef octopus ext-ps-150). Well it's been nothing but problems - missing some plumbing parts, the online store not responding, paypal saying they can't do anything about it (don't worry though, if they don't respond by may 14, the credit card company is givin' me my money back.

So anyways, I made the plumbing myself using the sched80 to make it all match, get it setup, and plug it in....guess what, the pump doesn't work.

My question is, while I know it's possible for a brand new pump to be defective, is there something other's have had to do in order to get these pumps going or should I just replace it once I get my money back?

(if you're wondering why I'm posting here - the equipment threads get so many posts that within 30 minutes this would be on page 4, and more or less dead if no one answers within the first 10 - 15 minutes)

 

[silverking]

are you trying it submerged in water? try to plug it in out of water to see if it starts. you can also try tapping on it while plugged in sometimes that will get them working

 

[gskidmor]

it was submerged when I tried it, so I took it out and tried it out of water and it still didn't work. I will try tapping on it and see if that makes a difference.

Is this a rare problem with these pumps? (I had read mostly all great reviews)

 

[silverking]

did you take it apart make sure there is nothing stuck in the impeller. also give it a few spins with your fingers

 

[gskidmor]

No, I didn't take it apart, I'll go do that now!

 

[gskidmor]

Well I got it working after taking it apart!!

There is a little rubber boot the impeller shaft is suppose to fit into and this boot was placed in sideways, so the impeller wouldn't even spin. I fixed this and now it seems to work correctly.

Thanks everyone!