tunze 9010, help please!

[moneylaw]

I just received tunze 9010 today. I went through the instruction and set up the skimmer in sump (operation in a cabinet filter, according to the manual). Here is what I did

- install the "sleeve below the cover" (1)
- insert the "Cover for aspirator" (7) into the housing bottom instead of "sliding cover with slots".
- install the output pipe

I started running the skimmer and here are the problems I am getting.


- water started coming out of the hole in the back. Is that normal? Shouldn't the water come out only from the output pipe? i am not even sure what the hole in the back is for.

- water also come out from ozon hole (opposite of air regulating screw). Is that normal?

- water also come out from the thrid hole which is diagonal to the ozon hole. This hole is smaller than ozon hole and air regulating screw). Is that normal?

I feel something is wrong since all my past skimmers, there is only one return pipe from which water come out. In tunze, there are 4 places where the water is coming out.

I would really appreciate it if someone can help me. Thanks.

 

[moneylaw]

After playing around with the water level a bit more, water are no longer coming out of the ozon hole and the smaller hole. (only from the back hole, which I read from another thread that it is normal)

But everytime i restart the skimmer, the pump make a noisy sound (the sound of plastic hitting against plastic) for about 5 seconds, then the noise disappear. Can it be that the skimmer has a bad pump? I used to have a 3 years old Rio pump that make the same kind of noise.

Also there are some water leakage from top cover of the skimmer black box (where the skimmer cup connect), is that normal? I am just worried that I got the defect skimmer and pump. I bought the skimmer new. Thanks in advance.

 

[rvitko]

Water should exit both the outlet pipe and the hole in the back. Water exiting the hole in the back is what basically forms the gasket for the cup that directs the foam upward.

Water should not exit anywhere else except possibly a slow trickle from the top plate where it meets the square tube as this part is just clipped on.

The pump has a unidirectional impeller that utilizes a clutch to get it spinning the right way. This will make a clicking noise every time it starts but within a few seconds it should start spinning the right way. You might check that the bearing bush is fully inserted, this is the equivalent of the pressure plate of a clutch and if it is misalligned the brake shoes will drag. It can slide out a bit in shipping. The part is part number 3000.61.

 

[moneylaw]

Thanks for your help, Roger. Also when I restart the pump sometimes (I have been playing around with it), the pump just make clicking noises and won't restart, so I have to stop and start again, Is that also a sympton that the bearing bush is loose?

Also when I remove the skimmer cup to clean, do I have to stop the skimmer or just let it run without the cup while cleaning the cup? In the manual it said "as the air circulation is flushed with water, the hydrofoamer should remain operational during the cleaning process", i don't know what that mean?

Thanks.

Ken

 

[rvitko]

Yes, this would likely be caused by the loose bearing bush. It is also possible the impeller is too big if it was an older one that a store had in stock for a few months. Some of the skimmers from the spring had an oversized impeller that did this as well.

When you remove the cup leave it on, there really is no reason to ever turn the skimmer off except cleaning the pump. What the manual is referring to is that the venturi will be flushed out while you clean the cup, it sucks in water and cleans itself. Even so I recommend that once a year you run run the whole unit in a mix of vinegar and water to really get it flushed clean.

 

[moneylaw]

How can I tell whether it has oversized impeller or not? And if it is the case, do I need to replace the impeller for the skimmer to properly work? I am not sure whether the store I bought it from has it in stock for a few months or not. I bought it from aquacave.com. Thanks.

 

[rvitko]

AquaCave turns stuff pretty quickly so I don't think that is the case but an incorrect impeller is 1.7mm longer than it should be so it is a miniscule difference. A correct one will have slightly rough flat ends on the blades from lathe turning the European version down 1.7mm, if it is incorrect the ends will by rounded. I have to think in this case it is the bearing bush because we just shipped AquaCave those skimmers not very long ago and they tend to reorder frequently.

 

[moneylaw]

Thank you for quick respond. Good to hear I don't have to replace the impeller. If the bearing bush is loose, and i keep running the skimmer, can it damage the skimmer/pump permanently? I am breaking in the new skimmer and don't want to take it out and fix the bearing bush unless it is necessary. If it is not a big deal to fix the bearing bush, I will just fix it the next time I clean the skimmer. Thanks again.

 

[rvitko]

If you don't hear any grinding noise while it is running it is OK but if you hear a sawing like noise it needs to be fixed immediately as that would indicate the bush bearing is out far enough that the impeller blades are dragging on it.

 

[moneylaw]

Thanks. I don't hear any noise while running, so I will just fix it the next time I clean it. Thanks for great customer service.