Unhappy w/ ASM Skimmer

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9299125#post9299125 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FSOL
SJM - So there's no way to get a stronger pump for this skimmer?

I'll lower the water level see what happens.

There are better pumps you can use, but I dont know that it is worth spending the $ on it. A Mesh mod is very inexpensive. I would try that first.

 

[UCanDoIt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9299131#post9299131 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
I would not clean the skimmer out with vinegar. You need the slime coating in the body. Clean out the collection cup, the pump, impeller, venturi, airline. Leave the body alone.

Totally agree or you will need to break in your skimmer again if the body is cleaned out. I usually only cleanout my skimmer body once a year because of the built up, but not regularly.

 

[kodyboy]

I always thought that the break in period at the beginning is to remove oils and residues from the manufacturing process, not to put an organic coating on the inside of the skimmer body. Since these oils are already removed, the unit has been running for a while, no break-in will occur again. My skimmer always performs better after a vinegar clean-up than before. How would the interior of the skimmer body being coated in skum help the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions of the bubbles and dissolved organics form? I can see how some oils/residues would impede this process, but not coating the tube interior.

 

[TCU Reefer]

Although the meshwheel mod helped the performance a little, this pump is still very underpowered.

When doing the mod, I was running the pump in the bath tub with hot water and vinegar. With the venturi taken off, the flow looked was much less then a modded MJ. Then when the venturi went on, the pump was barely shooting water out. Very disappointed.

My next though it to drill the venturi to a larger size and get a larger piece of tubing.

This would be the 4th mod on this thing. I should have went with a better quality skimmer in the first place.

Definitely do the meshwheel as it is cheap, easy, and can improve the performance a little.

 

[bogg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9294677#post9294677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bogg
Could you post some pics of your sump setup?.

You should check out this thread. IMO I would clean out all the crap inside of the body anything that will pop a bubble is not welcome. When you clean the cup (I just hose mine off) or wipe it gently with your hand. I leave the slime build up but b4 I put the cup back on the skimmer I will swish some water in the cup from the sump to rinse off the tap water. I personally have a g3 with a mesh mod and I drilled out the venturi and added a much larger hose up and away from the sump, so it's pulling in dry air. The quality of the skimmer is terrible. Allthough it's really easy to clean out the skimmer, all the seals leak and I would imagine that would pop some bubbles also. But my skimmer works great.


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