Vertex In-180

[jdrabek]

Jeremy,

The pump on my In-180 just quit working. Over the past couple of weeks it had been stopping at random times, but I was just sitting here watching the tank and my Osmolator high level alarm went off and I realized the skimmer pump stopped.

I have cleand the pump and impeller recently. I did this when I noticed that the pump was shutting off. The pump looks fine and the impeller did not have any build up or anything on it. It is also haveing a hard time starting back up after it shuts off. I end up having to place my hand over the pump intake to get it going.

What should I do? Simmer is only a few months old, but only been in use for one month.

 

[jdrabek]

I took the pump apart this morning and the impeller is stuck to the shaft. It will not spin at all, and one of the washers looks like it is melted onto the plastic of the impeller. I will post pics later.

 

[Jeremy B.]

You need a new impeller for it. Shoot me an email to jeremy@premiumaquatics.com with your full name, as well as shipping address and I'll get an impeller shipped out for you on Monday. You should see it delivered on Tuesday.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Jeremy

 

[jdrabek]

Thanks for the quick reply. Just like most people this is why I continue to order from Premium Aquatics. Great customer service.

Email sent.

 

[jdrabek]

Jeremy - I did recieve the impeller on Teusday and the pump fired right up. The bad thing is ever since the pump started acting up, after a few weeks of running, the pump has never worked quite the same. I have the skimmer in 8" of water with a stable water level and I have to run the wedge pipe full open or it will just overflow. The bubble production is not very good and seems to be pushing more water. The bubble size looks fine, but the density of bubbles is just not there anymore and I did check the airline and connections for any buildup. I am going to take the pump apart again and give it a good cleaning this weekend and hope for the best, but as it stands I am not very happy with the skimmer performance and that is really just because of the pump. The body is well constructed and has some potential but is limited by the pump. If you have any suggestions for me to try I am all ears.

 

[Jeremy B.]

If the skimmer is constantly overflowing and pushing more water than air, and the wedge pipe fully open then the venturi has to be clogged somewhere. Make sure there are no calcium deposits in the nipple of the venturi. Clean out the venturi line with hot water in the sink, and blow through it. Also, leave it disconnected from the silencer for the time being until we can figure out what's going on.

The only other possibility is that something is stuck in the impeller, or the skimmer is reacting with something in the water such as epoxy, etc.

 

[jdrabek]

I just took the pump apart and cleaned everythin again. When I looked at the new replacement impeller the washer toward the outside of the pump is already worn down to about 1/3 of what it is supposed to be and is leaving a groove in the impeller itself. The airline was completel clog free and I have run the pump with the air line hooked up to the silencer and disconnected from the silencer.

I made sure the impeller was fully seated in the pump, but it looks like it is getting forced out torwards the volute. Is this a pump problem?

Only expoxy, etc. that I have used is last month when I got the tank up and running and that is when it was working its best.

As soon as my wife brings the camera in from outside I will take pictures and post them.

 

[jdrabek]

Impeller 1

Impeller 2

Impeller 2 washers

 

[Jeremy B.]

John,

Thanks for the photos. I'll have Albert @ Proline check this out today and post back here.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[Proline]

Hello John,

I suspect one of the internals on the motorblock was misaligned during molding. We can arrange for a new pump and impeller to resolve this issue.

- Albert

 

[jdrabek]

Thinks for the quick response. Send me a PM or email to let me know what I need to do?

 

[jdrabek]

Jeremy,

Will the pump come from you or from Proline?

 

[Jeremy B.]

John,

I just received a pump from them today. I will have it right back out the door for you.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[jdrabek]

Thanks for the update.

Once again I cant say enough about how great your customer service is.