problem with skimmer....

[jonathen81]

hey guys..

i seem to have this huge headache with my skimmer. its a weipro 2012. worked like a dream for the first 2 weeks. skimmate was very dark and thick and managed to collect half a cup in the first week.

But everytime i move the skimmer a bit or something, water just stops going into the skimmer.

i don;t think there is anything wrong with the skimmer itself (Its really great btw)

but the pump (AT-107) just loses power. it can;t generate enough flow to drive the venturi. btw flowrate of AT 107 is 2100l/hr.

dismantled the pump a number of times but found that there is nothing wrong or stuck!!! everything looks ok!

can anyone help???

thanks.

jon

[barnacle]

could be clogged. did you put any sponge at the out flow?

[dreamzcape]

first of all...congratulations on being able to get a weipro to work for you...it's definitely worth it. could there possibly be any obstruction in the inlet tubing? also maybe test the pump in pail full of water, tilting here and there, making sure it works in all angles.

Sounds like a very weird problem, hope u get over it soon.

[madmac]

C'mon, what are you saying? ... "everytime i move the skimmer a bit or something, water just stops going into the skimmer.... the pump jus loses power"... then .... "it can't generate enough flow" You're funny....... but there's no electricity right... no power? so its has no power but you still dismantle the pump? ...

... btw sorry if i interpreted it wrongly?

[Gouldian]

If I were you I will do the following:

1) Change pump to either Eheim, Aquabee or OR

2) Ensure that I wash and empty the collection cup and neck DAILY

I believe that will solve your problem.

HTH

[nicholas_yeo]

It shouldn't be anything wrong with the skimmer since it has no moving parts.

2100l/hr is more than enough... I agreed with Gouldian. Change to a better pump. I am using a Macro ASp100 with a Rio Pump at the same rate. Pump will stop once in a while.

It is due to rotating blade being out of position. The design wasn't good and it get stuck at an angle sometimes due to the flimsy plastic shaft.... I have to give it a few hard knock on the pump b4 the blade free itself.

Secondly, clean your venturi valve as it will affect the performance somewhat.

I am on the verge of buying the German made Indra Pump at 2100l/hr with a much smaller form factor and better wattage. Waiting for ang bao money...

A good pump is impt to save u from more troubles later.....

[jonathen81]

hey guys thanks for your replies.

as for madmac....i am sorry if i wasn;t very clear. shouldn;t have used the word power. What i meant was that it stops pumping. Never knew i had to be pretty techincal in my choice of words.

think what nicholas said was right. Since i have done the rest as everyone else has mentioned....like making sure that there is nothing stuck in pipings and all. the AT107 starts to work after i switched it off and on a number of times....and i think it starts to generate flow when the the impellar is in alignment. thanks nicholas...i was suspecting something along those lines but never knew that could be the case.

WOULD SURELY buy a new pump when i go back to singapore!!! certainly not worth the hassle. Its not like my tank does not require any other maintenance but having to go through this from time to time is certainly not worth it!!!!!!!

jon

[leochngyh]

Maybe you can consider RIO HF series pump. I was using Atman before, but the flow rate just deteriorate after a while. I am using RIO 14HF for my weipro 2013. good performance

[jonathen81]

hey gouldian.....there was something i just wanted to add to what you said. in my short experience i think that washing the collecting cup seems important but i think one should not wash the inner conical region of the collection cup too thoroughly (its the part that is in conact with the rising foam). i feel that the layer of slime on the cone reduces the friction between the rising column of foam and the cone and hence improves the performance.

just my humble observationss.....

jon