I think my skimmer broke.

[richardhmc]

My skimmer now for some reason, doesn't create bubbles anymore. It just pushes water out of the neck and creates a nice waterfall effect in my sump.

I have an octopus in-sump skimmer. right now I just took apart the pump and took out the motor, gave it a clean, and put it back together and yet it still gives me waterfall.

Is it broke? :irked:

 

[125reefer]

blow in the air intake tube

 

[richardhmc]

air intake tube? is that the stretchy flexible hose?

 

[russellbravo]

^yes if u can, try to run some ro water through it, it might be clogged of salt

 

[acromike]

I have used a toothpick and cleared my air inlet.Like the above post indicated it is most liklel salt buildup and the skimmer is fine.Keep us posted on what u find.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

anyway taken pics

 

[richardhmc]

So the tube is supposed to be clean of water and salt right?
I blew into one side of it and now bubbles are forming but not as much as it used to. Also, I'm letting in as much water as possible by setting it at the "open" position. I get fine microbubbles coming out of the outtake. How can I fix this?

 

[coralnut99]

From the sound of it, it was pretty well clogged. It's a mixture of calcification and salt deposits that mix withthe air that the venturi needs to mix with the water being pumped through it. Just blowing through the tube didn't clear it well enough I think. Don't be afraid to stick something in there to clear it out completely. A wooden dowel works well. What I usually do is boil a small pot of water and stick the upper part of the air intake hose into the pot of very hot water while the skimmer is running for a few seconds. The hose will draw in the hot water instead of air and clear up most clogs. You shouldn't be dealing with more than a pint of hot water here. This lets you clear the clog without taking it apart.

 

[Master Shake]

after you clean it it has to build up its slime coat again

 

[richardhmc]

kk ill try this out thanks for your help!

 

[richardhmc]

From the sound of it, it was pretty well clogged. It's a mixture of calcification and salt deposits that mix withthe air that the venturi needs to mix with the water being pumped through it. Just blowing through the tube didn't clear it well enough I think. Don't be afraid to stick something in there to clear it out completely. A wooden dowel works well. What I usually do is boil a small pot of water and stick the upper part of the air intake hose into the pot of very hot water while the skimmer is running for a few seconds. The hose will draw in the hot water instead of air and clear up most clogs. You shouldn't be dealing with more than a pint of hot water here. This lets you clear the clog without taking it apart.

If I could give you rep points I would. This worked perfectly! Thanks! I made my skimmer drink a cup of hot water and bam bubbles starting coming out :tongue1: