Skimmer quit skimming!

[Anonymous]

I have an Excalibur sv-2 eher is a link to the skimmer:
http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/0 ... m=main:sv2

This skimmer has worked fairly well for me up until I cleaned it a couple of weeks ago. I figured it would have to go through a "break in" peroid after I cleaned it but it just has'nt been skimming as good as it use to and I can't figure out why.It appears to be putting out the same amount of bubbles as always but it is taking a week to get anything to the cup where as I use to clean out the cup every couple of days.I did take the skimmer back out and make sure all the fittings were tight and nothing was leaking.Could I add a air pump to push more air into the venturi to make more bubbles and possiblly skim a little better? I can blow air into the line and make it bubble all the way to the collection cup so I was wondering if a good air pump might help it out?
Thanks!
_________________
BMW M Roadster

 

[Anonymous]

I have an Excalibur sv-2 eher is a link to the skimmer:
http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/0 ... m=main:sv2

This skimmer has worked fairly well for me up until I cleaned it a couple of weeks ago. I figured it would have to go through a "break in" peroid after I cleaned it but it just has'nt been skimming as good as it use to and I can't figure out why.It appears to be putting out the same amount of bubbles as always but it is taking a week to get anything to the cup where as I use to clean out the cup every couple of days.I did take the skimmer back out and make sure all the fittings were tight and nothing was leaking.Could I add a air pump to push more air into the venturi to make more bubbles and possiblly skim a little better? I can blow air into the line and make it bubble all the way to the collection cup so I was wondering if a good air pump might help it out?
Thanks!

is this a model where the air is introduced before the impeller? if so i doubt adding more air would help. you could add an air stone.

another possibility, this is an old thread but i think of it at times while cleaning my skimmer.....

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... ht=skimmer

since i read this i have always used hot water to rinse my skimmer out. i hardly ever hear this voiced but i believe there is some validity to it.

 

[Anonymous]

I added a airpump to it last night and it did'nt help it any at all.Maybe I cleaned it to good.This was the first time I cleaned it 7 or 8 months and I cleaned it pretty good. I read that thread and it just goes to show what works for one does'nt work for all.
_________________
Honda Concerto

 

[Anonymous]

I read that thread and it just goes to show what works for one does'nt work for all.

not that i disagree with this, but i didn't get that from the thread. i do think it was taken as evidence like this by others though.
what i meant to reference you to is what Mouse described best. a need to use hot water to eliminate the oils that may accumulate on the inner walls of the skimmer.
i can only guess that comparatively the reefkeeper's skimmer will vary in the amount of oils within it, but that isn't the point.
my point is that your skimmer may have an oily residue within it and it may take a while for your skimmer to break in again. this is just one possibilty and not neccessarily the most likely one.

 

[Anonymous]

I see where you are coming from.I soak mine in vinegar and hot water then I rinse it out with only hot water as hot as I can get it.It took me maybe about 2 hours or more after first letting it soak for about an hour.But I cleaned it about 2 weeks ago and figured that should have been plenty of time for it to break back in because the skimmer looked like brand new when I was finished cleaning it. It is skimming some just not like it was before.The only other thing I have done is rearrange some of the rock cleaned the fuge and took out some alage in the fuge and what I have in the fuge now is growing like crazy. Maybe the tank is going through some changes and not much to skim?
_________________
Honda Stepwgn