PSK-200, can't control air bubbles. Collection cup fills with water in seconds

Discussion in 'Eshopps Inc.' started by Magnus, Mar 15, 2010.

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  1. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    It's been running at 8" of dept for 24 hrs. Bubbles were turned down to the minimum and the cup was removed since it was overflowing. I hope this will break in soon.
    Please, keep the suggestions coming to speed up the process.

    - Mag.
     
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  3. eshopps

    eshopps 3reef Sponsor

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    i think is getting there, try slowly put the collection cup back and turn the water level know adjuster. once the water in the collection cup full, pur it out to another area (don't dump it back). Do that for at least a few time and this will get your break period down.
     
  4. dahenley

    dahenley Plankton

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    Is your output pipe submerged?
    some times being submerged can cause back pressure. this will also prevent water from exiting the skimmer fast enough.

    the water looks good to me.

    one thing that you can do, is put your skimmer cup on, and put the daing hose (to the skimmer cup) back in the water. that way while it overflows, it will run back in the sump. that way you dont loose water and or make a mess.

    a vinager bath will help strip any excess oils from the acrylic and from the assy. because you didnt, it is no big thing. it will just cause the skimmer to take longer to break in. maybe a week longer. give or take.

    (i pulled my adjuster pipe out, and i ran my skimmer about 1/2in lower then you, and it ran perfect. i didnt need to adjust anything, it ran half way up the neck of the cup, and i had no micro bubbles coming out of the exhaust.)

    i hope this helps, and keep everyone updated.
     
  5. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    I put the cup and emptied it about 5 times, after that, the bubbles slowed down, but it's still producing. It's been running 24/7 since I posted the first message on this thread... so 6 days straight. I'm going to say approximately 144 hours of operation.

    I wish I known about the vinegar bath.... Is there a way I can do that now without interrupting this process of breaking in?
    What I mean is, Can I just take the skimmer and wash it inside and out with 1 part vinegar 8 parts water and just place it back to carry on with the break in, or will this actually set me back?

    Oh, my model didn't come with a drain hose on the collection cup. I may drill a hole later if I have to. But I would like to see this operate as it should for a little bit before I mess with any modding.


    - Mag.

    EDIT: The output pipe was about 1/4" submerged. Now I lowered the level a little and it's hanging above the sump's water level. That seemed to help a little as well since now it takes that cup about 30 minutes to get filled, I think it's starting to work better now, the bubbles going up the neck of the skimmer into the collection cup are now way bigger. I never had a skimmer before, and I'm not sure what should I adjust the regulator to... more or less bubbles... beats me. Maybe I'll figure this out in the near future. I'll just leave it running as is for now. Still wondering if a vinegar bath should help, or if it will set me back at this point in the race? Any thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2010
  6. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    I'm not sure if this started working because breaking in is over or not. But I can only assume the procedure described above works pretty well.

    I put my cup on yesterday evening and let the bubbles fill the cup and become water, then I dumped the water in the sink. I repeated the process 5 times. Today, the bubbles were still overflowing the cup, but it would take it at least 30 or 40 minutes now instead of the 10 seconds it used to take it to overflow when it was band new.

    Later this morning, I repeated the process another 4 times. I let the bubbles fill the cup, bubbles become water and this water gets dumped on the sink. DO NOT dump it back in the sump/tank.

    Not the bubbles are stable and only reaching half way on the clear neck of the collection cup. A 1/4" green foam is starting to accumulate at the top. And I'm assuming this is what other people called "skimmate" (forgive my spelling if incorrect).

    I can't wait to take a look tonight and see if the green gunk is being produced at a better rate... I'm only assuming it can only get better.

    By the way, if anybody is going to try this, beware of 2 things:

    1) Your skimmer needs a vinegar bath 1 part vinegar to 8 parts water. Wash it inside and out with this solution. It will make your break in process a lot shorter. I didn't know this when I got my skimmer, so I had to wait a while.

    2) When you put the cup and dump the water it collects, make sure to have some RO water reserve to top off the sump/DT to keep the skimmer operating at the proper level.

    I hope this helps somebody. I'll post this again on CupidOfCripe thread as well. It may help somebody.

    - Mag.
     
  7. dahenley

    dahenley Plankton

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    no manufacturer will ever say to give a vin. bath. (its just something the hobbiest have come up with to clean the oils. it will also give an almost identical image of what salt water will do. if you run it in just water, the bubbles will be huge, and not very many.)

    also, skimmers dont really get broke in for a few weeks to a month. thats not to say your skimmer will not start producing skimmate. (that is the green stuff in the neck)


    when you feed, put your hands in your tank, or put any aditave, it can cause any skimmer to go crazy!! just throwing that out there.

    also, when you dumped skimmer water, it is salt water. that means if you only top off with RO, you salinity will slowly go down. (your not replenishing the salt.) as far as evaporation, the salt doesnt evap, so that is why you top off with just RO

    Keep it up, and you will be amazed at the smell of the crap that skimmer will pull. (you will wonder how fish swim in it hahaha)
     
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  9. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    Thanks for the informative post.
    I'm sure I'll have to regulate this skimmer a few times before it's all set up right and working at its full potential.

    So far, so good. I have about 1/4" of green water in the collection cup. Only been really skimming for about 8 hours :)

    - Mag.
     
  10. eshopps

    eshopps 3reef Sponsor

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    i think your skimmer is finally getting there. keep in mind if you have a new skimmer and tank set up the same time, this is the result of your case. just take longer for the break in period. but overall i think the overflowing period is over. in the coming days/weeks, you can start slowing adjusting the know for dark skimmate. Good luck and enjoy the skimmer.
     
  11. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    I'm having some noise problems with the pump. It's making a very loud noise like if it was touching the glass or something, but I check all around and it's not touching anything.

    The skimmer itself is sitting on some rubber pads, which stopped some of the vibration it had at the beginning and it's working perfectly, and producing tons of skimmate.

    Could it be that the pump is dirty? I blocked the intake for a second with my finger and after I removed it the pump was almost silent for a few seconds, then it started the noise again. It's sitting on the suction cups it came with.

    Any advice is appreciated. Does it need cleaning already?


    - Mag.
     
  12. Magnus

    Magnus Sharknado

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    Never mind. I guess something was lose inside. I took it apart and put it back together and it's very silent now.

    I have no idea what was wrong, but I would like to know what was it if somebody can tell by the problem's description above.

    Now the pump is absolutely silent.

    - Mag.