skimmer not working

dviper150 · 06/29/2010, 02:43 PM

I came today and found my skimmer not working. the pump isn't sucking in water. I have the coralife SS220. It was working fine yesterday, not sure what happened today. I am also dosing the tank with vodka so my guess would be to stop dosing until the skimmer is back on. I turned it off for now until I get back from work later on tonight and see what is wrong with it. My question is, how long can I go without a skimmer? If it doesn't work soon, I am going to have to order a new one and I am guessing that will take a week to get here from the day I place the order.

jdthomas24 · 06/29/2010, 03:42 PM

you can go for a few weeks if you have too but the less time the better. My friends skimmer went out and he didnt get a new one for 2 months. He had to do more water changes and clean the glass more though

Allmost · 06/29/2010, 03:53 PM

if dosing cvodka, nothign good can come out as vodka will increease photo synthesis and skimmer is needed to regulate PH, for now, at least put a air pump or an extra power head in there.

overall Skimmers are not needed but good to have .... .
wash it in vineager tonight and most likely its fine.

dviper150 · 06/29/2010, 08:33 PM

not really sure what to do now but I took out the pump and cleaned it and it still isn't sucking in water. When I plug it in, bubbles come out of the pump??? How do I fix this?

Jormungandr · 06/29/2010, 08:51 PM

maybe there's something wrong with the impeller? or maybe theres a leak in your air line?

MrsHaggis · 06/30/2010, 05:24 AM

clean the whole thing with vinegar.
also get some hole finder liquid (cannot remember the name of it for the life of me) and just make sure that there are no leaks anywhere on the plumbing system.

dviper150 · 06/30/2010, 04:47 PM

I may need to buy another pump. Anyone know what pump the coralife SS 220 uses? Even though i have been using this skimmer for a few months , i don't know what pump it is.

Dustin1300 · 06/30/2010, 07:38 PM

Sorry to say it but these skimmers are known for not being very good at all. I ditched my Coralife SS 220 not too long ago and have loved every minute since buying an SRO. With the Coralife I never had constant skimmate and was so inconsistent. If you end up needing a new pump after giving it a vinegar batch and checking impeller then I'd recommend getting a different skimmer/pump.

dviper150 · 06/30/2010, 07:41 PM

Mine has been working good for me. Just needs some adjustments. Any suggestions on what kind of pump to get? Do you know what pump the skimmer was using originally?

dviper150 · 06/30/2010, 08:45 PM

would the sicce PSK-600 pump work fine with the coralife SS220? the sicce does 661 gph. Is this enough for the skimmer or do I need more?

dviper150 · 07/08/2010, 11:53 AM

i checked marineandreef and opentip online for a replacement impeller and they are out of stock. Anyone know of any other sites that sell them? I talked to the manufacturer and they said they can't do anything without proof of purchase which i don't have so i have to find one now.

otrlynn · 07/08/2010, 07:37 PM

OP, are you 100% sure that the pump is not working? Sometimes a skimmer can lose the prime, and although the pump is running, it is not sucking in water. Do you have the instruction book for the skimmer (or can you download one online) and have you gone through the trouble shooting section?

dviper150 · 07/08/2010, 07:39 PM

The impeller is broken. The pump is working, I just need to know where I can find a replacement impeller for it. I only checked marineandreef.com and opentip.com and both of them are out of stock. Any suggestions for a good replacement pump for this skimmer or any websites that have the impeller in stock? I can do either right now. I just need the skimmer up and running asap.

otrlynn · 07/08/2010, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dviper150

i checked marineandreef and opentip online for a replacement impeller and they are out of stock. Anyone know of any other sites that sell them? I talked to the manufacturer and they said they can't do anything without proof of purchase which i don't have so i have to find one now.

Would the manufacturer not SELL you a new impeller--even if they won't replace it free since you don't have the proof of purchase?

dviper150 · 07/08/2010, 08:01 PM

They didn't say that I could buy it from them. The person I spoke with just gave me a link for marineandreef.com and said I could purchase it from there or other websites that sell them.

06/29/2010, 02:43 PM	#1
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	skimmer not working I came today and found my skimmer not working. the pump isn't sucking in water. I have the coralife SS220. It was working fine yesterday, not sure what happened today. I am also dosing the tank with vodka so my guess would be to stop dosing until the skimmer is back on. I turned it off for now until I get back from work later on tonight and see what is wrong with it. My question is, how long can I go without a skimmer? If it doesn't work soon, I am going to have to order a new one and I am guessing that will take a week to get here from the day I place the order. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

06/29/2010, 08:33 PM	#4
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	not really sure what to do now but I took out the pump and cleaned it and it still isn't sucking in water. When I plug it in, bubbles come out of the pump??? How do I fix this? __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

06/29/2010, 08:51 PM	#5
Jormungandr Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Beautiful SoCal Posts: 105	maybe there's something wrong with the impeller? or maybe theres a leak in your air line? __________________ Andrew 40g build in progress. 10g sump with 5g fuge(under construction) Tired of trying to come up with something interesting to say in sig...

06/30/2010, 05:24 AM	#6
MrsHaggis Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: St Louis, France Posts: 675	clean the whole thing with vinegar. also get some hole finder liquid (cannot remember the name of it for the life of me) and just make sure that there are no leaks anywhere on the plumbing system. __________________ Nothing scarier than a clown!! ----------------------------- 1 ClownFish 1 SixLine Wrasse 1 Foxface Rabbitfish Mushrooms Long Polyp Leather Green Anchor Coral Zoanthids Trumpet Coral Goniopora Current Tank Info: 360 litre (95 US Gallons), Tunze DOC Skimmer 9010, Lights: Metal Halide 250 Watt and 2x24 Watt Moon Lights, Tunze MultiController 7095

06/30/2010, 04:47 PM	#7
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	I may need to buy another pump. Anyone know what pump the coralife SS 220 uses? Even though i have been using this skimmer for a few months , i don't know what pump it is. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

06/29/2010, 03:42 PM	#2
jdthomas24 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rockwall, Texas Posts: 852	you can go for a few weeks if you have too but the less time the better. My friends skimmer went out and he didnt get a new one for 2 months. He had to do more water changes and clean the glass more though

06/29/2010, 03:53 PM	#3
Allmost Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: canada, toronto Posts: 8,161	if dosing cvodka, nothign good can come out as vodka will increease photo synthesis and skimmer is needed to regulate PH, for now, at least put a air pump or an extra power head in there. overall Skimmers are not needed but good to have .... . wash it in vineager tonight and most likely its fine.

06/30/2010, 07:38 PM	#8
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Sorry to say it but these skimmers are known for not being very good at all. I ditched my Coralife SS 220 not too long ago and have loved every minute since buying an SRO. With the Coralife I never had constant skimmate and was so inconsistent. If you end up needing a new pump after giving it a vinegar batch and checking impeller then I'd recommend getting a different skimmer/pump.

06/30/2010, 07:41 PM	#9
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	Mine has been working good for me. Just needs some adjustments. Any suggestions on what kind of pump to get? Do you know what pump the skimmer was using originally? __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

06/30/2010, 08:45 PM	#10
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	would the sicce PSK-600 pump work fine with the coralife SS220? the sicce does 661 gph. Is this enough for the skimmer or do I need more? __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

07/08/2010, 11:53 AM	#11
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	i checked marineandreef and opentip online for a replacement impeller and they are out of stock. Anyone know of any other sites that sell them? I talked to the manufacturer and they said they can't do anything without proof of purchase which i don't have so i have to find one now. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

07/08/2010, 07:37 PM	#12
otrlynn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chester County PA Posts: 1,508	OP, are you 100% sure that the pump is not working? Sometimes a skimmer can lose the prime, and although the pump is running, it is not sucking in water. Do you have the instruction book for the skimmer (or can you download one online) and have you gone through the trouble shooting section?

07/08/2010, 07:39 PM	#13
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	The impeller is broken. The pump is working, I just need to know where I can find a replacement impeller for it. I only checked marineandreef.com and opentip.com and both of them are out of stock. Any suggestions for a good replacement pump for this skimmer or any websites that have the impeller in stock? I can do either right now. I just need the skimmer up and running asap. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

07/08/2010, 08:01 PM	#15
dviper150 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: College Station, TX Posts: 2,799	They didn't say that I could buy it from them. The person I spoke with just gave me a link for marineandreef.com and said I could purchase it from there or other websites that sell them. __________________ When in doubt, always have a way out.

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