SWC 300A Cone 2 month review with questions

[Moved.On]

Does anyone think there might be "SWC MOLES" here on RC?

[moondoggy4]

Originally Posted by Moved.On

Does anyone think there might be "SWC MOLES" here on RC?

The mods keep a extra eye out for them always getting banned or their threads closed. But mostly just fans they have a loyal falling like Fords and junk sorry I mean Chevy's LOL Good luck with your sale and check with Mojo for a good recommendation on a SWC free zone skimmer.

[Moved.On]

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

The mods keep a extra eye out for them always getting banned or their threads closed. But mostly just fans they have a loyal falling like Fords and junk sorry I mean Chevy's LOL Good luck with your sale and check with Mojo for a good recommendation on a SWC free zone skimmer.

LOL! Too funny. Thanks guys.

[Moved.On]

Looks like nobody wants this skimmer. Thanks SWC for this $650 lesson.

[AcroporAddict]

The crazing should not have happened, but aren't you jumping the gun regarding posting all this stuff about SWC before you even give them a chance to make it right or tell you to pound sand? You posted they were notified on Friday 8/26. Do you expect a response over the weekend? Not gonna happen. And you can forget getting anything from them if you sell your skimmer.

What you need regarding lube of the o-rings is a 100% silicone lube, not KY Jelly because it is water soluble. If SWC told you this they are wrong. ACE Hardware sells a silicone lube I have used for years on skimmer and reactor o-rings, about $4 and comes in a small white container.

You really need some patience in this matter with SWC or any product manufacturer for that meter. Common courtesy would be you give them a week to respond to your concerns. And FWIW, I do not own any SWC products, I have an Alpha Vertex 250 and a BK Mini 160.

[Moved.On]

Originally Posted by AcroporAddict

The crazing should not have happened, but aren't you jumping the gun regarding posting all this stuff about SWC before you even give them a chance to make it right or tell you to pound sand? You posted they were notified on Friday 8/26. Do you expect a response over the weekend? Not gonna happen. And you can forget getting anything from them if you sell your skimmer.

What you need regarding lube of the o-rings is a 100% silicone lube, not KY Jelly because it is water soluble. If SWC told you this they are wrong. ACE Hardware sells a silicone lube I have used for years on skimmer and reactor o-rings, about $4 and comes in a small white container.

You really need some patience in this matter with SWC or any product manufacturer for that meter. Common courtesy would be you give them a week to respond to your concerns. And FWIW, I do not own any SWC products, I have an Alpha Vertex 250 and a BK Mini 160.

You are right. Thanks for tips. You have some nice skimmers BTW.

[reefereef]

if you are saying that i am a swc mole because i am urging you to contact a store then thats a bummer. if you are not then my bad.

one ? for you though, you just spent 4 pages on slamming this skimmer and then go on to post it for sale for 100$ less than you bought it???? It must not be that junky then because if i had a product that was as bad as you make your to be then i would sell it for like 100$ since it is junk. if your skimmer is as bad as you say then i'll buy the pump from ya, dont want a crazed skimmer just the pump.

[Moved.On]

reefereef you are the last person I would think is a SWC mole, in fact I don't believe anyone who has commented on this thread is a mole. Here is my thinking behind moles being here: I researched skimmers for months before getting this one and the only problems I ever saw on this skimmer were the leaking necks and tons of microbubbles coming out of the return. I do agree that this body with the crazing is worthless, but the pump is like gold to me. My system is dead silent and I am proud of it since it took forever to get it that way.

For all of you who said this skimmer is too much for my system you are correct. I have learned that it's important to match your tank size to your skimmer rating (for the most part). I spoke to an expert today who learned the same lesson years ago with his massive BubbleKing. He was frustrated at the lack of skimmate and the constant overflowing with his skimmer which was rated for a much larger tank than what it was on. He told me that he eventually put his Bubbleking on a properly matched tank and it worked without any hiccups. So for now the SWC is cleaned and boxed up for another day and the trusty Euroreef is back in. Sorry for all the grief guys.

[reefereef]

I totally agree about the reviews on the swc's on here. I, as you, read and read and read and not one thread said that i would go through 4 pumps and still hate the noise from them, the place i bought it from helped to make it right but the pumps are still loud, loudest part of my tank. I will be putting on new pumps for the skimmer that are not sicce based. Had i know i would be putting a SRO pump on my SWC skimmer then i would have just bought the SRO skimmer to start with, lol. Glad to see you still have a skimmer to run on your tank and will have a nice one for when you upgrade tanks.

To the OP, thanks for an honest review of a product, dont see many of those anymore, well you see many reviews that are positive but after the honey-moon is over not many people post the REAL review of a product.

[Moved.On]

Thanks reefereef

[moondoggy4]

Patience is a virtue in this hobby lucky for my I did not have a lot of extra cash in the beggining so I went at it slow, I still made mistakes in buying things and still do there is always a new corner to go around, your skimmer will sell just give it time. good luck

[Moved.On]

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

Patience is a virtue in this hobby lucky for my I did not have a lot of extra cash in the beggining so I went at it slow, I still made mistakes in buying things and still do there is always a new corner to go around, your skimmer will sell just give it time. good luck

Thanks moondoggy

[tkeracer619]

One thing to consider is people won't read your mind. Regardless of if you sent pictures or whatever asking to return the skimmer but you did not say. "my skimmer is crazing and I need warranty help" then you didn't give them the chance to make it right no matter what you think.


Sometimes we get lemons. All it takes is a bit of sugar and you get lemonade. Selling yourself and the company who made the product short because your not willing to wait for the sugar only ends one way.

Best of luck.

FWIW my linking this thread was afaik the first time anyone at swc heard about your crazing issue. Might want to look into that if your trying to get your skimmer warrantied. I though about buying it but wanted to know how much a replacement cup would have cost.

[Moved.On]

Thanks tkeracrer619. The skimmer is gone now and it has found a great home, a 366 Gallon system, I asked the buyer to post his findings here on this review with pic's. I am looking forward to seeing what this skimmer can do on a properly sized aquarium.

I know I was being impatient but after the way I was treated by SWC with the whole KY jelly thing and after hearing about other people's issues with their pumps not starting on their 120, 160, & 180 models and how SWC told their customers to give their skimmer a blow to get it to start I started to wonder if this company really cares about their customers or if their laughing all the way to the bank telling people to blow on their skimmers and lube them up with KY jelly. I have lost all faith in this company.

A little off topic: (example of a good company)
Even though Euroreef is OLD for us and it's not the newest, coolest skimmer company. It still was a good company for all of us here on RC. Their family was a part of RC, Jeff was always on his computer ready to help us all out, with all of our stupid issues. Maybe Euroreef spoiled me and I was still used to that type of customer treatment from a company. Trust me I had a couple issues with my Euroreef skimmers in the past but the family always found a fix for them. The materials they used were top notch and their customer service was usually great. Having a great product made by a local, family owned business, great R&D, and great materials was a great thing to have.

[pmrossetti]

reef dynamics is euro reef
Jeff's still there.

[wildman926]

Originally Posted by wildman926

Sorry for your trouble with your skimmer.

This is what a 2 day old properly sized and adjusted skimmer looks like. It is a SRO 1000 on a 110g tank with a 30g sump. DT and sump is half full with LR, and water level is 5.5"

Just a reminder...

[gldnegle76]

Originally Posted by wildman926

Just a reminder...

Wildman:

Can you tell me the difference in noise level between the SRO 1000 and the Eshopps PSK 100 you were using? Also, sump water level for the SRO?

[wildman926]

Originally Posted by gldnegle76

Wildman:

Can you tell me the difference in noise level between the SRO 1000 and the Eshopps PSK 100 you were using? Also, sump water level for the SRO?

It was actually a PSK-150, and there is a very big difference in the noise level of the Eshopps compared to the SRO. The larger air tube and silencer help with air flow and noise control. The pump itself on the Eshopps is quiet and about the same as the SRO, but drawing air is another story.

My Eheim 1262 return pump is the noise factor now. Turn it off, and it is almost complete silence with the SRO running. Hope this help.

[allsps40]

I agree you need to contact SWC on the issues you have. They will replace anything that is defect or under warranty. Shoot them an email or call and talk to someone.

[gldnegle76]

Originally Posted by wildman926

It was actually a PSK-150, and there is a very big difference in the noise level of the Eshopps compared to the SRO. The larger air tube and silencer help with air flow and noise control. The pump itself on the Eshopps is quiet and about the same as the SRO, but drawing air is another story.

My Eheim 1262 return pump is the noise factor now. Turn it off, and it is almost complete silence with the SRO running. Hope this help.

Okay, so your PSK 100 is still in use on a smaller tank? That's the one I wanted to compare the SRO 1000 noise level to. I currently have a PSK 100 and am thinking about replacing it with the SRO 100 int. Looking to upgrade but staying away from the mesh/mod impellers.

[Moved.On]

Okay everyone this thread is getting out of control. We need to clarify some things here. Here is the emails between me and SWC and their dates. If anyone needs further proof then I can forward these emails to you, just pm me your email address and I will be happy to share them with you. Thanks.

1st email me to SWC on August 16th 2011:

Hi Jayson,

So I've had a chance to use the SWC 300A Cone skimmer for over 2 month's now and it's just not what I was expecting. I have tried different water levels and it's just never consistent. The bubble level get's really high and overflows in the morning and then in the evening the bubble level sits 4" below the neck. I can't get anything more than a light green skimmate from it. The pump is silent which is good. The bubbles rush to the top of the cone and gets really large for the last 12". It dumps tons of microbubbles out of the outlet, which then get's salt creep all over everything in the sump/stand area. I have had 4 different skimmers all had their positives and negatives but this one just isn't working for me. I have boxed it back up and I am hoping that you will take it back. Do you have a return policy?

2nd email SWC to me August 18th 2011:

Sorry Jayson is out of town. I have enclosed the link for returns. Thanks
http://www.saltwaterconnection.com/i...e=shippinginfo

3rd email me to SWC August 18th 2011:

Great it looks like I am an owner of this hunk of plastic, here is a link of my review on RC.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2059080

4th email SWC to me August 19th 2011:

I will forward you review to Jayson. Thanks

5th and final email me to SWC August 24th 2011:

I also added these pictures (4 different pictures showing the crazing) to my review tonight. Would you like to take this skimmer back now?

You can say whatever you all want about how I went about this situation and how I shouldn't have exposed SWC here on RC the way I did. I was fed up with this company this was my second skimmer from them and I thought you all would appreciate an honest review. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should just keep "my" issues to myself and not "lose face" to you all here on RC and let everyone else out there figure it out on their own as well. Sorry everyone. If the mods want to close this thread that's fine too. I am done with this guys. This skimmer is out of my life. SWC is out of my life. My hemorrhoids are healing without having all this stress anymore as well. Life is good now. Thanks for all the feedback and I will see you around RC in the future.

[wildman926]

Originally Posted by gldnegle76

Okay, so your PSK 100 is still in use on a smaller tank? That's the one I wanted to compare the SRO 1000 noise level to. I currently have a PSK 100 and am thinking about replacing it with the SRO 100 int. Looking to upgrade but staying away from the mesh/mod impellers.

Yes and no. I put the Atman PH2000 from the PSK-150 on the PSK-100. Regardless, the SRO is quieter than both pumps regarding both pump and air intake.

[tkeracer619]

So what your saying is that you didn't tell them about the crazing issue until 6 days after you made this thread. And you wonder why you didn't get much help from them. Up until that point all you had done was ask for a return on a now used skimmer because you didn't size it right.

I'm sorry but I don't see why your mad at them. You never gave them a chance.

Btw your not exposing anything. It's an awesome skimmer that you sized wrong. It has an issue but you were not patient enough to get it resolved so now the next owner has to live with it or fix it on thier own. IMO there's nothing to see here.

[wildman926]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

So what your saying is that you didn't tell them about the crazing issue until 6 days after you made this thread. And you wonder why you didn't get much help from them. Up until that point all you had done was ask for a return on a now used skimmer because you didn't size it right.

So, what you are saying is, since they saw this thread, SWC was not going to resolve this issue for their customer? That is out of spite, and worse than if they had not seen this thread.

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

I'm sorry but I don't see why your mad at them. You never gave them a chance.

He asked them to correct the leaking issue. A brand new $650 skimmer should not leak out it’s waste back into the system is it supposedly cleaning. The response of using K Y Jelly as a remedy really showed their intent of correcting any issue.

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Btw your not exposing anything. It's an awesome skimmer that you sized wrong. It has an issue but you were not patient enough to get it resolved so now the next owner has to live with it or fix it on thier own. IMO there's nothing to see here.

SWC should have swapped it out when they were notified of the leak.

Here is SWC's return policy provided by the link above. After reading this, on this premise alone, I would NOT want to buy any of their products. Every product will have issues, regardless of how well they are made. It is the "service after the sale" is what keeps customers happy and coming back -

•All returns and/or exchanges must be made within 7 days of receipt of product. Products may only be returned unused, and in original unopened packaging. Salt Water Connection.com reserves the right to charge a non-refundable 15% restocking charge for any/all returned merchandise (excluding exchanges). Salt Water Connection.com will not be responsible for return shipping charges. Original shipping charges are non-refundable. Before returning/exchanging any goods, we require that you authorize your return with Salt Water Connection.com Any items returned without our authorization will be declined.
•In the event that your order is damaged by the carrier, a claim will be filed with the carrier company. Upon approval of the claim by the carrier, your original order will be re-shipped to you at no additional cost. If you wish to return the damaged goods for a refund or credit, the 15% restocking charge will be applied. Salt Water Connection.com will not be held responsible for any/all shipping delays that may occur from time to time.
•Special order & sale items are not returnable under any circumstances.
•Order cancellations may also be subject to a 15% restocking charge

[tkeracer619]

No, He asked to return a used skimmer. They aren't going to do that. Its 2 months old. There is no telling that they saw the thread. The email says Jayson was out of town. I am pretty sure that spite has nothing to do with it.

Did the op try the KY or silicone lube? It seals with an oring and it will seal better with some lube. From the OPs reaction I seriously doubt he tried it. It is a tight fit especially when new. If the oring is binding then chances are the oring has been damage or its just not sealing right. Either way, why change the whole skimmer? Change the oring. He asked to return the skimmer. They said no.

Customer service is important. I agree on that. Maybe I missed it but I didn't see anything about KY in those emails or complaining about the neck leaking.

In the OPs emails he says it doesn't work well and that he wants to return it. Thats about it. They make skimmers not crystal balls.

Whats wrong with the return policy? Seems fair to me. Don't rent something from SWC but seems like a standard disclaimer/return policy.