Anyone with an Octopus Skimmer & Needle Wheel - Please help

[GinaD]

Something's not right with the skimmer. Did I set it up wrong? The pump is not pulling enough air to make enough bubbles..The entire skimmer fills up with water up to the neck, and not near enough bubbles. I checked the air line and it's not kinked or anything.
Please check this out and tell me what you think.
TIA!

 

[chew*]

If i had to guess the water level in the sump is to high, Try propping the skimmer on top of something in the sump or raise it anyway possible so that the skimmer return is not submerged.

I'm not familiar with that skimmer however its my understanding that the airline should be on the pumping side and not the suction side which may be causing the pump to suck air cutting its output in half.

I think your problem may be a combination of the 2.

 

[skatezen]

How many inches of water is it sitting in? It may need to be raised up. Mine fired right up no problem.

 

[delta]

Did you try raising it a bit to see if that helped? I am not sure what the max water depth is but may be a factor?

Otherwise I would look for debris clogging the venturi hole on the pump intake

 

[TomD]

I don't know if it would help where it looks new but on my Octo salt gets in the silencer hole and this happens.

 

[GinaD]

It's brand new - just out of the box.
I'll try raising it a bit. However, the water looks high right now because I had to shut off all the pumps and the tank water drained down into the sump. But before that happened, the water was much lower and I was still getting the same rate of bubbles.
Ok, here I go to try and raise it..

 

[GinaD]

No change.

 

[delta]

Maybe some packing got stuck?

 

[maxfischer]

its the air intake, take the end of the pump(intake side) and look if anything is blocked. Some of them do not have a air hole due to the washers, you may have to cut or drill the washers to get the hole to work

 

[GinaD]

Well, I took the pump all apart, there was no debris or anything blocking the air. Now I'm baffled.
Maybe what I have is the correct amount of bubbles for this thing?
Sure doesn't look like it compared to my backpack skimmer and Berlin Airlift skimmer.

 

[TomD]

If they still look like they do in that picture, it is not right Gina. The skimmer is new?

Maybe a stupid question but did you put any water in it when you started it?

 

[Behrmon]

Maybe what I have is the correct amount of bubbles for this thing?

Doubt it, I have an older Octo 130 and the entire chamber is a bubble column. What size pump?? Did it come paired w/ the skimmer??

 

[GinaD]

Yes, it came with the skimmer. It was in a white, unmarked box - packaged with the skimmer.

 

[Jim Tansey]

The water level in the skimmer is very high, did you try lowering the riser? There is NO WAY thats all the bubbles that should produce, any chance they shipped you a regular pump and not a needle wheel type? That is basically the same as the ASM and my chamber fills with bubbles.

Jim

 

[GinaD]

If they still look like they do in that picture, it is not right Gina. The skimmer is new?

Maybe a stupid question but did you put any water in it when you started it?

I submerged it in the sump and attached the pump prior to starting it.

 

[GinaD]

The water level in the skimmer is very high, did you try lowering the riser? There is NO WAY thats all the bubbles that should produce, any chance they shipped you a regular pump and not a needle wheel type? That is basically the same as the ASM and my chamber fills with bubbles.

Jim

No I can't adjust the riser. It's siliconed in. See below regarding water level.

It's brand new - just out of the box.
I'll try raising it a bit. However, the water looks high right now because I had to shut off all the pumps and the tank water drained down into the sump. But before that happened, the water was much lower and I was still getting the same rate of bubbles.
Ok, here I go to try and raise it..

 

[Behrmon]

So is there no more adjustable riser tube on the new Octo's? I know on some it's not easy to slide but they do after a little manipulation.

What model Octo is it??

 

[smcnally]

Something is definitely wrong with the venturi. It should be pulling way more air than that. If you pull the hose and the white plastic venturi piece off the pump, and you blow through the hose and the little venturi hole fairly easily? I also agree that the water level in the skimmer body itself is high too. The riser tube should have an adjustment on it. The riser tube is the only way to adjust the skimmer water level unless it has a gate valve.

 

[GinaD]

Ok, the riser was all the way down, but I was able to pull it off and there was a shorter tube underneath.
The level of the water inside the skimmer went way down, but the bubbles did not increase.

 

[maxfischer]

check the pump, it might not have a neddlewheel, i have seen this too