Skimmer is killing me!

[dela]

I keep having to adjust my (coralife superskimmer clone) skimmer because the air intake tube keeps getting cloged. I'm using a needle wheel GenX pump to run the skimmer. It seems to be salt deposits that clog the GenX tube and/or the airline tubing. It takes about a month for the tube to close up all together. Does anyone else have this problem? Is this common with skimmers?

Short of buying a new skimmer or pump, any suggestions on how to deal with this? I was going to try letting the skimmer tube suck some fresh water every day, but that sounds like a hassle...

Almost like I need some kind of reef safe salt creep inhibitor.

My other plan is to try and drill out the plastic tube and see if I can make the inside diameter a little larger. The only problem is that I will likely break the fitting!

[landlord]

Here is how my skimmer is designed. The air intake is connected to the upper portion of the collection cup. That way the air taken in is "humid". This in turn "self-cleans" as it intakes air. Whatever the case, I have not had the issue with salt clog in my intakes since switching from my Del-Tec Turbo to this skimmer.

FWIW --landlord

[Pmolan]

I have similar issues. I take a cup of vinegar and put the hose in the cup. The venturi will suck the vinegar through the air intake in clean it. Dont use too much, your pH will drop.

[NealNano]

I have a super skimmer a real one. This is common problem with all venturi skimmers. I need to remove salt/calcium build up at least every 2 weeks. Dont worry this is normal and is a part of skimmer maintance.

[Nanook]

Originally posted by landlord
Here is how my skimmer is designed. The air intake is connected to the upper portion of the collection cup. That way the air taken in is "humid". This in turn "self-cleans" as it intakes air. Whatever the case, I have not had the issue with salt clog in my intakes since switching from my Del-Tec Turbo to this skimmer.

FWIW --landlord

This is a similar design to the Lifereef skimmers...the venturi and tubing never clog on them dt the moisture as well. I think you will just have to clean it or tap it into your collection cup.

[landlord]

Good call. It is a Lifereef! See signature I pretty much took out a loan with Lifereef

[spanglish]

All you need to do is take an "eye dropper" or syringe and
squirt a few mls of rodi into the air intake on your skimmer
air hose. This will clear salt creep/buildup. Sometimes mine
will go a couple of months without blockage, sometimes it's
once a week.

I just squirt as needed and no worries.

[hyperfocal]

I must be missing something... How is salt-creep getting to the intake? Are you shutting your skimmer down a lot?

[Frick-n-Frags]

^salt water backs up into the venturi and dries leaving the salt.

I just run a quick styrofoam cup of hot tapwater and let the skimmer airline suck that down. heh, cool how fast that thing can "drink" a glass of water

[hyperfocal]

Ok, still missing the boat here. How often does that really happen? I run my skimmer 24x7; the only time water enters the venturi intake is when I break the skimmer down for cleaning -- maybe every 3 months or so. At that rate it'd take decades to clog up with salt

Not trying to be a pain here, just curious. I'm starting to get that nagging feeling that I'm being really dense :O

[Pmolan]

Water is pumped through a tube. In the tube there is a venturi valve. Air mixes with water at this point. Where there are bubbles, there are splashes. Inside the venturi, where the air is, these little splashes leave salt deposits.
By the way, I like that avatar.

[hyperfocal]

Ahhhhhhh! I got'cha! The salt build up is *in* the venturi. I thought the build-up was at the entry to the tubing feeding air to the venturi. Nagging feeling confirmed

re: avatar -- thanks, shrimp/goby pairs are the coolest thing. Just the other day the shrimp comes out of the burrow with a nassarius snail in it's claw. It tosses the snail out. The goby comes out, grabs the snail in it's mouth and takes it back into the burrow. The shrimp grabs it again, and tosses it out. The goby grabs it *again* and takes it deep into the burrow. I've no idea if the shrimp grabbed the snail and tossed it out the back side of the burrow or not, but it wouldn't surprise me... they're like an old married couple

[dela]

Thanks guys. I'll try the humid air mod first. Anything to reduce tedious maintenance is worth doing IMO.

As far as turning off the pump, I switch the skimmer and return pump together so they are either both on or both off. That means that water does make it's way up the skimmer airline every time I shut off power to feed the tank. Have to do this in order to keep the in-sump skimmer from overflowing due to the increased water level in the sump during feeding time.

Mark