Problem with Geo Skimmer

[Katspaw]

I have Geo's beckett sytle skimmer. It has worked very well for the past couple of years, but the other day it started shooting water out the air intake tube. I have taken the thing completely apart and cleaned it, only to have the same problem on start up ( water out the intake) Did I miss something in cleaning, or could there be something else failling that I haven't figured out yet.

Tracey

[Chuck S]

You have water coming out the beckett vavle? The pump pressure should make air suck through there and join the water column.

I have an Aqua-C and mine works on the downdraft principle like the ETS etc. One thing to check for is to make sure you open your outflow valve all the way. If water flow is restricted and the skimmer has no place else to put it then the water level will rise and flow out where it can. I had this problem on mine when my gate valve malfunctioned on the outlet.

[Katspaw]

This has been set up this way for two years without any problems, just regular maintainance to skimmer and pump. I have a gatevalve on the exhaust and the water is flowing out of it. The air intake valve stars pushing wateer out before the skimmer is filled with water. I think I will change the pump and see if that helps. I am thinking that the pump may not be producing the same head that it use to.

Tracey

[Katspaw]

Well I clean the pump really well with still the same problem, and then replaced it with a like kind pump I had as a spare. the skimmer still shoots water out the air intake. I am at a loss as to what could be failing on this skimmer and I am seeing some of the red slime on the sand bed. Will be doing a 35 gallon water change today and another one day after tomorrow. I don't have time to figure out what is causing this one to fail. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Looks like I will be spending about $500.00 on an Aqua-C for my size tank>> not counting the pump. Anybody know a ecomonical place to get this skimmer??

Tracey

[Chuck S]

Could be a problem with the Beckett Valve itself. May be cheaper to investigate this route

[Katspaw]

Problem solved, The beckett valve had five baby snails wedged in it. High pressured air shot through it cleared them out. And thankifully it is working now and skimming away. The snails were deep enough not to be see with a light. But when I told my husband how much a replacement skimmer was going to cost, He got involved in the cleaning.

Tracey

[Mash]

Hey Tracey

Just saw your post I may be able to help out. I have an old style Aqua -c skimmer. I was running on my large tank with about 200 gallons of water. Still in good shape I just upgraded to a large new skimmer since I am building a large refugium/prop tank that will significantly increase the system. I also have a Berlin skimmer lying around as well but I don't like it personally the pump keeps clogging with calcium and requires constant cleaning.

Let me send you some picture tonight when I get home from work. I could be talked into handing it over for frags. The hurricane this year did a ton of damage to my tank and I am trying to restock allot of SPS.

Later
Brian.

[Chuck S]

Yep good to see you got it figured out Tracey. Figured it had to be in the valve itself. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Katspaw]

Brian,
I am always up for trades, although I got my skimmer up and working, I would interested in other things. Kind of made me vedry happy to do so as George built this one to my system for me a few years back. It has always worked well. I get clogged up equipment more from snail babies then anything else. By the by, vimegar works wonders on calcium deposits. This is done outside of the tank of course and rinsed before placing back in. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Tracey

[Chuck S]

Yeah I just cleaned some baby snails out of my Aqua-C that was hindering performance.

[Mash]

Glad to here you got it fixed guess we where typing up or posts at almost the exact time. Yea the new skimmer I picked up was expensive and know the feeling since I debated it for a while. Well no much to trade these days sadly the hurricane wiped out about 70% my corals. Been meaning to get up to Chuck’s some time and pick up some frags. Some of the stuff I lost I had traded with him or were frags originally from his tanks. Lost a bunch of other stuff I had after I had traded him stuff. I am ready for the next hurricane or several daylong black since I picked up a generator.

I have maybe 10 different corals that I could break some small frags off but nothing rare. If you like I can get you some picks and a put together a list of what I still have?

[Katspaw]

Sure, I don't have many rare corals anymore after a very trying summer of being away from the tank and it's care takers didn't do as well a good and then we got hit with the power outage here in August. Power came back after twelve hours but the surge took out my main return pump and I was down in VA beach at the time. Sitters took care of the circulation 16 hours later. But I am sure we can get something going as I have pretty stocked tank.