Reeftek TS3 Operation

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Hi guys, been having a bit of a problem with my TS3 for a while now and i have tried what i could think of to change it but to no avail. here's my issue:
the skimmer when i first got it (2nd hand) i remember the entire main chamber of the skimmer full white with tiny bubbles, so in effect, skimming the best. lately, for a couple of weeks i've been getting terrible skimming in comparison. The chamber is only half full and even then the bubbles are a bit bigger than i remember, hence being less efficient. At the moment is there is next to nothing in terms of bioload in the tank as i've just re-set up, but that still doesnt excuse the lack of bubbles in the main chamber. i've re-cleaned everything, the pump, stripped it and cleaned it, the chamber and all the pipes themselves, basically got it back to almost new (as new as second hand stuff can be). I do know how to adjust the level in the skimmer ( the black pipe duh!) and i've varied how deep the actual skimmer sits in the water itself. Trying to get it to skim at 100% again to no avail. It has in some cases skimmed at almost 100% for a minute or two after i've moved or changed something and then goes back to normal uselessness. I've made sure the air hose wasnt blocked, i've checked to see if maybe the intake to the pump was blocked. nothing. So now i'm stuck. Besides all the things i've already checked and tried, what do you guys think? Think its possibly just the pump wearing down with use?
 
good point scubaninja, got the exact same thing happening with my TS3. Bubbles only start from about half way up the chamber. although still getting pretty good skimmate..
tagging along for this one.
 
good point scubaninja, got the exact same thing happening with my TS3. Bubbles only start from about half way up the chamber. although still getting pretty good skimmate..
tagging along for this one.


Same here.... but i still get some really black thick skimmate every few day.

how thick is your air pipe going into your skimmer pump ?
are you using the new pin wheel impellors .... they do a much better job in air mixing.
 
Is it something like this where you can see the bubbles only starting where the pump return is in the chamber?

IMG00331-20091207-0751.jpg
 
mine looks like that jurgs.
checked that sentari :)
junz the air pipe is the standard one, i believe there is a mod though that you can increase the diammeter of the pipe and pull in more air but have less head height? I am not syre which impellor the pump has, i always get confused about which is which with them. But if i dont have the pinwheel i guess i could upgrade, but not if there isnt gonna be a noticeable difference as this thing used to skim a lot better in the past
 
Try connecting a pond pump to the air-inlets Scuba! ;) LOL! This MOD REALLY works!

To try and resolve your "issue" - have you tried lifting the skimmer a little higher out of the water?
Another thing - is your inner water level adjuster set at maximum (the outlet pipe?)?
 
Try connecting a pond pump to the air-inlets Scuba! ;) LOL! This MOD REALLY works!

To try and resolve your "issue" - have you tried lifting the skimmer a little higher out of the water?
Another thing - is your inner water level adjuster set at maximum (the outlet pipe?)?
LOL @ the pond pump :p i have fiddled with the water heights to varying levels and found this level 'best' at the current time, no my inner(as in in the chamber?) level isnt quite set at maximum cause then the skimmate i do get is way to watery
 
Not sure if this applies in your case but might be worth checking. On the older Aqua medic skimmers the impeller/wheel used to stick on the magnet part of the impeller and cause it to turn backwards. There is a big diff when it turns the correct way. To fix was a impeller replacement. Not sure if the impellers you have are the solid type or the type where the wheel has play on the magnet bit. About 1/8 turn. If it is the later then check that it does not stick and become solid.

You might also want to try and switch the pumps on and off a few times. each time checking the performance. This sometimes changes the direction the pumps turn. Some stators (pump motor housing) have a flapper that prevents this. Check it is not stuck if it has one.

Hope this helps a little. This is the direction I would be looking in.
 
IMO, I think the impeller magnet could loose some of its strenth over time, but probably maybe something we could only notice after years or something.

You will find most times its some sort of restriction that will cause the pump to loose power, on a skimmer pump its more than likely the venturi or orifice that clogs up.
 
Just wanted to bring this thread back up as I think I may have found a solution. I've been messing around with the skimming of my TS3 in a plastic bin. I started with the water level just above the pump and turned the pump on. I topped the container up with more salt water to bring it back to the level I started with and let the skimmer run. The chamber was COMPLETELY full of white bubbles. So much, that even with the output pipe pushed up to raise the level in the neck of the cup, the bubbles were coming out of the pipe. I let it run like that for a day and then poured a lot more water in and adjusted the output pipe. It skimmed alright for a while but i noticed that the bubble production was drastically lower.

So my thoughts are this: the pump has to pull air in through the hose at atmospheric pressure, which is lower than the pressure at the water intake of the pump(under whatever depth of water it is). So the bernoulli effect creating the low pressure to pull the air down into the pump is weakened, meaning less air pulling through the nozzle. So raising the skimmer(the depth in the water) should help in bubble production(this not taking into account the type/wear of the impeller or any possible things clogging the intake), which I have come to see as a possible solution from these tests.
 
The water level in my skimmer chamber is pretty high. What i've done is connect the skimmers air intake to a piece of airline tube(the one used for airstones), this tube then leads to fresh air outside the sump cabinet. This piece of airline tube(about a metre long) really does the trick, i have to clean out my skimmer cup every 2-3 days, it stinks up the place!!
 
Only took you 3 years, well done. :thumbup:
Well i only got my skimmer back recently so naaaa:tt2:
The water level in my skimmer chamber is pretty high. What i've done is connect the skimmers air intake to a piece of airline tube(the one used for airstones), this tube then leads to fresh air outside the sump cabinet. This piece of airline tube(about a metre long) really does the trick, i have to clean out my skimmer cup every 2-3 days, it stinks up the place!!
By increasing the length of the air inlet, you are increasing the drag on the air inside the tube which reduces efficiency. Your skimmer should skim the same with your skimmer taking air from inside your cabinet using a shorter tube.
 
By increasing the length of the air inlet, you are increasing the drag on the air inside the tube which reduces efficiency. Your skimmer should skim the same with your skimmer taking air from inside your cabinet using a shorter tube.
Tried to increase the diameter of the air inlet.

I got a 20mm pipe on my Aquamedic short. So it can breath easily.
 
can this be done on the TS2 as well?
I believe it can be done on any skimmer.

Where the airline comes out of the venturi, pull it off. Use another similar size pipe 20mm max piece. A 2L cooldrink bottle cap. Drill hole in it to fit that short piece. Use electrical conduit pipe and fit the cap over it. Or use any other suitable cap do work as a female end-cap. Conduit long enough to stick out of the water. It could increase the noise due to having no silencer on it, if sounds like a stuck ventilator. Inside a cabinet that should / could be OK. I got my air intake extended with a 5m flexible hose to outside the room. pulling air from my fishroom.

So only the short 20mm piece can restrict airflow
 
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