Hey guys!
First post here on Canreef! Was hoping it would have been more of a pleasant 'hello' thread, but nonetheless, I'll keep the hello short and customer service my main focus here.
First off, thank you for purchasing the PLS 100, it is a great skimmer for the small footprint, and it skims great.
It looks like you are having problems with:
1) Algae in the skimmer body, and difficult to clean
2) Fragile drain spout
3) Tuning of the skimmer after cleaning
4) Body of the skimmer and base losing it's tight fit
5) Tension lock issues
6) Horrible customer service (but NOT the worst)
Okay, here we go!
1) A tube brush would do the trick, just make sure it's long enough. I think amazon sells them for 1.50$ - 10$ for a set of different sizes.This will allow you to get in between the body and the bubble plate. I guess your other option is to get an ATO and put the skimmer in the first chamber, away from your fuge light. Or you could run biopellets to remove those pesky phosphates (and nitrates).. I could shamelessly put a plug on our biopellet reactors, but that's not the purpose here... oh wait, did I just do that? Moving on..
2) I don't want to mention that this is a unique situation, but to me it does seem unique as I've done quite a few shows with all the skimmers, and the silicone tube on the drain spout is on really tight.. I have to yank on it pretty hard to get it off, but have never broken one before..
3) When you do a complete clean of the inside of the skimmer, you are essentially removing the bio-film in the skimmer body; the bio-film aids in giving that consistency in skimming. After cleaning, start by setting the water level at a lower level (below the base of the cup), and check on it once in a while. It will take a day or a few, depending on how much you cleaned the skimmer and your bio-load, for the bio-film to build back up.
4) Over time, you will notice that it is easier to turn, as it is fully broken in. We have heard feedback that as a result, the body will turn on it's own due to vibrations in the sump. That is why we have created this tension lock, which slips onto where the two "plates" meet, so a) it doesn't vibrate and lose it's setting, and b) it doesn't float off the base, if the skimmer is in a higher range of the suggested water level.
5) The pipeless skimmer design is not like any conventional skimmer with an external control, since the water level is adjusted by turning the body. As a result, you get a super small footprint skimmer with a 100G skimming capacity. The only compromise is that you will have to slip this tiny tension lock on the base and body of the skimmer. To use it to it's best, do not tighten the lock super tight, as this will offset the body of the skimmer. You only need to tighten it so that it provides enough friction for the body to not turn due to vibrations. Unfortunately though, you will need to get your hands wet every time you want to clean the skimmer. The great thing about the tension lock is that once you have it set to the proper fit, you need only to slip it on and slip it off. Maybe a pair of rubber gloves will keep your hands dry, but if you are cleaning the skimmer, I guess wet hands can't really be avoided.
6) Yes, CAD Lights is aware of the customer service gaps. As a rep, I am deeply apologetic for this. However, CAD Lights has hired myself and a few other individuals to increase the customer service from now on, so if you have any questions, please contact:
service.canada@cadlights.com
Glad to hear that our customer service is not worst, so we have a glimmer of hope! We will try our best to turn that around.
Cheers all, and look forward to helping you all out.