Somebody please help me figure out this PM Bullet-1 skimmer!

[Delphinus]

Ok, so I've finally been running my PM Bullet-1 for about a week and a half now.

So, what a cool skimmer. Pulls out wicked amounts of foam, but I'm noticing a phenomenon I don't like too much. The instructions say to adjust the output valve, so that the water is about 1/3 up the way of the reaction chamber. Then open the air, and adjust both valves so that the water/air interface maintains steady at about 1/3 up the way of the reaction chamber.

What I find is, the water level steadily drops and drops and eventually is all the way down to the skimmer exit. So after about a couple of days, realistically, the skimmer has shut down. I find if I take the skimmer over to the bathtub and give it a real thorough cleaning and scrubbing, and put it back on, then it's back to the effective skimming again, but only for a couple of days.

Ok, so, cleaning the skimmer like that, is just NOT going to be an option. Forget it! Everytime I do that I scratch the bathtub up a little more. Once a month, I can live with, but not several times per week.

...

So what's the problem here? Why does the water level fluctuate so badly? Do I have a bad pump? Do I need to make my exit pipe come up to the top of the box, so that the water level can stay constant maybe?

Can people who have HSA, bullet, downdraft, etc. type skimmers, PLEASE post some pictures of their setup so I can get some ideas maybe on how to improve my plumbing? I'm at my wit's end!!

(Oh BTW the pump is a Mag12.)

[Canadian Man]

Great minds think alike Tony
Looks like we both have skimmer questions/problems at the same time.
Sorry man Me got's a big venturi skimmer not a silly old beckett :P

So your water level drops and mine overflows

[Acro]

Tony,

Do you have any surge buckets of sort on this system? Also is your effeunt from your skimmer under water? Oh one more how do you top up? As far as evaporation water goes.

[Delphinus]

Hi Jamie,

Top-up is via float valve and a bucket; skimmer effluent is just above the water surface (water has to falls about 2-3"); and no surge buckets on this system at the moment.

The thing that has me a bit confused is the little pipe thing that I use to drain the skimmer. I bought the skimmer used; so it has some kind of exit pipe that's non-standard Precision Marine (the larger models come with a gate valve; but for the bullet-1 you're on your own, apparently). I'll snap a picture of the sump and you can see how I've got it (it's probably wrong ops: )

Stay tuned for the picture ....

[Canadian]

I'd say make sure you're using a gate valve for the skimmer output. That way you'll get finer control of the flow rate. A ball valve or globe valve would likely clog up a little faster. This may not alleviate your problem, but you really should have a gate valve on that skimmer.

[Delphinus]

Yeah, I've been thinking about that, the ball valve is a real challenge at times to fine-tune.

Anyone know a good supplier of PVC gate valves? I don't have a lot of choice locally; the only gate valves I've been able to find are those gate/knife type valves (like a guillotine ... the handle goes up and down, no fine tuning capability) ... :?

[EmilyB]

You just plug in a Euro-reef...... :P

[Delphinus]

here is the picture

[Troy F]

Tony, tell me the size of gate valve you want and I can get you it if you'd like.

I don't see how fine tuning it will help though. Your set up looks fine to me and I can't see anything wrong with it. You mention that it will hold the water level after you clean it? What happens if you just adjust your valve when it starts dropping? Can you do this?

I clean my skimmer every week at the minimum and it usually takes the evening to fine tune the water level but once set the water level never changes no matter how dirty it gets.

[Delphinus]

Basically for now I just close my valve a little more when I notice the water level has dropped too much. The problem is the ball valve seems to require a fair bit of force to adjust, I end up cranking on it and of course thus end up turning it too much, and it gets to be a game of "whoops way too high now" to "whoops way too low now" just by nudging the ball valve one way or the other.

Once a week to clean it I can live with, I'll have to put a union on the pump hose though because I can't get that hose off the barbs whatsoever! Right now I have to take the hose off the pump and carry the skimmer complete with dripping hose.