DJBoy98 August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 I got the pump and the ATB Purple Pinwheel. The issue is now, how the heck do I install it? The pump comes with a mesh impeller but I can't seem to pull it off the shaft?
Origami August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 This is a video of how to do it on the Sicce pumps that come with my MSX cone: http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/...8&CDpath=10 Maybe it's the same for you?
dandy7200 August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 Pulling the yellow plug off the end of of the impeller with needle nose pliers works pretty well.
DJBoy98 August 5, 2009 Author August 5, 2009 (edited) Awesome! The video is pretty much what I have except mine came with the yellow mesh impeller. I need to switch it out for the purple pin wheel. The only diff I see is that my shaft has 1 more extra red/orange rubber thing but it's not flat like the one in the video. I wonder where it goes. I knew I should of taken a pic of it before I dissembled it! Edited August 5, 2009 by DJBoy98
khalid August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 I was looking at the MSX skimmers and was wondering which performs better on them, the Mesh or the pin wheel impellers?
dandy7200 August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 Awesome! The video is pretty much what I have except mine came with the yellow mesh impeller. I need to switch it out for the purple pin wheel. The only diff I see is that my shaft has 1 more extra red/orange rubber thing but it's not flat like the one in the video. I wonder where it goes.I knew I should of taken a pic of it before I dissembled it! The red boot goes on the bottom of the impeller shaft and holds it in the pump motor block.
Boret August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 Why switch from the mesh impeller to the pinwheel? If he got the purple pinwheel from ATB its supposed to perform as well as the mesh but without the headache of failed start ups, unbalance/noise pumps, and constant maintenance. I have the mesh wheels for both of my sicce 2500 and I still went for the original pin wheel as it performs great.
extreme_tooth_decay August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009 (edited) If he got the purple pinwheel from ATB its supposed to perform as well as the mesh but without the headache of failed start ups, unbalance/noise pumps, and constant maintenance. I have the mesh wheels for both of my sicce 2500 and I still went for the original pin wheel as it performs great. Interesting stuff. I know when I switched from the pin wheel to the mesh wheel on my Sedra 5000, I didn't have any of those issues (I took it apart many months later to clean it, and didn't do a thing because it was clean). I did have a problem with my pin wheel though...some of the pins had broken off. I wonder if there is just a difference between different pump brands, or I just got lucky, or .... Did you use the mesh wheel for a while before switching, and have issues with it yourself? Edited August 5, 2009 by extreme_tooth_decay
DJBoy98 August 22, 2009 Author August 22, 2009 Got the pin wheel to go in now I have another issue. When I first tried it on the the skimmer, it was putting out crazy amount of bubbles. Now it seems it gets barely half it's amount. I see that the pump is push water up the air valve alittle bit. Is that normal? Could that be the cause of it? I looked at the air valve connection and it looks nothing special in that it's just a hole in the intake part.
Origami August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 What do you mean it's pushing water up the "air valve?" Is the pump drawing air through the venturi or not? If it's full of water, then it's not drawing air and you shouldn't see any bubbles. Is the air line kinked or clogged? Is the impeller binding? Is the pinwheel secure so that when the impeller shaft turns, the pinwheel turns? Does the pump run quietly?
dandy7200 August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 Is the pump clicking when you turn it on? There is no air valve on the skimmer or the pump, not sure what you mean. Can you post a video or shoot one to me so I can help?
Boret August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 If it turns in the wrong direction it can do that. Unplug and plug again.
Boret August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 Interesting stuff. I know when I switched from the pin wheel to the mesh wheel on my Sedra 5000, I didn't have any of those issues (I took it apart many months later to clean it, and didn't do a thing because it was clean). I did have a problem with my pin wheel though...some of the pins had broken off. I wonder if there is just a difference between different pump brands, or I just got lucky, or .... Did you use the mesh wheel for a while before switching, and have issues with it yourself? I have tried the mesh wheels recently and they have trouble starting up. It could be a number of things, including the amount of mesh and not being properly balanced. There is very little room in the volute for the mesh so that could be a reason. I don't see a big difference between the pin wheel and the mesh wheel so I will go back to the regular pin wheel. The only change I will consider is putting an Askol pump in there, but for the time being the skimmer is doing great with the 2 sicce pumps.
Sikryd August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 (edited) Got the pin wheel to go in now I have another issue. When I first tried it on the the skimmer, it was putting out crazy amount of bubbles. Now it seems it gets barely half it's amount.I see that the pump is push water up the air valve alittle bit. Is that normal? Could that be the cause of it? I looked at the air valve connection and it looks nothing special in that it's just a hole in the intake part. The mesh works 5x and does about 30cfm with it installed. It sounds like you have something stuck or cocked and it isn't able to spin fast enough to create a good enough suction in the air line. I would take it apart, put the mesh wheel on it (cut with scissors around the edge to get as balanced as you can) and see what happens. I have had mine running for 6 months with no problems or cleaning at all. This includes power outages, unplugging and replugging without a hitch. It just takes 20 min to pull the pump apart and trim the mesh if it is imbalanced and doesn't start up on its own. You can also put your hand over the intake to block the waterflow, hopefully create more suction, and see if it "seats" the impellor. I did this before I spent the 10min it took me to trim the mesh when it wouldn't start up right on its own. Edited August 23, 2009 by Sikryd
DJBoy98 August 23, 2009 Author August 23, 2009 By air intake I'm talking about the airline connection. I see water being pushed up from the pump sometimes. I'm running the ATB Purple Pinwheel and not the mesh. As for noise, I do hear a rattling noise and based on what I have been reading, I think it's running reverse which could explain why there's a reduced amount of bubbles. I'll play with it some more tommorrow.
Origami August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 I figured that you meant air intake when you said air valve, but had to make sure. "Running in reverse" is not the issue. These pumps work regardless of the direction that the impeller turns. The air intake is a simple stub of thick-walled tubing entering the intake side of the pump to make a venturi to pull air. As long as there's strong flow going in (again, regardless of the direction of the pinwheel), it's supposed to draw decent air in. If you're getting water back in the air line, the pump is not creating enough suction. That most likely results from a pinwheel or impeller that's not turning quickly enough. I suspect that, if you're hearing some rattling, that you need to take your pump apart right away to make sure that something's not fragmenting. Check the integrity of the impeller - look for scars, chips, etc. - and check to see that the pinwheel is firmly attached and that it doesn't rotate independently of the rest of the impeller assembly. You should not be hearing a rattling noise.
dandy7200 August 23, 2009 August 23, 2009 Actually the rattling noise has nothing to do with the pump running the right way or not. How deep of water is the skimmer sitting in? Are you using the ATI pump from aquariumspecialty (identified by a rubber thingy glued to the side of the pump)? Are you using the airline tube I sent with skimmer? A video would really help, I know you have camera :P
DJBoy98 August 23, 2009 Author August 23, 2009 Haha I'm lazy but I'll try to get a shot today while I fiddle with it. The water line is about 1" above the intake and right at the bottom of the cone piece of the G2. I'll raise the waterline this time.
DJBoy98 August 23, 2009 Author August 23, 2009 Ok figured it out. Added vinegar like last time and voila, micro bubbles.
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