Disaster strikes

[paul b]

OMG, what am I going to do? I am beside myself.

(a few minutes ago I was two feet to the right)

 

I was designing a new venturi valve for my home made 5' skimmer which is, I don't really know, maybe 15 years old, and you know how those large vinyl hoses get in that time. Nice and brittle. Anyway, the entire bulkhead fitting where the venturi screws into, cracked and came out. Luckily, I drained the skimmer before I did this because I knew I would have trouble with it.

I am sure all of those years of injecting ozone into it did not help.

Now there is a large hole in the side of the skimmer and I am sure water would not want to stay in the thing I can live for a few days (or forever) without the skimmer but it also feeds my algae trough which I really want to keep working.

This seems like a good time to clean the skimmer being I can hardly see through it anymore. I am soaking it in bleach now then it will be vinegar.

I had to install a temporary pump to feed the algae trough.

The skimmer bracket where it is bolted to the back of the tank is also very rusty and needs replacement so I can do that also.

Sometime you need to have an accident to get time to maintain these things.

After I get the thing back together and cleaned I still want to design a new venturi valve. The thing works pretty good but there is always room for improvement.

Have a great day

Paul

 

You can see the bulkhead here with the blue on it and the air hose stuck into the venturi

 

 

[paul b]

I guess I will replace this bracket that holds the weight of the skimmer and that rusty leg.

 

[lanman]

Good to see this. As some of my systems start reaching 3-4 years old, I have begun to wonder about longer-term maintenance. My shiny new sump has detritus in the bottom now, and a few aiptasia, and lots of sponges growing on the sides. I noticed some rather large buildups of salt creep on the back rim near the overflow - the overflow itself was half-clogged with valonia (cleaned that out today). Next bulb change will include a couple of reflectors that have been eaten a bit by salt.

 

I decided today was 'pump day'. Had 4 'broken' pumps soaking in vinegar. Got three of them going, and need an impeller for the other. Removed my twin Eheim 1262 return pumps today to check and clean them; and after 3 years, they are still in great shape. Parts of the stand and canopy could use some varnish, the doors stick, and everything got a nice salt-water shower today when I pulled the return apart above the check valve instead of below it... which reminded me that I never did put in an emeregency siphon stop, in case the check valve quits AND the power goes out when I'm not around to see it. The list goes on and on.... Fortunately, I am planning to retire this summer; maybe I'll have time to keep things neat and shiny!

 

Good luck on your repair/refurbishment!!

 

bob

[flowerseller]

I'm always amazed at the maintenance that is required after long term use. Even if you keep up with it, it still gets to a point after multiple years where you just have to brak something down and fix it up.

Some of my system has been undisturbed and inuse for 10+ years when we moved to McLean. My down draft skimmer has been on it's shelf since the day we moved it here in '98 with only the riser column and collection cup cleaned each week or two. It's due to come off and be cleaned out next rainy day.

Many folks can't wrap themselves around this as a majority are in and out of the hobby in a few years before having it happen.

[paul b]

Everything needs maintenance but I have never had to take the skimmer off line for anything major or even a cleaning. I designed it so the reaction tube at the top easily comes off and I use it with ozone so it never gets anything growing in it.

But the bracket holding it's weight is gone.

 

The pump that feeds water to the venturi I am not even going to open to see what it looks like. If you open a pump that has been running for 15 or 20 years with no problems, you are asking for trouble. It is going back in the same place and I hope it doesen't even notice that I removed it.

Edited April 25, 2010 by paul b

[paul b]

I got the thing back together and bolted to the stand, I got it running and found out why the bottom bracket rusted so bad. There is a slight leak, more like a seepage on one of the lower fittings. It was probably leaking for years. So of course I had to un bolt the thing, dis connect the 7 hoses, take it to my workshop and fix the leak.

Now I am waiting for the sealer to dry. I think I will test it before I put it back on the tank like I should have done in the first place.

The good news is that the new venturi valve works better than the old one but more bad news is that one of my MH lights that I did not touch, does not go on. So I have another "fun" thing to fix

[paul b]

What a bargain, the ballast was only $85.00.

So now the lights and skimmer are working. I am not going to touch anything for a while