matt January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Hey, I have an SC Aquariums 302 skimmer and it's been running since the summer. Every once in a while the sucking sound from the air intake is audible outside my stand. This has always been fleeting, normally going away as quickly as it came without any action from me. However, the other day this got quite a bit louder and has been fairly consistent. I don't suspect anything is wrong with the skimmer, but it's definitely annoying given the tank is in our main living space. I've blown into the intake...I've sucked on it...I've held my finger over it for a little while...the odd things that have worked in the past...but not this time. I did pull the whole skimmer out last week and clean it, but only with RODI water and not any vinegar....which is all I've done for the the body thus far. Any "quick" fixes others use for this type of issue? Is it time to find a thread on a DIY silencer or am I just missing something basic. A bit of vinegar/ro down the air tube maybe?? thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Does it seem like the bubble production still the same? If it is reduced try to clean the venturi out with the vinegar. I would look into doing the DIY silencer regardless, just to cut the noise down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Silencers work great and are easy to make, but you might also try using tubing of a larger diameter to feed air to the skimmer, adapting it to the smaller tubing at the end, by the venturi. This might slow the air velocity down at the end of the tubing which is probably causing the turbulence that you hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 18, 2013 Author Share January 18, 2013 Yeah, bubble production looks fine...same setting for same skim results...just noisy at the moment. But my wife hasn't made a fuss....yet. Anyone got a link handy to a good DIY thread on a silencer? I need to check the diameter on my air hoze, but it's not puny or anything. tom, is it the 2 tube step from diameter to diameter that will help with air turbulence or is it just a function of whatever diameter hoze is being used in general? Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazio92 January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 I run my air intakes outside fire two reasons...1-increase pH (since there is more CO2 in my house than outside) 2- silences the intake completely. -Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 18, 2013 Author Share January 18, 2013 Fazio - yeah, that sounds like a really good idea and it must be nice.I don't have that option though....maybe when I get my 330g one day ;-) Thinking smaller scale for now...it's a 46bow with a 15h sump and isn't even on an outside wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazio92 January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Fazio - yeah, that sounds like a really good idea and it must be nice.I don't have that option though....maybe when I get my 330g one day ;-) Thinking smaller scale for now...it's a 46bow with a 15h sump and isn't even on an outside wall You can do that for any sized system. My intake runs about 30ft until it finally hits an outside wall and goes outside. Its really simple too and can be inconspicuous with clear tubing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 What do you have outside to keep bugs and stuff out of the tube? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazio92 January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 What do you have outside to keep bugs and stuff out of the tube? I made a pvc screw cap, bored out the cap portion which allows for a piece of mesh to filter. I can unscrew the cap, remove the mesh and clean as necessary (every few months...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazio92 January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 I'll take a pic when I get home, hard to really explain it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 18, 2013 Author Share January 18, 2013 Yeah, sounds interesting...please post some pics when you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 I have just put a longer tube on mine. No change in production of bubbles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 18, 2013 Author Share January 18, 2013 rioreef - did you change the diameter of your tube when you lengthened it? how long was it and how long is it? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazio92 January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Here's what mine looks like from outside. All I did was use 1/2" RO tubing, run from the skimmer to the fitting outside (see below) just to ensure I didn't restrict any airflow, since its run ~30ft. Here are pics from outside the house. The white piece is just a 1/2" JohnGuest fitting/threaded coupling. The black circle is just a sealant to ensure I didn't create an entryway for water, bugs, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Anyone got a link handy to a good DIY thread on a silencer? I need to check the diameter on my air hoze, but it's not puny or anything. tom, is it the 2 tube step from diameter to diameter that will help with air turbulence or is it just a function of whatever diameter hoze is being used in general? Thanks guys! Here's a description of a silencer that Dan did a few years ago: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/21145-anyone-have-a-link-to-an-air-line-silencer/#entry185159 The larger hose idea was just something I thought of to reduce the velocity of the air at the open end of the tube since that's probably the source of the noise (the air rushing in across the sharply defined edges of the tubing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 FWIW- I prefer loud skimmers- a clear indicator that they are working. Loud Pipes Save Lives. You might try acoustic foam on the inside of the cabinet. Works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime January 18, 2013 Share January 18, 2013 Loud Pipes Save Lives. got a kick out of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now