So far I am not impressed with my new MSX200 skimmer

[veni vidi vici]

Originally Posted by kpatrick
http:///forum/post/2981822
I have raised the water level in the skimmer. It is now at the taper line in the body. I will give it a couple days but right now I am not getting much foam, just a lot of bubbles right below the collection cup line and neck. Nothing is even getting close to the collection cup yet.
Dont be afraid to close the valve a bit more just do it in small increments and give some time between adjustments until you find the sweet spot.

 

[kpatrick]

I have been adjusting it for awhile now and the issue I have seen is when I slowly close it, the bubble level will rise in the neck of the skimmer and even up into the collection cup but I never get a nice dry foam, just the wet bubbles. Just doesnt seem like it wants to produce foam, just the fast bubbling.

I will give it a couple days to see what happens but could it be the pump isnt working correctly or not enough air going through the airline?

 

[joncat24]

You need to set it and leave it alone, if you are putting your hands in the tank alot , the oils on your skin will kill the foam and cause it to be more like a fizz instead. Just set the level and leave it for a while and it will foam for you.

 

[xbenx92713]

i have a msx 200, just recieve it 3 days ago and its already producing thick dark green skimmate. however its not producing much. of what it is is very nasty. i have my skimmer in 9" of water and the water line right at where the skimmer starts to cone. are you using the mesh wheel or the pinwheel? sometimes the mesh isnt cut or shifts and it will rub on the inside of the pump causing it to not be as productive.

 

[jetskiking]

Just for the fun of it try and set something under the skimmer to raise it up higher. Not sure it will do anything and you may have tried this. It looks like its sitting pretty deep to me. The T for the outlet pipe needs to be completely out of the water.

 

[kpatrick]

I am going to make a stand using eggcrate to raise the skimmer 2 or 3 inches in the sump. I plan on doing it today so I will let you know if it helps. thx!

 

[kpatrick]

The eggcrate stand is complete and the skimmer is back in the sump. The current water level is at 8" in the sump. The water level inside the skimmer is right at the neck line. Lets cross our fingers and see if this makes any difference. Overall the skimmer was raised about 2.5 inches.

 

[kpatrick]

Well I do have to say that the water level made a difference. It was creating nice foam last night but when I went to check to see how full the collection cup was today, the Sicce pump was just making noise but not creating any water movement. I tried starting and stopping it a few times with no luck. As luck would go, this thing has been sitting around for 9 months and there is only a 6 month warranty on the pump. Is there another type of pump that would work on the MSX 200? Hate to buy another Sicce pump if the first one didnt make if very long considering its been sitting unused for for the majority of the 9 months I have had it which doesnt say much about their quality.

 

[kpatrick]

Update,
The water level has been at 8" for a little over a week now and that has fixed the issue with the skimming problems. I am getting nice foam and dark green gunk in the collection cup. The Sicce pump has stopped working a couple times but after plugging/unplugging it a few times it does start up again. Still not convinced on the quality of the pump but overall I will say this does seem to be a good skimmer once you properly set it up. I admit to some user error on my part!!

 

[jetskiking]

Glad to see its working better. Not sure what to tell you on the pump. Mine dosn't do that. Does the pump completely quit or does it just not pull air? sometimes my airline will backsiphon some water after a power outage and it will take a minute to clear it and start pulling air again.

 

[kpatrick]

When it happens, there is no water or air flow in the skimmer but you can hear the pump still trying to run. No rattling, just humming.
I can unplug it and them plug it right back in and somethimes it will work the first time other times it may take 5 to 6 tries which cant be good on the pump.