Turboflotor T1000 Skimmer issue

[ctkecth]

I am in the process of setting up a 90 gallon. Presently I have a 30 gallon sump and a new Turboflotor T1000 with OR2700 pump. I was testing the skimmer last night and filled the area of the sump where the skimmer is located. It did not pull any water in when I pluged it in. I filled the skimmer tube with water and it started to pulll water in but it never filled enough to have water return to the sump- there was no circulation. This might not be clear, but if you know what I am talking about , can you offer any help?

 

[tx reef]

Pictures?

 

[ctkecth]

I am currently at work, but may get some on line tonight.

 

[gsxr1100]

is your pump correctly installed (aka is wheeel correct).

 

[ctkecth]

Yes, the OR2700 came with wheel installed.

 

[geridoc]

Is the OR2700 completely submerged? It sounds like it is pulling air instead of water.

 

[ctkecth]

Yes the pump is completely submerged. Do you think it has anything to do with the level of water in this section of my sump? I have a plexi-glass divider with an overflow cut at almost the top. My tank is reef ready and I have the tank emptying into the sump directly. Do I have to have the tank empty directly into the skimmer. The directions say "no"- I think. They are not the best directions.

 

[gsxr1100]

I had my pump in a small pump. Down about 8 inches of water. The OR2700 should fill the skimmer in like 5 seconds. Is the wheel installed correctly? Did you try the pump alone (in a bucket)?

 

[geridoc]

I have the SL1000, but I think ours are very similar. The output tube from the pump has to be as short as possible. I have about 6" water in my sump (actually in my w/d filter), and have cut the tube down so that the pump is just barely under water. At that, it barely puts enough water into the skimmer, and I have the outlet taps turned down to minimal flow to produce skimate. Does the pump put out water when it is not connected to the skimmer? Maybe the pump is defective. btw: CPR has a tech support chat on their website, and they seem to be pretty helpful.

 

[ctkecth]

I have run it in the sump, not connected to the skimmer itself and it works just fine.

 

[ctkecth]

:notsure: I spent last night just fiddling with the skimmer trying to come to some conclusion. I will try to do this with words as the option of taking a picture is not an option. So:
There is the water intake outside of the skimmer body. This leads to the Or2500 pump, then it returns to the skimmer body. Now here is the curious thing. The tube that has the water intake hole goes through into the skimmer body so the pump is drawing water from the skimmer as fast as it is filling it up. Is this defective? Is this the way it should be. My current skimmer is a hang on skimmer and I see how the thing works. I thought I knew how this one worked but it does not make much sense to me. Help! :notsure:

 

[geridoc]

OK, I think I may have it. Your skimmer works differently from my SL1000. The OR2700 does draw water from the skimmer reaction chamber, injects air bubbles into it and then reinjects the water back into the skimmer. So you are right, the pump is injecting water as it draws it. So, where does the water come from for this to happen? There is another water inlet that is fed either by another pump or by water from your overflow. This is from the online instructions:
1.Begin by starting the water flow through the unit. Adjust
the flow until the water rises to just below the top of the
skimmer body (The outlet tubes should be 3⁄4 full).
2.Start the skimmer pump (OR3700 or Rio 1700/2100).
Note that you start aerated water flow first, and when the flow rate is right, then you turn on the OR2700. That is a little different from the SL1000 that I have. It sounds to me as if you have not set up the water inflow properly, and are expecting the OR to do that, but it won't.

 

[ctkecth]

Thanks for the help. i spoke with Aquamedic today and they told me that I need to use a small power head since I am not running a line directly from my tank. He said that the pump's (OR2500) function is to circulate water and create the bubbles needed for skimming, that I need more gph water flow. A small power head should do the trick. I have a few lying around and will give it a shot. Thanks again. This board is great but sometimes it is just better to get it from the source!

 

[gsxr1100]

weird, My came with the OR2500, until it broke. Then I ran a 2700 on it until I sold it for a AquaC skimmer. Not for anything but some day look to upgrade. I had the mutli and it work but ouput was ok. Just some FYI.