Jump to content
Premium Aquatics Aquarium Supplies

gen pls-100 issues


bdevillier19

Recommended Posts

bdevillier19

I purchased a used pls-100 for an amazing price here on NR. I currently have the skimmer running in my 10 gallon sump under my 20 long. It is running in 8" of water and is doing well. The problem I am having is that the height in which I set the bubbles seems to be changing. It has been overflowing the cup and I haven't seen why till this morning. Last night I cleaned the cup and set the level to where the cup attached to the body. I let it run that way for a couple hours and noticed the foam was about 1" up into the neck of the cup. Which seemed to be about right. This morning I checked it again and the bubble level had gone up and now the foam was even with the top of the neck inside the cup. So probably a 2-3" increase. I know the recommended level is 6" of water but with my current setup it is not possible. When I build my larger tank there will be more room to allow for water level adjustment. Is there a reason this skimmer keeps raising the bubble level over the course of a day? Thanks

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Nanofreak79

My PLS-50 does the same thing. I have yet to understand why, or be able to fix the issue. Cadlights did offer for me to ship my skimmer to them, unfortunalty today I dropped it and broke the bracket.....no more skimmer.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

That sucks. It seems like i have to keep lowering the bubble level just to keep this thing set where I want it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Nanofreak79

I was constantly fiddling with mine. Either the bubbles were to low or they were like yours, perfect until you look at it a day later and bubbles are way up the neck again. Cad said it could be an alignment issuse? It might be worth you wild to send them a message. No offense to cad, but I won't be ordering another. Not for $110.00 anyway. I'm trying to find a good skimmer with a small footprint and one that uses a lower water level.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

I just took my skimmer apart and found that the airline had some salt buildup in it. I had noticed that there was a lot less air in the chamber than what I remembered so I took the silencer and air line off and cleaned them. Its foaming better and is quieter. I also noticed that the water level was creeping up with the skimmer adjusted wide open, combined with the lack of air in the chamber made me check the hose. Glad I did. Maybe that's all it needed.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
bdevillier19

Check yours out. I remember reading a post on reefbuilders that talked about one of the most neglected parts of a skimmer is the airline and silencer.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

well its been 10 hours since i have last touched the skimmer and so far the bubble level has remained the same. the amount of air in the chamber is still looking good, and its not skimming overly wet like it was before. i'll post back in the morning to tell whether or not it changes over night.

Link to comment
Nanofreak79

I dropped and broke mine today. The arm and bracket broke into pieces. I guess it was meant to be. Lmao!

Link to comment
bdevillier19

Well I guess the adjustment issues are irrelevant now. Sorry to hear about your mishap. On the positive side of things, my skimmer is still going strong and has not changed its level yet.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Nanofreak79

Cad contacted me and is going to repair the skimmer for me! They will also make any adjustments to the skimmer, since it hasn't worked properly since I've had it. Great company, taking care of there customers.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
bdevillier19

That's good to hear. Unfortunately my skimmers level crept up by about 1/2 in the last half of the day so after I cleaned it I re-adjusted it again. I hope this isn't a regular thing or I might have to go with the curve 5 like I originally planned.

Link to comment
Cad contacted me and is going to repair the skimmer for me! They will also make any adjustments to the skimmer, since it hasn't worked properly since I've had it. Great company, taking care of there customers.

 

That's awesome, they contacted you about it after reading this?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
bdevillier19

ok so my skimmer still continues to change its water level over the course of 2-3 days. is anyone else having this problem? any suggestions on how to fix it?

Link to comment

Hey Bdevillier

 

Do you have it currently still at the 8" of water level? Lowering the level to 6" works better as you utilize more of the reaction chamber. To give you more consistent skimming.

 

 

Link to comment
bdevillier19

I do have it at 8". With the design of my stand and sump I don't have enough room in the stand to go up 2 more inches. I guess I will live with it till I get my bigger tank finished and then I'll have all the room I need.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

So for the past few days my skimmer has been holding strong and steady. This morning all was well but when I got back from work I checked the skimmer and found the foam level had dropped by an inch. I'm baffled. I also fail to see how 6" of water or 8" of water is going to cause a change in foam level. Once its set it shouldn't change as the water level in the skimmer chamber of my sump never changes. Am I the only one having this problem?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Nanofreak79
That's awesome, they contacted you about it after reading this?

 

Yep! Pm'd me. Asked me to send it in, and they would fix any issues along with my broken bracket.

Link to comment

Hi, Bdevillier

 

The slight changes in foam level inside the skimmer is usually caused by the density or waste load that is in the water. typically it rises higher when it is denser (dirtier or higher DOCs dissolved Organic Compounds) and then lowers a bit to more depending on how less dense (less DOCs) that's in the water.

 

The higher the water level, the less of the reaction chamber is being utilized. so at the 6", around 90% of the reaction chamber is being utilized and skims stronger with a higher dwell time. at 8" is not too much, but reduces some of the reaction time.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

makes sense, however, what causes the foam to drop over an inch in 12 hours? nothing in my tank changed. salinity, bio load, feeding schedule are all consistant. it seems to me like the tension locks arent staying and allowing it to rotate slightly?

  • Like 1
Link to comment

usually when the level in the collection tube drops it means it has pushed the waste out into the collection cup. no it shouldn't be the tension locks, they clamp on pretty securely.

 

skimmers produce fine micro bubbles which are incredibly sensitive to anything that is not pure water such as organic waste. foam rises as it collects waste and it drops down after the waste is removed.

Link to comment
bdevillier19

thanks for the reply. things have been going pretty well and the skimmer has been making some funky gunk. i did have one problem today. while removing the cup to empty the skimmer, i twisted the cup and in the process managed to break off the drain tube on the cup. it snapped off flush to the bottom of the cup but fortunately i was able to take the black plug from the drain hose and press it into the broken tube but now i need to either buy a new cup or use some weldon and put it back together. how much is a cup for the pls-100?

Link to comment

thanks for the reply. things have been going pretty well and the skimmer has been making some funky gunk. i did have one problem today. while removing the cup to empty the skimmer, i twisted the cup and in the process managed to break off the drain tube on the cup. it snapped off flush to the bottom of the cup but fortunately i was able to take the black plug from the drain hose and press it into the broken tube but now i need to either buy a new cup or use some weldon and put it back together. how much is a cup for the pls-100?

 

i had the same problem. i just super glued it back into place and made sure i had glue on the whole seem and it seems to work just fine with no leaks

  • Like 1
Link to comment
bdevillier19

Kinda what I'm thinking. Don't really want to spend the money on a new cup if I don't have to.

Link to comment

Hi Bdevillier19

 

No problem, there are basically 2 solutions. you can use any body weld-on such as #16 or up to 40 depends on drying time for the strongest seal. or super glue will be ok too. the other solution is that we have replacement PLS-100 collection cups. they are $45 each.

 

Thanks so much

Scott

Link to comment
  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...