Any idea why my skimmer is losing its prime?

[Adam Reynolds]

Hey all,

I have an Octopus 800s HOB for about 4 months now and it was working great.
Now, all of a sudden, it seems to be losing its prime!
The intake chamber water level will slowly lower over 18 to 24 hours to the point the pump intake will start sucking air.
What I did notice preceding this issue is the output chamber water lever started to fluctuate higher and then back to normal levels... this may be one in the same issue though.

Actually this brings up another point... what is the proper water lever for the output chamber? Reason I ask is that the level does not fully submerge the outtake pipe, leaving about 10% exposed to the air so as the water flows back into tank, it is drawing some air with it causing some bubbles in tank... it has been like this from setup and I assumed this was a design flaw as I Googled the skimmer and they appear all have a small 'bubbles in the tank' issue.

Any troubleshooting tips and advice and or experience would be greatly appreciated as I am now getting the point where I am too worried to leave it unattended for fear of burning pump out.

[asmujica]

It probably needs a good cleaning. Take it out, scrub it, run it in a water/vinegar combo for 24hours to remove all the calcium build up and it should be working like a champ again.

[Adam Reynolds]

Hmmm....
I am going to unhook it tomorrow and give it a good cleaning, I clean the cup every other day but as of yet have not done a tear down on the unit as the pump circulation is so bloody strong, there is no detrius buildup in the chambers. Forgot about calcium buildup tho!
Thx!

I also think that my overflow is catching and collecting bubbles and they are getting drawn in on by one and causing loss of prime...

[Adam Reynolds]

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