Tunze 9010 not pulling air

[mcliffy2]

I had not hooked my 9010 up in about 10 months, and the other day I pulled it out to put it on a temp frag setup. When I set it up, it was pulling literally no air (water flowing through it though). I disassembled the skimmer and pump and soaked in vinegar, and it pulled a little bit (but not closed to what it used to), then after a week stopped pulling entirely again. Any ideas for what could be wrong?

[rvitko]

I could think of a couple reasons. The air passages may be clogged, remove the pump and remove the blue screw and check for any obvious obstructions, I have seen styrofoam and coral sand as well as salt crust plug these openings. Check that the airline is firmly connected to the pump and the pump nozzle is not broken or damaged. Check that water is not coming out the top nipples under the cup, if so the pipe or sponge may be up to high or inserted too deep and causing water to back up into the air passages.

[mcliffy2]

ok, ill check through these and see if I can get it working.

[mcliffy2]

Roger - sorry for the delayed response. I checked everything and it is still not working. It appears that something has gone wrong with the pump, as the water it pushes through is much much less than it should, and it seems it is not enough to create the venturi. If I place it in a very low water level (i.e. just enough to cover the pump), then I get bubbles, but then they don't make it into the collection cup because the water level is so low. When the water level is higher, I get no bubbles whatsoever.

I have had the skimmer for two years now (ordered May 27, 2007) and I see the warranty is for 24 months. Since I posted the problem within 24 months, is it covered? Thanks.

[rvitko]

It is probably a fairly simple problem, my guess is the drive unit is slipping. Send me the complete pump including the venturi nozzle and I will get it resolved.

Tunze USA
305 Victor St
Austin, TX 78753

[mcliffy2]

Roger - Thanks much, I'll ship it out to you.