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02/18/2019, 03:57 PM | #1 |
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BK Supermarin 200 need help/parts
Greetings,
I have owned a SuperMarin 200 for several years (purchased with a 165G Oceanic tank), but have never gotten any use from it. Last time I tried to set it up, it would just continuously overflow. Resorted to using my trusty old Euroreef that just works and works and there is a small bioload.. But this is too nice a piece of equipment (let alone expensive) to just be gathering dust. I believe I may be missing a few parts. 1). The drain for the skimmer collection cup is just open. I used a tied off piece of silicone tubing as a stopper. No big deal to me as I would remove the collection cup to clean. But what is supposed to be here ? Is it just missing or is a piece broken off ? 2) Silicone tubing from the pump is too large to insert into the torque tube. 3) No tube inside torque tube to resonator. These are the things I am not sure about. I have cleaned the pump and it was not very dirty. And apparently the last time I attempted to use the skimmer, The resonator inlay got soaked, did not dry with the resonator closed, and is now partially disintegrating. So I need a new inlay. So the goal is to ID any missing parts, purchase said parts (where), and get this skimmer dialed in and working. Any help is greatly appreciated. Pictures follow. |
02/18/2019, 04:11 PM | #2 |
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This is the replacement connection and fitting for the skimmer cup drain. They should be in stock in our Ft. Myers warehouse.
https://royalexclusiv.com/Spare-Part...arin::293.html As for the tube for the silencer, the clear silicone hose that connects to the pumps nozzle gets routed up through the hole in the wedge pipe and connects to the red pipe nipple in bottom of the silencer shown in picture 2. You need to pinch it to get it in there. Some water will help it slide through. It’s a tight fit so you will need to push/force it through. If you want to purchase new tubing, this is the replacement tubing but I am pretty certain what you have there is correct. You just need to work it through the hole by pinching the tip and forcing it in and use some water to make it slippery. You could open the hole up a little bit by using a drill but there should be no need to do that. It’s just a tight squeeze. https://royalexclusiv.com/Spare-Part...170e93e8726155 As for your overflowing issue, you likely either had the skimmer in too deep of water or didn’t have the nozzle adjusted properly. 8-9” sump depth should work well. From there turn the yellow nozzle in the pumps intake all the way in and count out 1.5 full turns. That would be a starting point to fine tune the pump. Turn the yellow nozzle outwards a little at a time until you find the sweet spot that results in the most dense foam and no overflowing. The more you open it, the more air goes in and less water which should result in a lower level inside the skimmer body. Keep notes on how many turns out you are on the nozzle as that will help you with fine tuning. Once you get close to the sweet spot, a tiny bit of a turn can make a big difference. Taking a sharpie pen and making a line across the nozzle when it’s fully closed will help you know where your adjustments are at. I would suggest using long rubber gloves when making the nozzle adjustments as the oils in your skin will impact the skimmer and you will have to wait hours for the skimmer to stop reacting to the oils and change of surface tension in the water. Using gloves will circumvent that and allow you to see the results of your adjustment much quicker. That said, before you put the skimmer back into operation, I would suggest taking the pump apart and giving it a 10 minute vinegar soak followed by scrubbing the impeller, magnet and take a tooth brush and clean inside the magnet cavity. That way you are starting with a nice clean pump incase there is dried up salt or calcium from the last time it was used.
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Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 Last edited by slief; 02/18/2019 at 04:24 PM. |
02/18/2019, 04:29 PM | #3 |
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slief, thanks for the quick reply and a fellow Floridian !
My pump is clean and I also removed and cleaned the bearing. But is wasn't very dirty so I doubt it was the cause. I will check the water depth in the sump, but I am running at the water level mark made by the previous owner. Some clarification please. The tube from the pump squeezes through the seemingly (to me) too small hole in the torque tube and then bends upwards to the silencer ? If so, I will give it a shot. Seemed to me that the "squeeze" and the bend would restrict airflow, but if that is as designed I will try it. I had used a smaller piece of tubing to "insert" the pump tubing into the torque tube, but it was not connected to the silencer. Could that contribute to the overflowing ? Do you stock the resonator inlay ? Can I substitute with something else ? Thanks. |
02/18/2019, 04:39 PM | #4 | |
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The hose will be tight but it’s shouldn’t really restrict the airflow much if any. If that is the original hose which it likely is, you just need to work it into the hole. The smaller tubing inserted into the large tube as you had it could have restricted airflow enough that you would have had more water going into the skimmer and less air. This can cause the overflow however, that is something you could have tuned out using the nozzle unless the air was really restricted. Either way, you don’t want to use smaller tubing in there and if you had to, you could open the hole in the wedge pipe up slighly but there should be no reason to do so. It’s supposed to be a tight fit. The nozzle is your key to tuning it and between getting the sump depth in the ball park and finding the sweet spot for the nozzle, you should be able to get it working correctly. The only other thing to pay attention to is salt buildup in the venturi port where the silcone hose connects to the pump. Salt buildup in there will cause overflows if the port gets blocked from salt. If you are really concerned about the venturi tubing, you can order new tubing but I can’t guarantee it’s not going to be tight as well since I’m not there to force the existing tubing into the wedge pipe to feel how tight it actually is. I’d roll with what you have. I think it should be fine since it fits the pump correctly. This is the replacement foam inlay for the resonator. I am not sure what you could substitute in it’s place since it’s designed to fit in the properly and have an open center to clear the PVC tube that extends up into from the bottom and the one that extends down from the top. It’s also porous enough to not restrict air intake. Some poeple do remove them completely. The downside to running without it is a bit more noise and some dust getting into the hose and pump. Not a huge deal but if you’re ordering the drain connection for the collection cup, you might as well get the foam inlay too. https://royalexclusiv.com/Spare-Part...nlay::811.html
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Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 |
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02/18/2019, 08:57 PM | #5 |
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Bob,
Are you in the Tampa area? We're in Fort Myers, and if you wanted to come down this way with the unit we could go through it, and figure out what she needs. -Marco
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02/18/2019, 08:59 PM | #6 |
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Logged into with wrong userID. Ooopsies.
Offer stands
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02/19/2019, 09:37 AM | #7 |
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Marco, great offer, thanks. I would love to take you up on it so I will check on the logistics. Not in Tampa though, further up the road. I'll contact you via PM.
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03/16/2019, 12:47 PM | #8 |
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Well trying again, but so far same 'ole, same 'ole.
So I dropped the sump level to just below 7.5 inches. I did route the silicone tube through the torque tube and attach it to the silencer. This does cause a crease in the tubing. Removed the Euroreef. Put in the Bubble King. Waited an hour or so for detritus to settle. I left off the collection cup and turned on the pump to let it overflow the body. The pump being in a different position stirred up more detritus which has now made the entire tank cloudy. Ran the pump for several hours until it looked like there could be the "foam cushion" mentioned in the manual. Added collection cup which immediately overflowed. Turned out the yellow nozzle a considerable amount with no noticeable change. Just continuous overflow. So maybe I didn't let it break in long enough ? But since it is not new, there should not be any grease or oils left over from manufacturing. Hopefully patience and persistence will get this thing working. So now I am just going to let it overflow the body without the collection cup and try adding the collection cup again tomorrow. |
03/16/2019, 08:24 PM | #9 | |
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Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 Last edited by slief; 03/16/2019 at 08:30 PM. |
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03/18/2019, 10:41 AM | #10 |
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So the nozzle was about 4 turns out. Now I have adjusted (with gloved hand) it so that the nozzle barely even attaches, as far out as it will go and also added the collection cup. Still getting continuous overflow so I have left the collection cup drain open. There is no way I can remove and replace the water that is running through the skimmer, I'd need the ocean for refill ! :-) Note that it's not just water overflowing, there are a massive amount of bubbles.
If I place my hand in front of the nozzle to block water entering the pump, I can get a very nice water level. Too bad this is the AC pump that can't be adjusted. So the pump has been running since Saturday morning. I guess I will let it run throughout the week to see if things will settle down. Not sure what else to try, I've severely lowered sump water level and have nozzle all the way out. Maybe I need to pull the silicone tube out of the silencer and torque tube and just have it loose and completely unrestricted ?? And it's not like this tank had never been skimmed before as the Euroreef was doing a decent job pulling gunk out. Looks like it will be a long week. Hopefully persistence will pay off. |
03/18/2019, 11:41 AM | #11 | |
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03/18/2019, 12:32 PM | #12 |
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There really is no way that I can know for sure if this is the original tubing, but my best guess is that it is original. I think I will try just having the tubing loose and not go into the torque tube and see what happens.
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03/19/2019, 11:18 AM | #13 |
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Update - Progress.
Once I removed the silicone tubing, the water level in the skimmer went down significantly. Then by having the nozzle barely on (fully extended) and with the low sump water level, it started looking like a skimmer. Lots of bubbles reaching up to the top of the collection cup, but not a continuous flow of water as before. So routing that tube into the torque tube and silencer did restrict the air flow. After running overnight, it has settled down some more so that only few a bubbles were hitting the collection cup top. So now, I am slowing raising the sump water level as it was only enough to cover the pump. I'd like to get the sump level higher before trying anything with the air tubing again. Persistence and patience. |
03/19/2019, 05:39 PM | #14 | |
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Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 Last edited by slief; 03/19/2019 at 06:00 PM. |
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04/05/2019, 02:44 PM | #15 |
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Update.
Removing the silencer from the torque tube and directly connecting the silicone tubing worked without changing the water level. Of corse the first time I went away for the day, the silencer fell off the top of the sump, kinked the hose, and caused a flood. Over a long period of time, I was able to raise the sump water level to what I consider to be a normal level. The nozzle is still fully extended. Here is a picture of the cup after a bit less than a week. Very very wet, brown water which has to be cleaned pretty often. |
04/05/2019, 04:32 PM | #16 |
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That is definitely very wet. How deep is the sump level now?
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04/05/2019, 05:39 PM | #17 |
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Just a bit over 8 3/4 ".
This is the level I ran the Euroreef at or even up to 9". |
04/05/2019, 06:43 PM | #18 | |
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Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 |
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04/06/2019, 06:15 AM | #19 |
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So after cleaning out the skimmer cup, when I restarted it, the bubbles didn't even rise beyond the neck. It remained at that level for the rest of the evening. This morning, bubbles are rising throughout the cup and there is a small amount of brown water.
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04/06/2019, 08:45 AM | #20 |
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That looks much better.
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04/24/2019, 08:41 PM | #21 |
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This skimmer continues to be the most temperamental piece of equipment I have ever encountered.
I've lowered the water level as much as I can so that the pump is barely covered with water. I think things are running smoothly and then it overflows. Just yesterday, it seemed fine, then I added a small amount of food to feed the fish and it immediately overflowed so that I had to turn it off. Didn't even add much food. Now, after waiting about 28-30 hours, I still cannot run it without it overflowing. I am at a complete and total loss on how to make this thing work correctly consistently. At some point I guess it makes sense to bring this to Ft Myers for you to look at, but I think I need to go back to my 15 year old Euroreef. To say I am frustrated is an understatement. |
04/24/2019, 09:30 PM | #22 | |
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As I said before, the nozzle has a huge impact as does the sump depth. In your case, running this skimmer in 8” of water and opening up the nozzle more may help. Or even closing it more. Now that said, you bought this skimmer used a long time ago and don’t know the history of it. It’s entirely possible that the original owner put a 2500 impeller in it which would drive too much water and too much air in it. The only way to confirm that would be to set it side by side with a 1500 impeller and compare the two. So if you brought your impeller down to Ft. Myers and had it compared to 115/1-3/9 (RD 1500 impeller for the SM200) which is the correct impeller for that skimmer, that may at least rule out or confirm that issue. Even if that were the case, you “should” be able to tune it out by opening the wedge pipe all the way and adjusting the sump level as well as adjusting the nozzle so you get the line where bubbles turn to foam (in the skimmer) down below the base of the neck where the cup attaches to the body. Whether you have to turn the nozzle all the way in or all the way out, you should be able to tune the skimmer with an appropriate sump depth assuming you have the wrong impeller or even the wrong silicone venturi hose.
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