Air pump and skimmer

[Home_Depot]

Is there any benefit to hooking an air pump to the air line on skimmers? I have a TF1000 and the air line keeps plugging up with salt and I had read somewhere that if you hook an air pump to the skimmer it will work better and will not have to worry about the air line plugging with salt.

 

[killingseed2000]

salt isnt pluging the air vent , cal is building up there. not sure it will help stop that, its a pain. some skimmer may not work as well with an air being pumped in but i could say for sure.

 

[Natclanwy]

There really isn't any benifit to hooking up the airline to a pump, the airline will still clog with salt or calcium. When I had a venturi skimmer I used a syringe to inject hot water into the airline every week or so to keep it clear and that work well and helped my skimmer skim a little more consistantly since the airline wasn't plugging up all of the time.

 

[Home_Depot]

Ok thanks for all the info I will skip the air pump and just shoot water down the line!!

 

[AZDesertRat]

I have been using a Turboflotor 1000 Classic for over 5 years now with very little maintenance. I rinse the collection cup out every couple days and about every 10 days or so I run a small drill bit through the air nipple. I found a bit that fits inside perfectly and it has the hex type end on it so its easy to hold on to under water. You can also epoxy or glue an electrical connector on the end of the bit as a handle. At the same time I stick the bit in the bottom end of the rubber air hose too then blow the gunk out. It seems to work well for me.

 

[Psychographic]

Vent the airline to the collection cup on your skimmer, it will then be drawing moist air, which in turn will help prevent Ca or salt from drying in the venturi opening and clogging it.

 

[Home_Depot]

Vent the airline to the collection cup on your skimmer, it will then be drawing moist air, which in turn will help prevent Ca or salt from drying in the venturi opening and clogging it.

Thanks I will give that a try!!