Help with skimmer

[CoachRichardson]

Hey everyone. I need some help with my skimmer. I just got a Aquamaxx DFC-80 because I wanted a DC pump and there was a good sale at BRS and I have read good things on Aquamaxx. Shipment arrived fine but I have had an issue since I put it in. The first problem is the have apparently designed a new bubble plate that doesn't match the instructions, the pictures online or any videos I can find online. I am pretty confident that I have assembled it correctly and I have taken it apart twice and cleaned it and reassembled. I have located the problem and it is on the intake piece that attaches to the pump through the skimmer body that the Venturi line attaches to. For lack of a better word it just starts making a screaming sound. It seems like this piece is a very poor design and I am not sure how to correct it. If I close down the Venturi it will still make the sound, if I open it fully it will make the sound. If I pull it off on the intake side it will stop the noise but then there is no air intake. I have adjusted the gate for more and less water. I feel like the water level is fine. It is coming from this gray piece on the intake side. I am going to attach a video I hope will load ok. I am leaving to go out of town for a week and hate to have to pull the skimmer. My wife will be taking care of the tank. It will be fine and then just start screaming in the middle of the night and wake you up. The dog starts barking and the sound just makes chaos. I think I am going to have to remove the skimmer unless anyone has any ideas of how to fix this thing. I am not impressed at all with this unit. I can't apparently figure out how to load a video from safari.

 

[TheBear78]

Any chance you can return it?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Video not loading. Can you add a picture. I have an aquamaxx cone s. I know they r not exactly the same but I may see something you don’t. I really like aquamaxx gear. Have a bunch

 

[CoachRichardson]

Video not loading. Can you add a picture. I have an aquamaxx cone s. I know they r not exactly the same but I may see something you don’t. I really like aquamaxx gear. Have a bunch

It might be heading for a return. I'll add the pics I just took. Doesn't do it justice without sound... The gray piece attached to the Venturi is the culprit. It's in the second picture in the bottom right.

 

[ryanjohn1]

With my cone s. That peice is not super tight, it’s not vibrating on that rock or side of tank right

 

[ryanjohn1]

And the pump is tightened down on both sides via the plastic screws

 

[CoachRichardson]

The skimmer isn’t touch a wall or that rock. The pump is tightened down. That gray piece is very fussy. That is where the sound is coming from. It is loosely fit in now and it’s not making noise at the minute. I don’t expect it to stay that way long. I wish the new Red Sea DC was out already. I was trying to hold out for that. I feel it’s a little big for the tank and this one is the right size but it’s a huge pain so far.

 

[ryanjohn1]

The gray part is the Venturi. Or does that model have an extension of the pum0? Also. Look into where the hose connects to the Venturi. I’ve seen in the past a peice of plastic from drilling be stuck in them.

 

[CoachRichardson]

The gray piece is the Venturi or part of it. It goes through the skimmer body and attaches to the pump. The only way I got it to run quiet is by it being a very loose connection to the pump. I don’t expect it to last long without starting up again. It’s clear of any debris. I have assembled and disassembled it 3 times.

 

[trainbob]

I assume it came with no instructions which seems to be the norm these days. How much does it save them to not include instructions

 

[CoachRichardson]

I assume it came with no instructions which seems to be the norm these days. How much does it save them to not include instructions

It came with them but they had not been updated with the change to the bubble plate and they are the kind or instructions that are just diagrams... It seems to have settled in for a few days but the piece is very fussy. I expect it to act up again soon unfortunately.