GO clean your skimmer air intake.

[Devaji]

I dont know how needs to hear this but my skimmer, maybe one year old air intake was nasty.
both intake valves where 90% clogged performance was way down tuen out it was not getting the air it needed to skim...in all my years of reefing 15+ years have I seen that.

anyway just a quick PSA to check things out...

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Good reminder! I'll have to go check mine later!

 

[theMeat]

Yup
I find a touch of vegetable oil on a q tip on the inside of the Venturi helps to keep it clean longer

 

[BeanAnimal]

Vegetable oil goes rancid, as well as oil collecting dust, not sure why you would do that.

 

[theMeat]

Vegetable oil goes rancid, as well as oil collecting dust, not sure why you would do that.

You could use mineral oil if you like.
The reason I do it is because it helps keep venturi clean longer. As was recommended to me by a fellow reefer. Been doing it for years, it works. Doubt a drop of oil once every couple of months is going to make my tank rancid.
Dust? Wouldn’t a bunch more naturally occur into tank and sump?

 

[X-37B]

Even my Tunze skimmers require the removal of the air intake cylinder once a year as it plugs up with salt over time.
Most will get clogged with salt over time.

 

[theMeat]

More than once a year probably a good idea

 

[SliceGolfer]

Another reason to clean your skimmer

 

[BeanAnimal]

You could use mineral oil if you like.
The reason I do it is because it helps keep venturi clean longer. As was recommended to me by a fellow reefer. Been doing it for years, it works. Doubt a drop of oil once every couple of months is going to make my tank rancid.
Dust? Wouldn’t a bunch more naturally occur into tank and sump?

I don't think it will make the tank go rancid...and the dust/dirt was not about dust in the tank, but accumulating on the oil, then allowing more to accumulate on top of that.

Curiously - what do you think the oil is doing to keep the air intake clean?

 

[PharmrJohn]

Another reason to clean your skimmer

I love this kind of evidence!

 

[theMeat]

I don't think it will make the tank go rancid...and the dust/dirt was not about dust in the tank, but accumulating on the oil, then allowing more to accumulate on top of that.

Curiously - what do you think the oil is doing to keep the air intake clean?

Just the obvious keeping the Venturi surface where salt builds up dry, since oil repels water, and slick so salt can’t get a hold and start to build up. Never noticed dust build up. Have noticed the oil goes away.
FWIW, I feel/notice the need to clean my skimmer 2-3 times a year. Closer to 2 if I use oil, 3 if I don’t. So it’s not like an omg you’re crazy if you don’t do it but IME it helps

Curiously - why would you say the oil gets rancid if it you don’t think it will affect the tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

In Lieu of oil. I use a baby bottle brush bi-weekly which works quick and easy and easy to clean. The loose particles end up in the collection cup.

 

[Bruttall]

Oh man, wanted to do this for a minute, here goes;

NO! I don't have too and you can't make me, neener neener neener.

Whew, glad I got that out of my system

This is the double venturi intakes on my skimmer. I am not sure if I will ever need to clean them, they draw air in from outside the house. well one does, the other draws Ozone.

 

[Lasse]

Its not salt - it is calcium carbonate that will be formed just in the narrow space were the air intake pipe ends in the body of the venturi. I get a tip from someone that let the skimmer stop for some minutes once a day. Because that in my case the venturio is below the water surface - this stop will cause water going up in the first part of the air intake pipe - and thus washes away loose calcium carbonate before it hardens and builds up. I don't know if this is explained correctly but since I started these daily stops a few years ago, mandatory manual cleanings have changed from once a month to once every six months.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[14 foot reef]

When I used to run these types of Skimmers, a drill bit was perfect, find the size use, clean put way.
I have Dual Mazzi 1" Venturies now, the air intake is 3/8" hard to clog these, but I still clean them at the internal pinch slot inside the valve. usually a snail shell or something, Injecting water into these periodically is the key to perfect performance

A view inside the Mazzi

https://www.wassertec.co.za/downloads/brochures/Wassertec-Venturis-web.pdf

 

[b1llvance]

I stick the end of the airline into a cup of hot water and let it suck it down and clean the Venturi about once a month. Quick and easy.

 

[FurrierTransform]

I stick the end of the airline into a cup of hot water and let it suck it down and clean the Venturi about once a month. Quick and easy.

This is the way.

 

[drbrivers]

Last skimmer was a Tunze Venturi rotary - when doing weekly maintenance I would get a 12 cc syringe filled with RO-DI water and flush it through the Venturi air intake. Worked great and took only a few minutes.