ATI Bubble Master start up

[trido]

I just recieved my new BM 250. I was a little apprehensive about getting this skimmer due to the talk of start up problems with the pumps. I have seen them and wondered if the problems was due to the orientation of the pumps holding air in the impellar chamber. Now I dont think so.

I think I figured out the trick to the BM250 start up problem. IMO its the thread wheel. Yesterday one pump was real chattery so I shut it down. It wouldnt start up at all. The same thing happened to the other pump this morning. I trimmed the loose threads off the top and outer edges of the impeller and now they both fire up immediately without hardly a sound. Last year I converted my sedra 5000 to thread wheel and never had a problem (Unless you count the threads ginding a hole the side of the pump.) Regardless of the hole, thread wheels impellars pull alot of air. Apparently this may be one more pitfall of the new design.

If you do this you need to be careful putting the impeller back into the pump. It needs to be held by the threads on the wheel. If you hold it by the shaft the magnet will pull the end cap off inside the pump and it will bind and wont start at all.

You should try it. You might be suprised

 

[Snowboarda42]

Better call Ben on this one, I know he had the same problem with his BM250.

Its still so weird to me though that they don't actually start until you push on the pump. I still think its a pump orientation flaw, because it makes sense that an air bubble would stay up in the impellar chamber until it was leveled out (by pushing on the top of the pump) and releases the air.

 

[lizardarm]

That's really pretty gutsy cutting away at such an expensive piece of equipment!

 

[ret25yo]

a quick flick on the pump if they dont start works for me i dont see myself starting and stopping the pumps very often outside a monthly cleaning

 

[trido]

Its still so weird to me though that they don't actually start until you push on the pump. I still think its a pump orientation flaw, because it makes sense that an air bubble would stay up in the impellar chamber until it was leveled out (by pushing on the top of the pump) and releases the air.

My pumps have fired every time since I trimmed the wheels back with no help from me. I'll have to wait and see if this is the real long term fix.

That's really pretty gutsy cutting away at such an expensive piece of equipment!

Within 16 hours of taking it out of the box.....Naw, its a thread wheel. They wear out and build up with calcium deposits. Its just a matter of time before I put my own thread on them anyway. Besides the directions claim that if the pumps become chattery to trim back the loose threads and keep the mass between 45-50mm across. After dealing with my two current DIY thread wheel skimmers I wasnt too worried.

a quick flick on the pump if they dont start works for me i dont see myself starting and stopping the pumps very often outside a monthly cleaning

To me having to do anything is kind of unacceptable. I go out of town for the weekend quite a bit and when I come home I dont want to worry about a burned out pump because the power when out for five minutes and I wasnt home to babysit my skimmer. I like to shut off my skimmer every few days to back flush the salt creep out of the venturi. IMO doing this makes a big difference in how often I have to tear the skimmer apart.

 

[meitzler]

2 pumps failed on mine

I have my BM250 over a year. First it starts with sporatic starts. Then I trimmed the mess and they work. After about a year, it looks like the bushings wear thin. I purchase one new pump, ouch that is expensive. I can no longer get either of the original pumps to work. I too purchased thinking it was a temporary problem. Anyone else out there have a BM over a year.

My pumps have fired every time since I trimmed the wheels back with no help from me. I'll have to wait and see if this is the real long term fix.



Within 16 hours of taking it out of the box.....Naw, its a thread wheel. They wear out and build up with calcium deposits. Its just a matter of time before I put my own thread on them anyway. Besides the directions claim that if the pumps become chattery to trim back the loose threads and keep the mass between 45-50mm across. After dealing with my two current DIY thread wheel skimmers I wasnt too worried.



To me having to do anything is kind of unacceptable. I go out of town for the weekend quite a bit and when I come home I dont want to worry about a burned out pump because the power when out for five minutes and I wasnt home to babysit my skimmer. I like to shut off my skimmer every few days to back flush the salt creep out of the venturi. IMO doing this makes a big difference in how often I have to tear the skimmer apart.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I had a Mesh modified one a couple years and just forced it to start when chattering. To start it, need to tap on the intake end while running or touch the impeller to jar it in line. Blowing air into the line would also get it going.

 

[luke33]

Yep, when they chatter blow into the venturi line and they start up. This is the problem with meshmods. You can use pw's now that start up every time. They don't pull the air like a meshmod does but round 30scfh. Sicce's are also directional like nearly any submersible magnet pump. And they will spin one way noiser than another way, and will pull 20scfh compared to 30scfh spinning in the right direction. Also if you overmesh them and push the pump they will not start up without twisting of the motorblock and constant fiddling. This will make the sicce last a very short amount of time.

 

[chend2]

Mine died. My mesh mod totally beat the crap out of the inside. It was pretty darn warped when I pulled it out...now to buy a new Sicce.

 

[luke33]

Yep, if you overmesh it will kill the pump. 45scfh is the max imo, and thats pushing it.

 

[trido]

My skimmer has been running for a year and a half and is working hard.
A couple findings.
Since the mesh isnt factory balanced, the impellar shaft wears thin on the bottom end (magnet end) causing the magnet to physically stick to the side of the pump causing it to not start up. I have to literally beat the pump against the side of the sump.
Also, on one of my pumps the red rubber impellar shaft seat has worn thin and doesnt do its job seating the shaft properly. I use teflon tape and wrap the end of the shaft to make it fatter, then I seat it snuggly into the rubber boot. This gives me about two months without start up issues.

When My pumps wont restart. I know its time for some tweaking,

Personally, I think Id rather use a stronger "sedra" type mesh modded pump and forgo the electrical costs in order to have more dependable pump that restarts every time I shut it off.

Or if I had the money available, get a new, more efficient, bigger cone and use the needle wheel impellars when I go out of town.