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#1
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Hi,
I just put in an Aquascape system. I did everything correctly, but now found I have a leak behind the liner from the biofalls lip. I guess I'll have to remove the fake rock (weir) and resilicone it. Has anyone else had this problem? How did you fix it? Also, the holes that are suppose to hold the skimmer door in aren't parallel, therefore the door doesn't stay put. Has anyone else had this problem? What do you do about the little fish that get sucked into the skimmer? I paid a lot of money for this and hopefully these problems will get straightened out. Unfortunately, I bought it mailorder from NY (I live in CT). I'm very discouraged, and am so tired. I just want relax by the pond instead of worrying about it! |
#2
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Poor Baby! The AS system has some inherent problems. Not wishing to go into
a tirade, I'll simply address your questions. a. It's very common to have it leak between the box and the weir. And you're correct: more silicone will do the trick. However, rather than take it off and start over, shut off the water, dry the area completely (maybe use a hair dryer, but be CAREFUL), or let the sun bake it for awhile, but you want it very dry. Then apply a bead of silicone over the seam, take your finger, and squish it down inside the seam as best you can. Wipe off any excess: algae will not grow silicone, so you will always see the seam, otherwise. Wait until it's dry before you turn the pump back on. b. The door on the skimmer is really not necessary at all. If it really annoys you, just take it off. c. Little fish WILL get into the skimmer box, partly because they're chasing food (by the time it gets into the skimmer box, it's pretty soft and they can eat it easier; also, the larger fish can't get in there to get the food, so the little guys can eat without the competition; not to mention it's a nice, dark hidey-hole). If your kit is like mine, you should have received a wire-framed net that fits into the the skimmer side, and a couple of white open-celled padding. That will keep the little guys from getting sucked into the pump. They can usually get out when they want to G. Hope this helps. Lee "Judy Konopka" wrote in message rthlink.net... Hi, I just put in an Aquascape system. I did everything correctly, but now found I have a leak behind the liner from the biofalls lip. I guess I'll have to remove the fake rock (weir) and resilicone it. Has anyone else had this problem? How did you fix it? Also, the holes that are suppose to hold the skimmer door in aren't parallel, therefore the door doesn't stay put. Has anyone else had this problem? What do you do about the little fish that get sucked into the skimmer? I paid a lot of money for this and hopefully these problems will get straightened out. Unfortunately, I bought it mailorder from NY (I live in CT). I'm very discouraged, and am so tired. I just want relax by the pond instead of worrying about it! |
#3
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 14:29:18 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote:
b. The door on the skimmer is really not necessary at all. If it really annoys you, just take it off. Speaking from experience gained working with swimming pools for some years, the door on the skimmer /is/ necessary for the skimmer to function correctly, that is, skimming just the very top surface of the pond/pool. Without the door the skimmer will draw water from the entire depth of the skimmer door opening and will not skim correctly, although it /will/ work somewhat. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#4
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST
time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.21.16.33.13.628650.25600@WizardsT ower... On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 14:29:18 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: b. The door on the skimmer is really not necessary at all. If it really annoys you, just take it off. Speaking from experience gained working with swimming pools for some years, the door on the skimmer /is/ necessary for the skimmer to function correctly, that is, skimming just the very top surface of the pond/pool. Without the door the skimmer will draw water from the entire depth of the skimmer door opening and will not skim correctly, although it /will/ work somewhat. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#5
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote:
Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#6
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
I've never seen the AS skimmer up close and personal, but in a swimming
pool that door also keeps the crud from bouncing back into the pool. Course there is more wave action in a pool than most ponds, so does the AS skimmer float door work differently? ~ jan On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 13:10:27 -0500, "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote: On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard See my ponds and filter design: http://users.owt.com/jjspond/ ~Keep 'em Wet!~ Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a To e-mail see website -----------== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Uncensored Usenet News ==---------- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----= Over 100,000 Newsgroups - Unlimited Fast Downloads - 19 Servers =----- |
#7
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Ahhh, ok: there's a difference. What you're talking about, the door is
hinged on the bottom, yes? The AS skimmer door is hinged from the top. Stuff goes in, regardless. Personally, my pond is caged, so I don't have a leaf problem or worries about things floating back out. All I get is algae and little fish looking for a snack. And the fish scoot out real quick when the want to! Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.22.13.10.19.27578.11529@WizardsTo wer... On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#8
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
On Wed, 23 Apr 2003 07:45:10 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote:
Ahhh, ok: there's a difference. What you're talking about, the door is hinged on the bottom, yes? The AS skimmer door is hinged from the top. Stuff goes in, regardless. Personally, my pond is caged, so I don't have a leaf problem or worries about things floating back out. All I get is algae and little fish looking for a snack. And the fish scoot out real quick when the want to! My bad! I was under the impression that they were all the same. I can't understand the idea of a top hinged skimmer. What is it designed to do? The same job? I think the bottom hinged skimmer also breaks water tension letting skimmed stuff drop into the skimmer basket, too. I'd guess the AS skimmer doesn't need this 'cause everything comes in below the surface and has already broken through that barrier. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#9
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
??? both my swimming pool and pond weirs are hinged at the bottom. This is
how the weir door work as they float on the top to keep the debris from floating back out. Jon Nyhus "Lee Brouillet" wrote in message ... Ahhh, ok: there's a difference. What you're talking about, the door is hinged on the bottom, yes? The AS skimmer door is hinged from the top. Stuff goes in, regardless. Personally, my pond is caged, so I don't have a leaf problem or worries about things floating back out. All I get is algae and little fish looking for a snack. And the fish scoot out real quick when the want to! Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.22.13.10.19.27578.11529@WizardsTo wer... On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#10
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Understood: AS do things their own little way. That's where the holes were,
so that's where I put it! Shoot, if I KNEW anything about ponds when I put it in, I wouldn't have put the system in in the FIRST place GBG! I just followed the directions. Lee "Jon" wrote in message ... ??? both my swimming pool and pond weirs are hinged at the bottom. This is how the weir door work as they float on the top to keep the debris from floating back out. Jon Nyhus "Lee Brouillet" wrote in message ... Ahhh, ok: there's a difference. What you're talking about, the door is hinged on the bottom, yes? The AS skimmer door is hinged from the top. Stuff goes in, regardless. Personally, my pond is caged, so I don't have a leaf problem or worries about things floating back out. All I get is algae and little fish looking for a snack. And the fish scoot out real quick when the want to! Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.22.13.10.19.27578.11529@WizardsTo wer... On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#11
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
What? The AS biofalls door holes are on the top? I installed the faceplate
so the holes were on the bottom! "Jon" wrote in message ... ??? both my swimming pool and pond weirs are hinged at the bottom. This is how the weir door work as they float on the top to keep the debris from floating back out. Jon Nyhus "Lee Brouillet" wrote in message ... Ahhh, ok: there's a difference. What you're talking about, the door is hinged on the bottom, yes? The AS skimmer door is hinged from the top. Stuff goes in, regardless. Personally, my pond is caged, so I don't have a leaf problem or worries about things floating back out. All I get is algae and little fish looking for a snack. And the fish scoot out real quick when the want to! Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.22.13.10.19.27578.11529@WizardsTo wer... On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 08:20:08 -0500, Lee Brouillet wrote: Hmmm . . . I'll take your word for it, but I don't understand (not the FIRST time, believe me!). F'rinstance, the skimmer opening is 4" high. The door floats on the surface of the water level, inside the box. If the pond is full, all 4" of space is filled with water. If the water is low, maybe only 1 or 2" of water goes in, and the door *still* floats on the surface. Why does it make a difference? (not arguing, looking for enlightenment G) Lee It took me a while to see it, too. The skimmer door floats on the surface of the water, thereby limiting the amount of water that can enter the skimmer below the top of the door. Yes, a bit can (and does) still enter around the edges of the skimmer door, but the vast majority comes in /over/ the top of the door. It's easily illustrated by using some suspended particulate matter dropped in front of the skimmer both with and without the door on. Without the door you may note that the flow is not as great and the particles move toward the door from all depths at pretty much the same rate. With the door attached and floating correctly the particles move /rapidly/ on the surface and little or not at all at any depth. The purpose of this is to keep the whole body of water cleaner by skimming just the surface of the water. Gets the trash before it drops to the bottom. I had to actually /do/ this experiment before it fully took in my excuse for a brain. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#12
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
On Fri, 25 Apr 2003 06:38:30 -0500, Judy Konopka wrote:
What? The AS biofalls door holes are on the top? I installed the faceplate so the holes were on the bottom! ?!!!? They come unassembled? Lee... Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#13
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leak behind biofalls, fish sucked in, skimmer door not working properly - anyone else?
Yes, they do . . . now I'll have to go home and do an inspection, or see if
I can find the instructions. I don't remember! Lee "Cybe R. Wizard" wrote in message newsan.2003.04.25.07.03.02.793409.494@WizardsTow er... ?!!!? They come unassembled? Lee... Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
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