Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > Sponsor Forums > Royal Exclusiv / Bubble King
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 02/04/2017, 03:20 PM   #1
badfinger
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 29
Controller reads F8

I moved my skimmer down 1/2". Haven't changed anything else. The error code reads F8 , manual says that is a air-supply error. How do I fix/resolve this. Thanks


badfinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/04/2017, 07:25 PM   #2
badfinger
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 29
Also, will this damage the pump. I have it turned off for now until I can figure out how to resolve the error code


badfinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/04/2017, 10:43 PM   #3
slief
RC Sponsor

 
slief's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,173
Sorry for the late reply. The F8 error means the air supply is obstructed. First check the nozzles venturi port for salt creep. The nozzle pops off the pump for easy servicing. If the wedge pipe is turned too far one direction or the other, that can kink the silicone air hose which will result in air obstruction. Also make sure the air hose is firmly seated on the venturi port. Lastly, if the skimmer is really deep, you can connect the ozone tube and leave it uncapped so it can draw air. This shouldn't be necessary though.


__________________
Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA
For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745

Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476
slief is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/05/2017, 02:27 AM   #4
badfinger
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 29
How does the pump know there is a air line obstruction?

It's in 9"water. I will check the venturis but it's 1.5 weeks old it shouldn't be clogged yet.

If this isn't taken care of (i will fix, but for other people) will it damage the pump or is it just saying that it is not running at full speed


badfinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/05/2017, 02:37 AM   #5
slief
RC Sponsor

 
slief's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,173
Quote:
Originally Posted by badfinger View Post
How does the pump know there is a air line obstruction?

It's in 9"water. I will check the venturis but it's 1.5 weeks old it shouldn't be clogged yet.

If this isn't taken care of (i will fix, but for other people) will it damage the pump or is it just saying that it is not running at full speed
The pump controller is intelligent and monitors RPM and resistance on the impeller. The air being pulled in has a direct correlation to the RPM/resistance if I am not mistaken and the presence of air reduces resistance on the impeller. Restricted airflow will reduce the RPM of the impeller which could trigger the F8 error. At least that is how I believe the controller senses tha air restriction. Another thing is the Ozone port. If that is left open on the nozzle without the cap, that could make the pump more sensitive to the F8 error as the pump will pull some water through that port when the ozone tube is not connected.

The F8 error will not damage the pump. It there to notify you that the air is being restricted. The 9" depth should not be an issue.


__________________
Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA
For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745

Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476
slief is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/05/2017, 07:44 PM   #6
badfinger
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Utah
Posts: 29
I did 2 things, put the controller to 32 watts, and no error code. Anything less then that, it gave me codes.

After that I pulled the venturi off and moved the red port to about 12 o clock and put it back in. At the 32 watt setting it almost overflowed. Put it to 28 watts and getting back to skimming.

So crazy it can tell when their is an air obstruction.

The manual tells you what the codes mean, but not how to fix them.


badfinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 02/05/2017, 09:22 PM   #7
slief
RC Sponsor

 
slief's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,173
Quote:
Originally Posted by badfinger View Post
I did 2 things, put the controller to 32 watts, and no error code. Anything less then that, it gave me codes.

After that I pulled the venturi off and moved the red port to about 12 o clock and put it back in. At the 32 watt setting it almost overflowed. Put it to 28 watts and getting back to skimming.

So crazy it can tell when their is an air obstruction.

The manual tells you what the codes mean, but not how to fix them.
Glad you got it figured out.

The cable between the controller & pump is bi-directional and senses the speed of the impeller as well as other data regarding the pumps operations. The controller is smart.. The manual.. Not so smart. Then again, that's what we are here for and we also monitor & respond to support emails 7 days a week.

Interestingly, the F8 error has only come up a few times that I recall in the last year. Once with you and once on Facebook very recently. Both were resolved with a bit of explanation however the first one who encountered it didn't bother to check the manual to even see what the error was for. In his case, the silcone hose wasn't on the venturi port all the way. There was one other F8 error that I remember and again, it was an easy fix.

Unfortunately, the manual leaves a lot to be desired and I do agree there should be some better instructions in there for address potential issues including what to look for in the case of the F8 error. The conversion from German to English in manual makes it even more confusing. I need to get a soft editable copy of that manual so I can clean it up and add to it. There is a lot of info that I have put into the tuning thread here and the overflow thread that addresses some potential issues and make setup and fine tuning much easier for those who don't read this forum.

Either way, I am glad you got it straightened out. Having the pump down deeper does increase the head pressure on the pump and also creates a bit more resistance on the air draw which in your case exacerbated the issue for you.


__________________
Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA
For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745

Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476
slief is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 06/21/2019, 01:11 PM   #8
eros123
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by slief View Post
Glad you got it figured out.

The cable between the controller & pump is bi-directional and senses the speed of the impeller as well as other data regarding the pumps operations. The controller is smart.. The manual.. Not so smart. Then again, that's what we are here for and we also monitor & respond to support emails 7 days a week.

Interestingly, the F8 error has only come up a few times that I recall in the last year. Once with you and once on Facebook very recently. Both were resolved with a bit of explanation however the first one who encountered it didn't bother to check the manual to even see what the error was for. In his case, the silcone hose wasn't on the venturi port all the way. There was one other F8 error that I remember and again, it was an easy fix.

Unfortunately, the manual leaves a lot to be desired and I do agree there should be some better instructions in there for address potential issues including what to look for in the case of the F8 error. The conversion from German to English in manual makes it even more confusing. I need to get a soft editable copy of that manual so I can clean it up and add to it. There is a lot of info that I have put into the tuning thread here and the overflow thread that addresses some potential issues and make setup and fine tuning much easier for those who don't read this forum.

Either way, I am glad you got it straightened out. Having the pump down deeper does increase the head pressure on the pump and also creates a bit more resistance on the air draw which in your case exacerbated the issue for you.



eros123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 06/21/2019, 01:13 PM   #9
eros123
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 10
Best

i have super marine 250 with speedy pump
cool F8 error but after a few seconds the container turned off and there is no power at all anymore?


eros123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 06/21/2019, 01:15 PM   #10
eros123
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 10
F8 code

Best

i have super marine 250 with speedy pump
cool F8 error but after a few seconds the container turned off and there is no power at all anymore?


eros123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 06/21/2019, 05:38 PM   #11
slief
RC Sponsor

 
slief's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,173
Quote:
Originally Posted by eros123 View Post
Best

i have super marine 250 with speedy pump
cool F8 error but after a few seconds the container turned off and there is no power at all anymore?
PM sent.


__________________
Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA
For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745

Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476
slief is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:19 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.