protein skimmer pump question

Anemonee · 02/14/2019, 07:28 PM

So the pump on my protein skimmer is making a loud humming noise. Any clue what it could be?

It’s a SCA 301 and I’ve had it and it’s been running since November. Just developed this hum. It’s on egg crate at the moment and is under about 7inch of water.

Another odd question while I’m at it.. can I replace a protein skimmer pump with a regular pump or is it a special kind of pump?

Thanks for any feedback!!

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FishAndPhysics · 02/14/2019, 08:13 PM

1) I would pull out the pump and clean the impeller. What brand is the pump? Skimmer pumps are working in a truly terrible environment (mixed air and water) which is very corrosive to metal parts, and often the shaft is metal in larger skimmer pumps. I've had a large skimmer (Warner Marine, I think the brand is out of business now) with a rather pricey Sicce skimmer pump, and the pump only lasted 3 years. They certainly are not "lifetime" items, however 3 months is certainly a bit short!

2) I've never heard of SCA-301. However, I found it on amazon. Since the air line is entering the water flow before the pump, it is likely a needlewheel style skimmer. This means that the air is pulled into the water stream by the venturi effect, and then a specially modified impeller chops the bubbles up to increase surface area. This is in contrast to normal pump impellers, which instead look like a star (many flat fins joined to the central shaft). Therefore, they are not interchangeable with normal pumps. It is important to get a similarly sized pump, as the water level adjustment has a finite range and either too strong or too weak of a pump will result in the skimmer not working.

There are other styles of protein skimmers which use more traditional pumps, really inexpensive skimmers or very small units are often simple venturis, meaning the venturi is after the pump (no needlewheel chopping the bubbles); additionally there are jet skimmers (like the AquaC EV series) and in ye-olde times people used air-powered skimmers. But needlewheel skimmers are by far dominant in the 50g and up skimmers. Once you get to commercial skimmers other technologies are used, but that is beside the point.

ajoe · 02/14/2019, 10:25 PM

Likely a build up of Ca. I would take out the impeller and then soak both the pump and the impeller in 100% white vinegar for no less than 6 hours. Some people dilute he vinegar but it only adds to the length of time it takes to disolve the Ca. You can keep the used vinegar in a container and reuse for future needs. I make it a habit of doing this once every 6-8 weeks. As previously mentioned it is a really harsh environment and with all the water and air passing through 24/7 it will develop Ca deposits and start to propel slower and also heat up and possibly shut down as it is designed to. Just another chore for the hobby.

homer1475 · 02/15/2019, 03:42 AM

It's the ottman pump, complete garbage. It will not shut down, it will likely burn up. lol

My 302 did the same thing after about 4 months. Then it would fail to start, or take it's sweet *** time with it rattling the whole time until the motor would finally start.

It did of course last 3 more years like that. Only when the impeller shaft broke did I replace it. Not a bad skimmer, just uses cheap Chinese knockoff pumps.

Anemonee · 02/15/2019, 06:59 AM

Wow!! Thank you all so much! I really appreciate all your info!!

Well, I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend... pump cleaning! Haha

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02/14/2019, 07:28 PM	#1
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	protein skimmer pump question So the pump on my protein skimmer is making a loud humming noise. Any clue what it could be? It’s a SCA 301 and I’ve had it and it’s been running since November. Just developed this hum. It’s on egg crate at the moment and is under about 7inch of water. Another odd question while I’m at it.. can I replace a protein skimmer pump with a regular pump or is it a special kind of pump? Thanks for any feedback!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/14/2019, 08:13 PM	#2
FishAndPhysics Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: NY Posts: 95	1) I would pull out the pump and clean the impeller. What brand is the pump? Skimmer pumps are working in a truly terrible environment (mixed air and water) which is very corrosive to metal parts, and often the shaft is metal in larger skimmer pumps. I've had a large skimmer (Warner Marine, I think the brand is out of business now) with a rather pricey Sicce skimmer pump, and the pump only lasted 3 years. They certainly are not "lifetime" items, however 3 months is certainly a bit short! 2) I've never heard of SCA-301. However, I found it on amazon. Since the air line is entering the water flow before the pump, it is likely a needlewheel style skimmer. This means that the air is pulled into the water stream by the venturi effect, and then a specially modified impeller chops the bubbles up to increase surface area. This is in contrast to normal pump impellers, which instead look like a star (many flat fins joined to the central shaft). Therefore, they are not interchangeable with normal pumps. It is important to get a similarly sized pump, as the water level adjustment has a finite range and either too strong or too weak of a pump will result in the skimmer not working. There are other styles of protein skimmers which use more traditional pumps, really inexpensive skimmers or very small units are often simple venturis, meaning the venturi is after the pump (no needlewheel chopping the bubbles); additionally there are jet skimmers (like the AquaC EV series) and in ye-olde times people used air-powered skimmers. But needlewheel skimmers are by far dominant in the 50g and up skimmers. Once you get to commercial skimmers other technologies are used, but that is beside the point. __________________ 90 Gallon Mixed Reef with 20g sump Current Stock: 1 - Ocellaris Clownfish, 1 - Yellow Tang, 1 - Kole Yellow Eye Tang, 1 - unidentified hitchhiker goby, 1 - Coral Beauty, 3 - Lyretail Anthias.

02/15/2019, 03:42 AM	#4
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	It's the ottman pump, complete garbage. It will not shut down, it will likely burn up. lol My 302 did the same thing after about 4 months. Then it would fail to start, or take it's sweet *** time with it rattling the whole time until the motor would finally start. It did of course last 3 more years like that. Only when the impeller shaft broke did I replace it. Not a bad skimmer, just uses cheap Chinese knockoff pumps. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

02/14/2019, 10:25 PM	#3
ajoe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 297	Likely a build up of Ca. I would take out the impeller and then soak both the pump and the impeller in 100% white vinegar for no less than 6 hours. Some people dilute he vinegar but it only adds to the length of time it takes to disolve the Ca. You can keep the used vinegar in a container and reuse for future needs. I make it a habit of doing this once every 6-8 weeks. As previously mentioned it is a really harsh environment and with all the water and air passing through 24/7 it will develop Ca deposits and start to propel slower and also heat up and possibly shut down as it is designed to. Just another chore for the hobby.

02/15/2019, 06:59 AM	#5
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	Wow!! Thank you all so much! I really appreciate all your info!! Well, I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend... pump cleaning! Haha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk