Reef Octopus Elite 220S skimmer with VarioS 6-s pump/controller troubleshooting

jaxteller007

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I unplugged my skimmer yesterday to empty the cup and do a quick cleaning. Now it won't turn back on. I plug in the float switch to the controller. Plug in the pump, then plug in the power supply. The blue light will come on for a few seconds, but the pump won't start. Then after like 5 to 10 seconds, The 15 min and 60 min pause buttons just start flashing red. What the heck?
 

Dilan Patel

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gotcha. im not super familiar with the reef octopus brand. think you can send a pic of the controller and stuff. lemme do some research and Ill get back yto you
 

Dilan Patel

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So doing a little digging, when you say u did some cleaning did you take the actual pump apart. From what I can gather the impeller is jamming or inhibiting the thing to spin. It could be swollen or cracked. If you can remove it and send a pic of the inside of the pump as well as the impeller itself would be helpful
 

Dilan Patel

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Sorry I keep finding info lol but here is a link to a thread where the issue described is very similar to yours. But basically what he found was something was not allowing the impeller to freely spin and he basically left it in a 50/50 vinegar H20 bath as well as the cavity of the pump thatt holds the impeller for several hours. This fixed his issue. but make sure to check all the bushings and stuff first you may not have to soak it. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/varios-controller-lights-fs-status-always-on.705236/
 
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jaxteller007

jaxteller007

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So doing a little digging, when you say u did some cleaning did you take the actual pump apart. From what I can gather the impeller is jamming or inhibiting the thing to spin. It could be swollen or cracked. If you can remove it and send a pic of the inside of the pump as well as the impeller itself would be helpful

Sorry things got a little busy when I got home, but that's exactly what it ended up being. I reset the impeller and it's running fine now lol. Man I can't wait for my waste collector to get here so I don't have to turn it off and take the cup off, etc haha.
 

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