troubleshooting my tropic aire humidifier

[beka]

there was someone on here that was gracious enough to walk me through the set up of my tah back in the fall….it kind of stopped working within the last month or so. the pump is pumping air through the tube and into the tube with the air stone on it. the stone is creating bubbles. i can see and hear it. however, there is no air coming through the outgoing tube and into the tank…any chance anyone can guide me on what may be the problem?thanks in advance!!beka

[Crabber85]

@beka, the tropic-air humidifiers tend to go bad after a while due to the build up of hard water deposits and lime scale on the tubing airflow can become greatly reduced and even stopped if the blockage is large enough.I would suggest removing the supply tubing that goes into the enclosure and putting your finger over the nipple that the removed tubing was previously on and see if you can feel any air flow if not then it maybe an issue with your air pump not putting out enough flow.Some aquarium air pumps can be taken apart with a Phillips head screwdriver which will reveal the filter that these units use typically a wad of cotton, these filters tend to get dirty over time and will turn black at which point no air can get through you can simply wash the cotton under cool running water let it dry and place it back in the pump and this should rectify the situation.In a worst case scenario where the pump is to blame it can be due to a torn diaphragm which is made of rubber and moves rapidly back and forth to generate the air flow.If its a torn diaphragm you can get it replaced if you have a good pet store nearby that sells replacement parts but in most cases its easier to just replace the whole pump.Even if your still seeing bubbles that doesn't mean that your air pump is putting out the maximum air flow and a low air flow rate will decrease the performance of the humidifier.

[JediMasterThrash]

The best way to gauge airflow is to hold a small plastic sandwich bad over the end of the tube, be sure to hold it tight, and let it inflate like a balloon. Even when it doesn't seem like there's any airflow, there usually is, it's just very weak. You'll see the bag fill up very slowly.As Crabber85 said, You can trace that back to just the tip ontop of the tropicair box (this would tell you if it's the tubing that's the problem) or the line going into the humidifier (this would tell you if the humidifier is the problem). If not, it's the pump.95% of the time I have low airflow, it's due to the airstone. Even though you can still see bubbles, it not full and vigorous. Air stones only last about 6 months, and smaller ones last less and output less air. The bigger the better. Get oens with at least one inch diameter.The other 5% of the time I get sand stuck into the little holes in the hard tube, and need to wash them out.Occasionally the tubing comes undone from the t-joint at the pump, but that's easy to fix.Also, sometimes the tube plub-in tip on the humidifer can crack, especially if stressed. If that happens it may need to be reglued or sealed on the edges.I'm actually still using the original tubing I cut 9 years ago. It always seems to be full of little watter bubbles, but the air keeps coming through.I do always refill my humidifiers with purified or treated water. Using RO or distilled helps prevent any crusting up of the lines.

[beka]

this is great and very helpful! thank you two

[Tetra4CClyPtus]

In the tubing that is inside the canister, I don't use an airstone. I think airstones just weaken airflow. I am using a 150 gallon air pump ; the tetra whisper Be sure to use a strong air pump though. That's what I do . The nipples on the top can close up under pressure so I use a safety pin to open them up

[JediMasterThrash]

It's not entirely about airflow though. The point of the airstone is that it takes air that would be coming out of a single hole (the tube) and lets it come out of 100's of smaller holes. This generates more contact with a larger surface area of water, and creates more humidity in the air that is then pushed out into the tank.

[Tetra4CClyPtus]

I finally got around to getting rid of mine ! Not even doing absolutely nothing in my 38 gal tank. What's better ?? The reptifogger and my crabs love it