O.K. let me just say this thing is impressive fit and finish is great. Easy to disassemble for cleaning. So the recommendation is to operate the valve wide open for 3-4 weeks until the unit it breaks in. The dc pump comes with a long enough cable mount controller in a safe place. This unit is quiet and love the way the pump ramps up when staring . I can hear my drain and biopellets over the skimmer. This is my first higher end skimmer and let me say I have no problem with the cost vs quality and quite happy with my investment. I will keep updated as breakin goes along.