Skimmer Issues Need Advice

[chief hill]

My skimmer has been randomly overflowing in sump. It's tuned and gets a nice dark skim for a couple days. Then randomly it goes nuts and overflows. I don't add anything to the tank feeding doesn't change it. No filter sock changes, sump level is steady with ATO.
When It overflows. I lower the flow till it relaxes and reduce the air intake and put it back to normal after a few hrs. Then after a couple days it goes nuts again. One time the bubbles were only 1/2 way up the column cranked full open. (this has only occurred once for about 12 hrs.)
It's been pulled apart and cleaned and it make no difference. Skimmer is a swc 120 Any ideas?

 

[EricTMah]

I never had this issue with my swc.

Is there splashing around the skimmer from your return line? The air intake can sometimes get clogged (I had to clean mine every once in a while)

Maybe there's some salt that's clogging the air intake when it tuned. Then it breaks free and you have a overflowing skimmer. Then it clogs again and runs fine?

Just an idea

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[chief hill]

I never had this issue with my swc.

Is there splashing around the skimmer from your return line? The air intake can sometimes get clogged (I had to clean mine every once in a while)

Maybe there's some salt that's clogging the air intake when it tuned. Then it breaks free and you have a overflowing skimmer. Then it clogs again and runs fine?

Just an idea

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Yea that was one of the things I checked after this has occurred. It's clear and clean.

 

[reeferkeeper420]

Just woke up to my crappy coralife skimmer overflowing all iver my floor ffs. That kinda shit really pisses me of... then it throws everything outta whack if left long enought. Makes ur ATO go crazy and tops off u tanks lowering the salinity. About to check now how much im.down.

 

[chief hill]

Just woke up to my crappy coralife skimmer overflowing all iver my floor ffs. That kinda shit really pisses me of... then it throws everything outta whack if left long enought. Makes ur ATO go crazy and tops off u tanks lowering the salinity. About to check now how much im.down.

Ouch that sucks. My max topoff from the ato is 5 gallons when full. When mine overflows it just bubbles out of the cup and back into the sump. It does put a bunch of micro moisture all over my electrical wires too though. It's running fine now. I just can't wrap my head around what the hell makes them go crazy when you don't add anything. Maybe something is spawning. Who knows [emoji53]

 

[reeferkeeper420]

Yeah luckily ive learnd my lesson and went to a 2-3g tank for holding water.

 

[TORX]

Do you add anything to the system? If you add anything to your top up water, that could make it go stupid, or at least in my experience the only time my skimmer goes stupid is from additives added to top up water. Oh, and if there is a power outage and you do not run a delay on the skimmer. Basically the power comes on, skimmer starts up when the water is higher as the return pump hasn't lowered the sump water level, and blammo, overflow everywhere and have to retune it.

 

[chief hill]

Do you add anything to the system? If you add anything to your top up water, that could make it go stupid, or at least in my experience the only time my skimmer goes stupid is from additives added to top up water. Oh, and if there is a power outage and you do not run a delay on the skimmer. Basically the power comes on, skimmer starts up when the water is higher as the return pump hasn't lowered the sump water level, and blammo, overflow everywhere and have to retune it.

Nope unfortunately none of that. Topup Rodi is regular right now with no additives, no power issues, just a skimmer that ramdomly goes crazy at random times. Who knows it seems most other people don't know either. I'll have to keep a close eye on it I guess.

 

[EricTMah]

Have you tried to take your skimmer out and give it a vinegar bath?

I have found that sometimes if a skimmer is behaving funny. A vinegar bath and a good cleaning usually helps

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[monizb]

My dad had a skimmer on his tank a vertex and it kept overflowing over night ect and the problem was skimmer was to big for system so got a smaller one and never had issue again

 

[jeffopentax]

My vertex was doing the same thing. Fine for a few days, then overflowing out of nowhere. I lowered the sump water level from 8" to 7", and it hasn't happened since.

 

[AdInfinitum]

My vertex was doing the same thing. Fine for a few days, then overflowing out of nowhere. I lowered the sump water level from 8" to 7", and it hasn't happened since.

I also find that if they are sitting too deep they become really touchy.

My skimmer skims a lot wetter every morning about an hour after the lights come on then settles down...weird

 

[chief hill]

Well when it happens again I'll raise it an 1" or 2" maybe it'll help.

 

[theyangman]

Have you added any frags? My skimmer doesn't like putty or glue very much so any new fresh frags can cause my skimmer to go nuts for a while.

 

[chief hill]

Have you added any frags? My skimmer doesn't like putty or glue very much so any new fresh frags can cause my skimmer to go nuts for a while.

No no new frags. But when I add something the skimmer would go nuts within a few minutes of adding it generally. Like sock changes.

 

[curiousphil]

Try soaking your socks in vinegar water for a day before adding them. Like how they recommend you run new pumps and skimmers in vinegar water first. There's stuff on new socks that makes my skimmer react the same way... some kind of factory residue.

 

[Kevin Tran]

My vertex was doing the same thing. Fine for a few days, then overflowing out of nowhere. I lowered the sump water level from 8" to 7", and it hasn't happened since.

vertex here too, i use egg crate to raise my skimmer higher and it work fine now. same concept as jeff, it the level of water to your skimmer. good luck

 

[jeffopentax]

vertex here too, i use egg crate to raise my skimmer higher and it work fine now. same concept as jeff, it the level of water to your skimmer. good luck

Correct, same concept. I adjusted the water in my sump because my stand is not tall enough to raise my skimmer.

 

[chief hill]

Try soaking your socks in vinegar water for a day before adding them. Like how they recommend you run new pumps and skimmers in vinegar water first. There's stuff on new socks that makes my skimmer react the same way... some kind of factory residue.

Good idea. I rinse them but that's a better idea.

 

[DerekL]

Do you have chambers in your sump? I found when I was running my vertex in180 when my ATO would kick in my skimmer would do the same as what you are describing. It took me a while to figure out why it was doing this too. I had my ATO go into the same chamber as my skimmer and the water depth change would send it crazy.