skimmer overflowing bad! flooding the house.

Rydogg420 · Jul 16, 2015

So I have a 120gal DT with a 40gal sump. It's a homemade sump with 3 main chambers. Left chamber is the refugium, right is the skimmer chamber and they both flow into the middle chamber which is the return with pump, and that is the chamber that loses water and have to add top off too. I hope that makes sense?
So my problem is that I have a vertex omega 150 skimmer in the right chamber which is on egg crate to the recommended water hight. Let's say 8in. (Just as a guess) now this chamber always stays at a certain depth, it never fluctuates as with the left side. Only the middle chamber evaps water. But when I add top off water to the middle chamber i fill BELOW the skimmer chamber so the skimmer does not submerge anymore then what is recommended and what weeks for the skimmer. But my skimmer starts to over flow and will run like that till the middle chamber return pumps runs dry. This is about 14gal of water at max top off. I adjusted my skimmer to pull only dark black goo and not wet skimming. The bubbles only go to the neck where the collection cup screws in and water should never make it into the cup lime it's doing.

So why would my skimmer flood if the water level in that chamber isn't rising or falling? I've never had an issue with my old cheapo skimmer and never saw a skimmer do this before? It has ran fine for months, then just started to do this that last few weeks and flooded twice. My gf is very mad as the carpet is probable stained under the stand. Ugh...

I hope this makes sense. I do know what I'm doing (most times) but this is just baffling me.

Thanks.
Ryan...

143MPCo · Jul 16, 2015

There are several common reasons a protein skimmer will overflow

Chemical Reaction - Some chemicals react with the air that the skimmer produces and causes the skimmer to over produce foamate. Chemicals known to cause skimmers to overflow are, red slime remover, medications, reef/frag putties (epoxy Putty) frag glues, water conditioners, dechlorinators, stress coat, fresh filter socks, newly mixed salt, bacteria (seeding) additives as well as other dosing medias. In order to remove these chemicals from the water column we suggest that you do several 20% water changes over the period of a month and add a good amount of fresh activated carbon to the system and change out every week till the skimmer has returned to normal operation.
Water level in sump - It is important that you place your skimmer in the proper water level. It is also important that the output of the skimmer is not submerged under water unless it is properly vented.
Inner water level - If your inner water level is set too high the slightest change in your water chemistry can cause your skimmer to over flow. We suggest that your inner water level to be set at no higher than the collar where the cup meets the body.
Blockage - The air intake otherwise known as the venturi, is like small vacuum pulling air from the surrounding environment. Often collecting dust and debris from the air which can block the proper amount of air to enter the pump increasing the water being pulled by the pump. It is also common for saltcreap to build up in the venturi and will need to be removed manually by scraping it away or dissolving in a solution of vinegar and water. Make sure you inspect the air venture, silencer and air hose for any debris or salt creep deposits. Also be sure the air hose is not bent or too long preventing proper air flow into the pump.

You made note that 2 and 3 might not be the issue...

I would start by checking for "Blockages" in the air intake... I have seen dust accumulate over time and cause overflow issues in the air lines, also at the base of the skimmer pump that attached the nipple to the airline, I have see calcium deposit build up and cause overflows.

Oceansize · Jul 16, 2015

Sorry if you explained this already, but is it just that the water level is higher in the skimmer or is the skimmate itself more sudsy/bubbly?

If the level is higher, are you using a sponge at the end of your outflow? I do (to minimize bubbles returning to the tank), and it occasionally gets gunked up which restricts flow and raises the water level in the skimmer.

If the skimmate is more sudsy, have you recently cleaned the skimmer? Stirred up anything in the tank? Recently added any different chemicals? Reached into the tank with sunscreen or other lotion on your skin?

I have found all sorts of minor chemistry changes can cause the skimmer to get more sudsy and start overflowing, fortunately in my case my skimmer collection cup has a short overflow tube that I run back to the DT. (My skimmer is HOB so the collection cup is right next to the tank rim). Running overflow skimmate back to the tank or sump is obviously not a good thing, but it's a heck of a lot better than on the floor. This setup is just until I get home from work and can empty the collection cup.