Tank random overflowing problems

[lilbitreefer]

Ok so about a month ago my skimmer over flowed and the AVAST container I had connected to my Apex somhow go disabled and spilled all over the floor. Luckily we caught it soon enough. I completley disassembled my skimmer and cleaned it. now Today suddenly my skimmer over flowed again luckliy my AVAST did what it was supposed to do and shut it off. I cannot see anything blocking anything and after I restarted the skimmer it was working fine. Dose anyone have any recomendations.

Also, a few months ago I noticed my overflow seemed to be draining slow creating a full siphon. I adjust the return pump and cleaned and checked all the plumbing, clean no major blockages. Thought it was my reurtn pump acting up so I bough a new one and the same problem is still occuring. I bought the Ecotech Marine S1. The return over flow section is still filling up really close to the rim pulling a full siphon still. I have tried lowing the rate I am at 50% right now. I am wondering if I lower it any more then I will not be turning around enough water for filtration.

Maybe the overflow is breaking the full siohon causing an influx of water to the sump thus causing the skimmer to over flow? I have no idea.

Please help any ideas I do not want to flood my house...

 

[lilbitreefer]

You can see the original water line from the algae build up.

 

[Greybeard]

I'm not positive I'm understanding the problem... or the photo, for that matter.

Is that a photo of an internal overflow box?

One low, and one high drain point from the overflow box? Standard 'Herbie' style drain system, right?

What's below? There should be a valve, preferably a gate valve, on the lower drain line. That valve adjusted to take _nearly_ all of the return pump flow, with a slow trickle of water flowing into the high drain line. The lower line should always be running at full siphon. The upper, just a trickle of water passing through, regulated by the gate valve on the lower drain pipe.

The overflow and drain system should be able to handle a volume greater than what the return pump is capable of pushing. No matter how high you turn your pump, it should not be capable of exceeding the capacity of your overflow system.

The statement: "The return over flow section is still filling up really close to the rim pulling a full siphon still. " This would indicate to me that there is some problem in the design or capacity of the overflow system. The only reason for water level in the overflow box to climb would be that the overflow system is incapable of handling the volume being pumped to the tank.

I _think_ I'm seeing 2x 1" overflow pipes. A 1" pipe, unrestricted, should flow something around 900 gph. For a herbie system using 2x 1" overflows, I'd suggest a maximum of that... 900 gph. What is your pump moving?

As for the skimmer, if you're having inconsistent water levels in your sump, that would account for the skimmer flooding periodically. If water level in a skimmer section rise, the skimmer will naturally skim more 'wet'... flooding it's cup with what is essentially just water.

Get the tank/sump levels regulated... the skimmer will likely take care of itself.

 

[lilbitreefer]

Ok sorry for the confusion, I have the Durso over flow. There are two of them one each side of the tank. It is 120G. So the tank has been up for over two years now. The Left side works fine but the right side is the one getting backed up. I do know there is a slight unbalance to the right I noticed when I first set it up the tank over two years ago and have had no problems until now. For some reason the right side keeps pulling a full siphon and I am nervous there might be an overflow in the future if I do not fix the overflow.