need advice

[ReefNut2010]

I continue to have serious problems with my SWC 180 cone skimmer. It overflows on a regular basis even though I dial it back, specially at night. I ordered a Skimmate Locker which unfortunately has not arrived. This morning , I woke once more to 5g of water on my living room floor !! I adjusted the sensor on the ATO to only allow that much water to transfer.Otherwise it may have been worse. This has happened about every couple of days even though I've tried to avoid it at all cost. All that's left is to turn off the skimmer ! Could there be something wrong with this unit? I owned a Octopus 150 previously, which was also ventury driven and that unit never overflowed. This thing cost me $425.00 and it has been a royal pita. I am ready to contact the manufacturer and return it. To top it off, the 5 g of fresh water from the ATO caused the salinity to fluctuate again and eventually my return pump was running dry !! Might need a new one. I must say I have never had so many overflow problems with a skimmer before. Please advice. I'm thinking of going back to Octopus. Maybe a Super Reef 2000. I'm regreting not getting the Octopus Super Reef from the get go. Might have avoided the rude awakenings and extra expenses. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[chappy]

how many inches of water do you have it in
how high up the chamber do you keep the water level

 

[Guest]

Is your exit pipe submerged? How many inches of water is the skimmer sitting in

 

[bimmerzs]

Hi,
First thing...that company has HORRIBLE customer service so don't expect your money back. Are you sure you water level isn't fluctuating in the area the skimmer is in?? Maybe the amount of water evaporating varies due to environmental factors....does your ATO work on a timer or tops off as needed?? What kind of pump does that skimmer use(sicce?)..do you shut the skimmer off during feeding?? Have you inspected the pump's impeller??

Cheers,

 

[ReefNut2010]

Chappy, it's in 7.75" of water. I keep the big bubbles right at the top of the neck or try to work it so the skimmer creates a head of foam, it collapses, then does it again (kind of hard to keep it working at this level).

Kuyatwo, exit pipe is sumerged .

Bimmers, I think perhaps their customer service has improved! I had questions and was immediatly contacted from Canada.I don't know if they will be willing to give me my money back though, even though I've only had this thing for a few months. The skimmer uses the Sicce 2500.The water level fluctuates if the ato adds more water than is needed. I've never seen this vary more than 1/4".I don't have 3 baffles between the skimmer area and the return area(only 2).I keep a close eye on this due to all the problems I've been having. I do shut the pump off during feedings. The impeller is in excellent condition. I clean it monthly. I clean the collection cup daily. The ato tops off as needed.

 

[Guest]

Instead of turning the skimmer on and off just take the skimmer cup off. The reason why is the 2500 impeller can spin either direction and usually one way is better than the other.

Try having the exit tube out of of the water as the back pressure might be source of the trouble

 

[ReefNut2010]

To get the exit tube out of water, I would have to raise the skimmer another 1.5-2". Is that ok ? Intstructions say minimum of 7" of water for this skimmer. I can't wait to get my skimmate locker !! Hopefully it puts an end to this.

 

[Guest]

It doesn't need to be fully out of the water even half way.

Just try it and see what happens I used tupperware container without the lid for a temporary stand till I could make one out of acrylic.

What are you using Mesh wheel or pinwheel (purple or red)

Also I would take off the air intake and silencer and make sure it has nothing in there

 

[bimmerzs]

@kuyatwo wrote:

+1 and if you adjust it while the pump is spinning backwards and turn it off and back on after feeding it will start overflowing at some point.

 

[ReefNut2010]

Ok, I'll bring it up some so it could be somewhat out of water. I'm using the Red Demon pinwheel and this particular skimmer has an adjustable air intake(kept clean). They suggest having it fully opened. I personally think it draws way to much air with the red pinwheel, so I scale it back some. Otherwise the bubbles are to big, and it skims really wet. Is there a way to tell when the impeller is running backwards, other than the apparent bubble (water) line? Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Guest]

@ReefNut2010 wrote:

Are you talking about the red knob isn't that what controls the flow exiting the skimmer you should have it wide open so it let's max water out then slowly over time dial it in. If it is closed it raises the water level inside the skimmer

 

[bimmerzs]

No adjustable air input to those skimmers, the air just goes to a noise reducer doesn't it?? The adjustment range can be really small going from large to small bubbles...are you waiting 8-12hrs between adjustment's?? To tell if it running backwards just cover the air hole and check where the water line is at, unplug it a few times to see any difference.

Cheers,

 

[ReefNut2010]

These units have water level control (red knob) and air control (white knob with plus/minus sign). Played around with both plenty, trying to fine tune it. I'm guessing between the pump running backwards, my attempts at adjustment and the slight water level fluctuations, I get overflows. Hopefully with the output above water, more vigilance on pump rotation and with the skimmate locker in place, my problem will be solved. If not, it's a gonner !!

 

[ReefNut2010]

Finally got my skimmate locker today. Very easy to set up. Hopefully it was worth the $$$. I'll update results in a few days, after trial. Minimized water level fluctuation in skimmer area by placing a piece of PVC between the two baffles, with holes drilled in it. It is working very well, and helping with some micro bubbles that were entering the DT.