room flooded 2 days in a row... help?

[justchad]

the skimmer is set to skim dry(valve all the way open) and the skimmer overflowed with water not foam twice. My only thought is that the pipe going back to the sump is under the water level in the sump. Is that ok or does it have to be above the water line? Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? If not can somebody bring me a row boat?

 

[curt]

what are you feeding the skimmer with?is there a valve on the feed pump?
what valve are you using to adjust the skimmer?
a valve after the feed pump should be used to adjust the water level in the skimmer and that red valve is used to fine tune it
it shouldn't matter if the return pipe is in or out of the water just adjust so there is no or little noise

 

[ds4x4]

sounds like it is too deep in the water.. my 250 sits in 8-10" of water at all times then i adjust the wedge pipe for control of the water level.. try turning the 90 a little so theres not much back pressure and check your depth

 

[onefish2fish]

to dry skim the valve should be more towards being closed, no?
at the very least it shouldnt be all the way open.

my understanding is gate valves offer a finer adjustment then ball valves. just a thought.

 

[jceli728]

Sounds like your water level is too high. Take a look in your manual and look for what is the proper water level for your skimmer operation.

 

[vangvace]

How high up on the skimmer is the sump's water level? Are you getting bubbles? When you're tuning your skimmer you are going to want to tweak the valve and check up on it a few times. The bubbly water level can take some time to settle to a true level. At the aquarium, they normally rise after I've adjusted them post cleaning. I'm talking around 6 inches on a 4-5 foot tall skimmer in an hour. That's with a gate valve to boot.

I don't know if that was any help though and +1 on the gate valve.

 

[onefish2fish]

and if the skimmer is that clean and shiny its going to take a week or so (give or take) to "break in"

basically it has to build up a slime to skim properly.

i know on my skimmer i have the water level set pretty low and the bubbles rise up a good 1 1/2 - 2 feet to dry skim.

 

[ds4x4]

to dry skim the valve should be more towards being closed, no?
at the very least it shouldnt be all the way open.

my understanding is gate valves offer a finer adjustment then ball valves. just a thought.

if it's new it will need a week or so to break in.. ~onefish~ the ball valve being closed would keep water thats being injected with air in the body when you open that valve it lets more water leave and lower your level in the body..

When you set the level put the bubbles half way up in the cup.. then the junk should bubble up and over

 

[onefish2fish]

the ball valve being closed would keep water thats being injected with air in the body when you open that valve it lets more water leave and lower your level in the body..

thinking more about it, your absolutely right

 

[AqOb]

Sounds like 2 possibilities. You don't want back pressure in the plumbing back to the sump (under the waterline of the sump. Also double check the flow rate you have going through the skimmer. The feed pump only needs to flow 1.5 to 2 times your system volume.
-Ethan

 

[justchad]

thanks for everyones help. ;D