EuroReef skimmer is killing me

[vinny]

I turned it on again and have the Riser Pipe at the lowest hight and still I have a LOT of water coming over the Riser Pipe. I shut it down and start it back up again the with the Riser Pipe up and the same thing happens so then I start to draw it down slowly and what do I find out,that nothing changes. Why do I need to build or buy Gate Valve Outlet Assembly Kit and stop using the Riser Pipe that it came with.I'm sure that these get tested and pass inspection before they sell.I recieved a good amount of positive feed back and very little negative feed back(mostly the price) on these skimmers I went with the majority on this so i'm thinking that it just might be my skimmer.

 

[dz6t]

I think it is killing another BRS member too.

 

[PenMan]

Usually when I get too much water from the outlet, it means that the air tube is blocked. Is this new or have you been using it for a while? A round wood tooth pick is about the right size to clean the hole in the plastic pump connection.

 

[maurod]

Could the skimmer be too low in the water?

 

[NateHanson]

Maybe I'm misreading or confused, but are you trying to decrease the amount of water coming out the riser pipe by lowering the riser pipe? (And are we calling the adjustable output tube on the outside of the skimmer the riser pipe?)

I think of the water coming out of the riser pipe as being fairly constant regardless of riser pipe position. Move it up until there's foam collecting in the collection cup on top of the skimmer.

Again, maybe I'm just misunderstanding your problem.

Nate

 

[vinny]

Usually when I get too much water from the outlet, it means that the air tube is blocked. Is this new or have you been using it for a while? A round wood tooth pick is about the right size to clean the hole in the plastic pump connection.

Yes this is new it ran for a couple of weeks and then after it was shut down for this problem and now I tried to start it up again playing with the Riser Pipe and theirs just to much water flowing out of the Pipe.

 

[vinny]

Could the skimmer be too low in the water?

I have the water colum set at anywere from 6"-8",thats what the manufacture recommends.

 

[Dave]

Give Euro Reef a call they are suppose to have excellent customer support.
There is some good info here too http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=972765&highlight=club+euro+reef

 

[MikeG]

The amount of water coming out of the pipe should not change. Moving the riser pipe up will raise the water level inside the skimmer allowing you to skim wetter. Lowering the riser pipe will lower the water level in the skimmer. Again there should be no change in how much water comes out of the riser pipe.

 

[vinny]

Maybe I'm misreading or confused, but are you trying to decrease the amount of water coming out the riser pipe by lowering the riser pipe? (And are we calling the adjustable output tube on the outside of the skimmer the riser pipe?)

I think of the water coming out of the riser pipe as being fairly constant regardless of riser pipe position. Move it up until there's foam collecting in the collection cup on top of the skimmer.

Again, maybe I'm just misunderstanding your problem.

Nate

Yes and Yes

 

[wmcguire]

I have to agree with Vinny. My RS-80 is a real challenge to tweak. Some days it appears to run OK, other moments the catch cup fills with water, rapidly. So I adjust the rise tube, the water level in the tube changes (sometimes).If I tweak the skimmer to where I have a good dry foam about 3" below the catch cup, it works for a while - then, eventually spills over.

If I set the water level to 6-8" (as suggested by mfg), my foam level doesn't rise high enough. Maybe I'm to new at this, but at what level should the foam be??? It seams to creep up with time.

I did speak with Euro-reef yesterday. they suggested to "shut motor off, turn fill tube to the open position, open the air ALL the way (in fact, he suggested to remove the air control valve completely). Then, slowly turn the fill tube until the foam level is a few inches below the catch cup."

I'm still trying to tweak mine with the above suggestions. BUT, my tank appears to slowly rise and fall (in the overfill) that causes my skimmer to overfill daily.

Open to any ideas.

 

[NateHanson]

I turned it on again and have the Riser Pipe at the lowest hight and still I have a LOT of water coming over the Riser Pipe.

Do you mean you still have a lot of water coming into the collection cup? Otherwise I don't know what the issue is. Water is supposed to be coming out of the riser tube at all times.


If the issue is that water is filling the collection cup even with the riser tube slid all the way down, then my first guesses would be that the skimmer is too deep in the sump, or the outlet pipe/riser tube may be restricted somehow. (manuf. defect? debris?)

Nate

 

[vinny]

The amount of water coming out of the pipe should not change. Moving the riser pipe up will raise the water level inside the skimmer allowing you to skim wetter. Lowering the riser pipe will lower the water level in the skimmer. Again there should be no change in how much water comes out of the riser pipe.

The water comes out so fast that it looks like it belongs on an outdoor pond.

 

[NateHanson]

I'm still trying to tweak mine with the above suggestions. BUT, my tank appears to slowly rise and fall (in the overfill) that causes my skimmer to overfill daily.

Open to any ideas.

So are you saying that the sump water level is going up and down in the compartment where your skimmer is installed? That's probably your problem. If you have room you can separate the skimmer compartment of the sump from the return pump using a baffle. keep the water level slightly higher in that compartment than in the return compartment, and the water level will remain constant for the skimmer.

You can also address the source of the fluctuation, which is your drain plumbing. It could be that you have too much backpressure on your outlet in the sump, and that can be addressed by getting the outlet pipe closer to the water surface (if it's deeply submerged). The other possible cause of this surging is that your durso in the tank overflow isn't getting enough airflow. Increase the size of the hole in the top of the durso, or clean out the built-up salt.

Nate

 

[vinny]

Do you mean you still have a lot of water coming into the collection cup? Otherwise I don't know what the issue is. Water is supposed to be coming out of the riser tube at all times.


If the issue is that water is filling the collection cup even with the riser tube slid all the way down, then my first guesses would be that the skimmer is too deep in the sump, or the outlet pipe/riser tube may be restricted somehow. (manuf. defect? debris?)

Nate

No sorry its not in the collection cup the water is shooting out from.I understand that it supposed to come out of the riser pipe but when this was first turned on it was fine with no problems and then one day it decided to turn into a fountain.

 

[NateHanson]

The water comes out so fast that it looks like it belongs on an outdoor pond.

Is the body of the skimmer filled with bubbles? It should be completely opaque from the millions of tiny bubbles. If not, then your air tube, air valve, or venturi are plugged. This would also cause the water volume coming from the pump to increase. Try removing the air valve first. If that doesn't change things, remove the pump, take off the venturi and hose, and inspect them to make sure they're clear and that air can flow freely through them.

 

[scavdog]

I have to agree with Vinny. My RS-80 is a real challenge to tweak. Some days it appears to run OK, other moments the catch cup fills with water, rapidly. So I adjust the rise tube, the water level in the tube changes (sometimes).If I tweak the skimmer to where I have a good dry foam about 3" below the catch cup, it works for a while - then, eventually spills over.

I have an RS-80 that I scooped up from MACNA. With this new design, you really need to make sure your sump level is at a constant. In the particular system, the skimmer is in the same chamber as the return. I use a float switch to maintain a nice constant sump level. In the past I would raise the sump level an inch or so and the skimmer would fill up the cup.



-Joe

 

[NateHanson]

No sorry its not in the collection cup the water is shooting out from.I understand that it supposed to come out of the riser pipe but when this was first turned on it was fine with no problems and then one day it decided to turn into a fountain.

This definitely sounds like the air hose got blocked. Rinse everything in warm fresh water to remove salt creep. Inspect the air hose/venturi hole/air valve for blockages.

 

[vinny]

Yes Nate its filled with millions of tiny bubbles and they also go thru my riser pipe and back into the sump wich inturn back into my display.

 

[vinny]

Ok i'm going to try that now thanks I hope this works the skimmer is only over a months old.