**FLOOD Help ASAP**

[chatyak]

My protein skimmer overflowed and flooded the downstairs!! It emptied the freshwater top off bin too because of it and it all went to the tank..... what causes this to happen?

It's a lifereef skimmer and I've had it set at a certain level for a couple of months with no issue... suddenly the water line was way too high and just pouring into the skimmer which empties into a bucket via drain hose and even that overflowed! arghh

[NirvanaFan]

did you add anything to the tank recently? chemicals, top off water, etc?

[Freed]

This is a DIY showing how you can eliminate the threat of overflowing your floor in the future:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1471253

[chatyak]

I haven't added anything except some phytoplankton earlier this afternoon and some flake food this evening. I had the skimmer running before when I did that and nothing has ever happened. It drained so much i lost .002 on the salinity within a very short period of time.... argh!!!!!!!!!

[Tswifty]

I wouldn't worry too much. It happens to us all, I used to overflow my AquaC Ev all the time.

You should consider adding some type failsafe:

I recently saw a setup where you can hook up a float switch in the waste container so it will kill the power to the skimmer if the container would fill. I actually think a company started to produce containers with the switch already installed. I forget which company does it though.

Also, I've heard of rigging up the air intake to the skimmer's collection cup. I believe the reasoning is that once the collection cup fills, the skimmate will block the air intake to the pump. Which will prevent the skimmer from continuing to skim, but I don't have experience with how it's set up.

[Flipper62]

Sorry to here this.......Overflows always suc$ .....without any pics its hard to say.......BUT..... I can say....look into some check valves.

There is the possibility that the power goes out & then there is the siphon flow affect.........all of the water higher....will siphon out to the lower............THEN......SUMP....OVERFLOW

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446034#post13446034 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flipper62
Sorry to here this.......Overflows always suc$ .....without any pics its hard to say.......BUT..... I can say....look into some check valves.

There is the possibility that the power goes out & then there is the siphon flow affect.........all of the water higher....will siphon out to the lower............THEN......SUMP....OVERFLOW

Power outages don't affect me because all of my gear is hooked into a big ol backup power supply that runs for 8+ hours ... but alas.... not a lousy skimmer overflow :(

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13445902#post13445902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
I wouldn't worry too much. It happens to us all, I used to overflow my AquaC Ev all the time.

You should consider adding some type failsafe:

I recently saw a setup where you can hook up a float switch in the waste container so it will kill the power to the skimmer if the container would fill. I actually think a company started to produce containers with the switch already installed. I forget which company does it though.

Also, I've heard of rigging up the air intake to the skimmer's collection cup. I believe the reasoning is that once the collection cup fills, the skimmate will block the air intake to the pump. Which will prevent the skimmer from continuing to skim, but I don't have experience with how it's set up.

I think the float switch is the best idea. Do you know of where I could find these to cut the power to the skimmer? hmmm but my skimmer is connected to a backup power supply...

as for the air intake it is a lifereef and the little tubing connects from the collection cup to the venturi but i have a drain tube in the cup so it drains before it reaches that.

[chatyak]

well how about that.... lifereef has one.

[Tswifty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446070#post13446070 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chatyak
I think the float switch is the best idea. Do you know of where I could find these to cut the power to the skimmer? hmmm but my skimmer is connected to a backup power supply...

as for the air intake it is a lifereef and the little tubing connects from the collection cup to the venturi but i have a drain tube in the cup so it drains before it reaches that.
Yeah, I like the float switch idea the best. I'm not really familiar with the air intake mod.

You would plug the skimmer into the float switch control which would be plugged into your backup power. So the switch would only control the skimmer, not the power supply.

You could make one like melevs DIY top off unit. You would just need to pick up a reversible float switch, so instead of turning on something, it would cut power. I believe the terminolgy is... changing it from "normally on" to "normally off" or something like that.

aquahub sells switches. Just make sure to pick up a reversible one.

Here's the link to the DIY...
http://www.melevsreef.com/plumbing/auto_topoff.html

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13444973#post13444973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
This is a DIY showing how you can eliminate the threat of overflowing your floor in the future:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1471253

That would be a great idea except the tank is already as low as it can get. The pipe would have to run across the middle of the room on the floor :(

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446110#post13446110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
Yeah, I like the float switch idea the best. I'm not really familiar with the air intake mod.

You would plug the skimmer into the float switch control which would be plugged into your backup power. So the switch would only control the skimmer, not the power supply.

You could make one like melevs DIY top off unit. You would just need to pick up a reversible float switch, so instead of turning on something, it would cut power. I believe the terminolgy is... changing it from "normally on" to "normally off" or something like that.

aquahub sells switches. Just make sure to pick up a reversible one.

Here's the link to the DIY...
http://www.melevsreef.com/plumbing/auto_topoff.html

hmm i'm confused... what do i hook the switch up to? don't i need some sort of 'control' box?

[Tswifty]

No check out the DIY. You wire the switch into the extension cord.

All your doing is either allowing the current to pass through the extension cord, or cutting it via the float switch.

When the float swith rises, it will cut the current moving through the cord, shutting off the skimmer.

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446162#post13446162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
No check out the DIY. You wire the switch into the extension cord.

All your doing is either allowing the current to pass through the extension cord, or cutting it via the float switch.

When the float swith rises, it will cut the current moving through the cord, shutting off the skimmer.

ahhh the diy on melevs

so in my case.... if the switch rises.... it would cut the power from the skimmer.

i plug the skimmer to the extension cord.... and the extension cord to the backup power supply?

[camlov2]

If you could create an overflow for the 5 gallon bucket that would return the water to the sump that would fix the problem of the overflow. It could still add about 4 gallons of freshwater to the tank but that would be it.

[Tswifty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446211#post13446211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chatyak
i plug the skimmer to the extension cord.... and the extension cord to the backup power supply?
Correct.

[chatyak]

Ok that doesn't sound too bad. I will create a thread when I get around to that.

[Tswifty]

Good stuff... I plan on hooking one up to an ATO on my 30g QT tank that I just drilled. Just haven't had to time to do so yet.

Good luck.

[chatyak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13446385#post13446385 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
Good stuff... I plan on hooking one up to an ATO on my 30g QT tank that I just drilled. Just haven't had to time to do so yet.

Good luck.

Yea I'll need it! I actually remember you complaining about your overflowing skimmer over a year ago... something at 3am... i remember reading the post and laughing really hard.... now i can laugh even harder becauase the same thing happened to me

hahah


I will take some video of the kole and post it to my thread soon for opinions on its health.

[Tswifty]

:lol:

Yeah that was a nightmare. That skimmer emptied the sump onto my floor probably 5 times.

I got so frustrated with it that I ended up selling it less than a month after I purchased it.

I'll never purchase another AquaC Ev series skimmer after that mess. I'm not bashing their products by any means, but that experience I went through was enough to keep me away from their skimmers for life.

It also really makes me appreciate how well my current protein skimmer functions.