Having to reset skimmer after shutting off and powering back on

[DSDoyle]

Hello,

I have an internal 150 Octopus skimmer with a VarioS 2 pump. Almost every time I shut the skimmer off for any reason I have to "tune" the skimmer by way of the either of the pump speed and/or the gate valve on the skimmer housing. When I power the skimmer back on, the height of the water in the sump has not changed.

I have had the pump for months and I would think the "break in time" would be done by now.

I e-mailed back and forth with Coral Vue, but did not get an answer that made any sense. I do not think they really read the message.

Please advise.

Thank you,

Don

 

[slief]

When you shut a skimmer off, it takes some time for it to settle back in. It could take as long as 24 hours even when shut off for a short amount of time. If you had your hands in the water, the oils in your skin impact the surface agitation of the water which can kill the foam head for hours too. If your issue is that the skimmer overflows when you turn it back on, you may have the skimmer set really wet to compensate for a light load. It could also be salt buildup in the venturi port where the airline connects to the pump. Restrictions in airflow cause the pump to inject more water into the skimmer which raise the water level inside the body often resulting in overflows.

A bit more info on what the skimmer does when you power it back on would be helpful in narrowing down what may be the root cause. Also knowing how long it’s powered off for would help too.