Super Skimmer problem

[zyglow]

I have a Super Skimmer 220 hanging off of my tank. I have a steady stream of water coming out of the vent hole, and the collection cup is filling up ever 6 hours or so. Even with the adjustment dial in the closed position still produces a wet skim. The pump is 2" below the water line and I've removed the bubble diffuser with no luck. Any ideas? My wife is about to kill me over the wet carpet.

 

[dannable]

How old is your skimmer? If it is fairly new you will need to break it in for 2 or 3 weeks. Set the needle wheel pump valve to a 45 degree angle and turn the dial to the lowest setting. Your water level should be just below the cup. Leave it for a couple weeks and then try it out.

 

[Joshua1023]

Thats odd. I know they have a tendency to overflow if the water level changes and you don't tweek the water flow in the skimmer to match. I don't know why it would create such skimmate constantly.
Just to clarify, the adjustment knob lowers the water the more its open, not closed. I figure thats what you meant, it just didn't come out right.
Check to see that the air input for the venturi is cleared of any salt creep.
Also, is the skimmer seeming to make a good amount of bubbles? Are they nice and tiny? If not, that could be your problem there.

 

[Joshua1023]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10023327#post10023327 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dannable
Set the needle wheel pump valve to a 45 degree angle and turn the dial to the lowest setting.

What do you mean? I've never heard that before.

 

[Bonsai7255]

Sounds like you return hose is blocked. If you are using the bubble trap the piece of fiber in the bottom of it could be filled with debrit. Take your bubble trap off and see if that fixes your problem,if it doesn't you might want to take the return hose completely off and see if it has anything stuck in it.

 

[Bonsai7255]

Sorry re-read your post and saw that you have already removed the bubble trap. My suggestion would be to take it off the tank and clean your return completely.

 

[Bonsai7255]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10023369#post10023369 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Joshua1023

Just to clarify, the adjustment knob lowers the water the more its open, not closed. I figure thats what you meant, it just didn't come out right.

With him having water coming out of the venthose I would think there is an obstruction somewhere past the venthole in the return. I had mine to do that and realized my return hose was sitting on top of the foam in the bubble diffuser.

 

[Joshua1023]

If he took off the bubble diffuser, I don't see where the obstruction could be, even if he had the return in the water, it shouldn't do what he is describing. I know that it could do some pretty funky things when the return is blocked. I'm just not sure that is what is going on in this case.

 

[Bonsai7255]

I might have been mistaken. After I thought about it I thought maybe he was talking about the venthole in top of the collection cup and not the anti-siphon hole in the return. If it's the venthole in top of the collection cup it probably means he has the water level too high or the red valve is damaged.

 

[Joshua1023]

I guess if Zyglow doesn't return to his post we'll never know. I was curious to see what he came up w/.

 

[Bonsai7255]

I was curious myself. Like I said the only time mine did that I had the return crammed into the foam in the bubble diffuser.

 

[HBtank]

They are touchy little skimmers, I never modded it but was used to getting it dialed in.

Always start with the output into the foam first and get it placed good but not to deep causing to much backpressure (or use none if in the sump and you have baffles) and then set the red dial after the output is placed. I always set the bubble column about mid way up inside the cup.

If you only have a little bit of the red dial to adjust (and it is below 9'oclock) to get the bubble height tight, then there is to much backpressure. I awlays had it set so I was setting the dial to at least 9 o'clock or above to get the height right.

 

[carlso63]

I have a CSS220 and I have it set for a very "dry skim" -

The water line / level in my skimmer 'neck' is about 1" below the bottom of the collection cup; not set anywhere inside the cup. In other words, open the red dial very, veeeeeeeeery slowly - in tiny increments - until you see the water / foam dividing line drop down below the collection cup, about one full inch. It may take several hours before the skimmate foam rises up enough into the neck to spill any foam into the collection cup, but it will eventually.

And you will not have to worry about overflows any longer.

BTW - if you have water coming out that little vent hole on the return then something is blocking your return pipe. Check inside it; maybe there is some foam from the diffuser block stuck in there or something...

Also, there is no NW pump dial valve on the 220; I think that is only on the 65...