Skimmer overflow

[braddo]

I am running an older unbranded skimmer similar to an ASM G3, it has a 6" body, a 1.5" neck and is powered by a Sedra 5000. If the water level in the sump increase 1/2" or if I don't leave the skimmer off long enough after feeding the tank the result is an overflowed skimmer.

I've noticed newer skimmers are being designed with wider bodies and necks. Do these new designs offer any benefits with regards to overflow tendencies or are skimmer overflows a fact of life?

 

[Myteemouse]

Yes a biger neck and bigger body reduces over flow for sure!
I have a SWC250 and It only overflows right after a water change if I don't turn it down for a few hours..
Also in the 29 I have a euroreef 135 and it Never overflows..

 

[Chichas01]

Sounds like you skimmer is in the return section of your sump. If you can move it to the section getting the overflow from the tank, then the water level should not change at all.

 

[Skimmy]

there's probably a couple things going on there...

first is the 1.5" neck is probably being overdriven by the sedra 5000 pump making the foam head hard to control, an improperly matched pump-skimmer body combination is prone to overflowing if the pump is too powerful.

second is the external factors like the water level of the sump, the amount it fluctuates, feedings/dosings/wc's etc.

so basically I would experiment with raising your skimmer body up and down to see if there is a difference in skimming, i.e. get some egg crate and make squares to sit underneath your skimmer and to raise it up out of the water some, and see if it mellows out some...
if that doesnt work, then you might look at getting a sedra 3500 instead of a sedra 5000 for that body size. BUT, the 1.5 neck is lame any way you slice it. and for $58 more than a new sedra 3500 pump, you can buy a bubble magus NAC6 for $138 which would be more powerful anyway.
http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers/bubble-magus-nac6.html

also, get yourself an automatic top off for your sump to maintain the same water level and salinity, this will make any skimmer more stable as well.

 

[braddo]

Thanks for the help guys. The skimmer is sitting in the designated skimmer section however due to poor planning I made my baffles only about 7" high, the water depth I wanted my skimmer to sit in. This reduced my usable sump volume and due to the way I top off my tank I have a tendancy add a bit too much sometimes. Next time around I will be sure to make the baffles higher and set my skimmer depth by setting it on a riser.

I take Mark's advice for now and try raising it up to see if it helps make it more stable. If that fails I'll look into a new skimmer.