Skimmer Surging

[NYC OZ]

After a month and a half of slowly removing the bio balls from my Wet/Dry, I was finally able to turn it into a sump. Here is the the problem:
When I hooked my protien skimmer back up, it is surging.Fills up then empties a little and fills back up and empties a little and on and on and on.....

Why is it doing this? I tried it with the return hoses submerged and not submerged.

It is a Red Sea Turbo with a kent venturi and a Rio 2500.

Please help!!

 

[Tackett]

try turning the flowrate down. Do you mean surging like foam or like water through the chamber?

 

[Anonymous]

if i hear you right, you are saying that the skimmer is filling and emptying, not the sump?

if so, could it be that a siphon is forming and sucking the skimmer dry?

 

[NYC OZ]

The water in the chamber. It fills than flushes out then fills again. Can it be the head pressure on the pump?

 

[danmhippo]

You meant the bubbles rise up to the top and then suddenly bubble all fizzles out, and later rises up to the top again?

Or it's the water level in the skimmer chamber that rises and falls?

Is the skimmer in sump or external?

 

[NYC OZ]

It's the water level. External skimmer.
Seems like a head pressure problem. Would cleaning the magnet on the impeller shaft with some sand paper help? after I noticed the problem I ran the pump in hot water for about 10 mins and clean it up and it seemed fine. But once I hooked it up the problem was still there.

Thanks

 

[liquid]

You're creating a siphon using your return lines to the sump. I'm also using a RSB turbo w/ kent venturi with a Mag12 pump. I suspect that the black vinyl hose on the top of your outlet on your skimmer are plugged. Those are there to stop a siphon from forming. Check them and see if they're plugged. Also, a photo(s) of your skimmer in action would help. I suspect it's either your anti-siphon holes are plugged and/or a plumbing issue.

Shane

 

[NYC OZ]

OK. So the 2 small air lines coming of the top are anti siphon hoses. Is this correct? I will see if they are clogged. I was wondering what they were for. The plumbing should be fine, as I only took the return hoses of the top of the wet/dry and put them in the sump area.

thanks

 

[liquid]

So the 2 small air lines coming of the top are anti siphon hoses.

Yes, that is correct.

Shane

 

[NYC OZ]

Tried to clean them out and still the same issue. Will try a spare pump tonight.