How often do you clean your protein skimmer?

[nickh06]

Was curious on how often you guys clean your protein skimmer. Had an accident the other night....

Did my water change, filter sock change etc etc

noticed the skimmer wasn't working all that great so I made some adjustments. Came back half hour later to about 5 gallons of water on my hardwood floors.. FML lol

Luckily no damage occured (cleaned it up with lots of towels and put a fan on it right away). Needless to say I no longer have a skimmer overflow container. If it ever happens again it will overflow straight in the sump. Also orderd a leakfrog which I heard can save you $1000's.

Skimmer is pretty dirty- looking for your input

 

[glxtrix]

You could also put a float switch in the lid (if large enough) so if it start to overflow the switch will cut power to the skimmer. Another method is routing the air line to the top cup. Once it fills up water will get sucked into the intake and the pump will stop producing foam. But to the question....every 2 weeks for me along with all other maintenance stuffs.

 

[nickh06]

glxtrix;904623 wrote: You could also put a float switch in the lid (if large enough) so if it start to overflow the switch will cut power to the skimmer. Another method is routing the air line to the top cup. Once it fills up water will get sucked into the intake and the pump will stop producing foam. But to the question....every 2 weeks for me along with all other maintenance stuffs.

Yeah I read about those but the easiest way for me is to just make a habit of checking the collection cup. Skim overflows tend to get fairly nasty smelling after awhile... Thanks for the input!

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

glxtrix;904623 wrote: You could also put a float switch in the lid (if large enough) so if it start to overflow the switch will cut power to the skimmer. Another method is routing the air line to the top cup. Once it fills up water will get sucked into the intake and the pump will stop producing foam. But to the question....every 2 weeks for me along with all other maintenance stuffs.

Would've been cheaper than the leakfrog. I have a switch in my waste collection container to prevent overflows. If the waste level reaches the float, it cuts power to the skimmer and it remains off until I empty the container and manually reset it. Cost me all of $5 to do.

I clean the throat/cup everytime I empty it (about once a week) but I take the entire skimmer apart and clean it about every 3 or 4 months.

 

[glxtrix]

Indeed. Back when I had a few overflows, it always happened at night....no fun. Fortunately mine is in the sump and just dumps back to the tank if it ever happens.

 

[nickh06]

porpoiseaquatics;904625 wrote: Would've been cheaper than the leakfrog. I have a switch in my waste collection container to prevent overflows. If the waste level reaches the float, it cuts power to the skimmer and it remains off until I empty the container and manually reset it. Cost me all of $5 to do.

I clean the throat/cup everytime I empty it (about once a week) but I take the entire skimmer apart and clean it about every 3 or 4 months.

Luckily I got the leakfrog for $10, and it will help protect against other leaks or atleast let me know about them. Good to know about the cleaning routine. I will have to start doing that.

 

[tbub1221]

I clean mine monthly and the cup and neck get cleaned weekly or sooner if its really grose.
I find that if I take mine apart to clean it doesn't run good for a few 2-4 days until its broken in again and the inner walls are slime coated .

 

[snowmansnow]

There are a few things on my BK that require more attention than others. Other than simply cleaning the collection cup riser I will pull off the silencer on the end of the air intake a few times a year and blow through it.

MORE than once I've found that salt deposits.. dust... and other goodies are clogging it.

Keep that air intake clean

 

[rjrgroup]

2 X week and the entire skimmer every couple months.

 

[supermancrv]

I bought a swabbie and a skim locker from avast and it has made my life stupid simple from a skimmer perspective. the locker has a pressure switch witch cuts the skimmer off once full the swabbie keeps the neck clean so the skimmer keeps performing at top notch. Not super cheap but well worth the investment in my opinion.

 

[saltbubbles]

I clean mine weekly when doing water changes. I dump out skimmate, rinse out collection cup, scrub with tooth brush using hot water and rinse in RODI water. The neck of the skimmer is wiped clean with paper towels and voila, done

 

[joseayes]

Well I didn't had an spill over the sump because an skimmer going nuts, my skimmer options always been in sump design, skimmer OF could not just happen due to some change in salinity or due to some residues left on the sock filters after you wash them, it could be caused as well for many reasons, but one of the reasons it could be after a power outtage ( power restores back up and the space in the sump designed for the skimmer is still full and the skimmer it will start working causing an OF) actually I had avoided this last problem in my last setup, confining the skimmer to an area in the sump where water was always same level, don't matter if it was working or with out power, still keeping the level with out having the ATO in that section. Just mentioned because I have seen many setups where skimmer inevitably will overflow because the sump could be full when power restores.
Actually I was talking to Jeremy about it before, I guess another solution could be using valves to avoid water back to sump or having an battery back up for a controller ordering this to keep skimmer off while sump still full, using float sensors I believe.

It could be just a little off topic but just brought it because I read the cause of your spill

 

[ralph atl]

I clean my skimmer from top to bottom including pump about every 8 months....


I clean my skimmer cup & over flow weekly or 10 days....

doesn't matter.....overflow container by

 

[reefstinger]

3 times a week , needed or not, the cup, the whole skimmer= every 4 mths

 

[the curious]

Sorry to hear about your wet floors man...I've been there too.

I drilled my skimmer cup to overflow into a container (outside the sump), and after cleaning the skimmer, I had a swimming pool in my living room. My solution was to pull out a couple extra 2 little fishies phosban reactors laying around. I set my skimmer to overflow into one of them, then piggybacked to the second. I have the second one set up to where if it completely fills, it overflows back into the sump, directly in front of the skimmer pump. Its been keeping my floors dry even since :yay:.