PSK-100 just overflowing

I've had a PSK-100 for about a year now, and today when I did a water change and tried to restart the skimmer it just overflows. Following the minimal instructions doesn't seem to work. The motor is making an slight grinding noise at startup, then seems to calm down as the skimmer starts overflowing. It seems to be a common problem, but usually everyone seems to get it resolved in a few tries, doesn't seem to be happening in my case. I checked, and all the connections are tight, there doesn't seem to be any leaks. Turning the tube to control the flow doesn't seem to have any effect, lining, anywhere from all the way to the right to all the way to the left doesn't have any impact on flow. So is this skimmer just a piece of junk, which I'm leaning towards, or is it probably something else that's escaping me? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Sounds like it's not getting enough air,check for a blockage in the air line.If it has a silencer on the top of the airline check that it hasn't accidently become filled with water which could block the flow of air.

 

Thanks for the response. The air line is completely clear, I removed it and can look through it. All of the other pvc parts are clear too, at least the ones that I can remove and look. I don't have a silencer on it, so I doubt that's it. Any other recommendations, either to fix this one or for a new skimmer that won't give me these fits?

 

I have been using the same skimmer for 18 months without any issues at all :/ I would suggest giving the skimmer a full cleaning if it has never been done before. The main reasons I have seen a skimmer act up are when the height of water increases in the chamber, the airline gets clogged (as already mentioned; maybe try blowing into the airline, this has helped clear up clogs in the past), or when you stir up nasties in the tank from cleaning, etc.

 

Agree with both. I once had a skimmer that done the same every time it was shut down and restarted. Feeding a tablespoon of freshwater through the airline after power-up cleared it.

 

Sounds like it's the venturi that hooks to the airline.

Also check and clean whatever kind of needle wheel the pump has also.

 

I had the same problem with my PSK-75 that I was running on my 55g. It worked great for about a year and then it wouldn't prime anymore. It would either just overflow or not pump at all. I remember doing some research into it and a lot of people have to replace the pump after about a year to a year and a half from what I read. This was also about two years ago. I actually switched skimmer to a Seaclone 100, yes yes I know it get HORRID reviews and has a bad rep but I've have it on my tank ever since and have swapped it over to my 75g and it works like a champ. I love it more than the PSK and it was half the price: $90 brand new. Plus it prime instantly. Not trying to do a product review or a sales pitch but I bought the Seaclone in response to the same you are describing with your skimmer. After about a week and a half of trying everything and not getting it to work at all I got the Seaclone.