Skimmer Water Level

I have a DIY Beckett skimmer. It's an external skimmer. The pump supplying water to the skimmer is a Reeflo Marlin pump. The skimmer has been working fine. Tonight, I went to check on the skimmer and found that the water level in the main chamber drop halfway down the main chamber. The output of the skimmer has a gate valve that I don't fool with. The outlet of the skimmer goes back to my sump and is not submerged in the sump water it spills the water back into the sump just above the water level. Does anyone have an idea what would suddenly cause the water level to drop?

Thanks

 

Did you add anything different to the tank, or have your hands in the tank? I know sometimes when you introduce some form of oil either by food or by hands etc... The skimmer goes crazy but then goes back to normal.

 

Mine did that a few times. Check your air valve on the skimmer. Mine somehow had water back feed into it once and that happened to me. As soon as I took care of that it went back to normal.

Another problem might be at the output. I would check to make sure that the valve you mentioned didn't somehow get moved.

Good luck! ;D

 

I did have my hands in the tank a few hours before I noticed the water level. Mandarin11, how did you fix the water in the air valve?

 

Just make sure that the airline or air valve is not clogged or full of water.

 

I turned off the skimmer just long enough for the water level to drop. I then unattached the air line and emptied the water out of it and reattached it. Then turned it back on and voila! A working skimmer.