The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

It poured. I had a power failure last night. It didn't last long but when the power came back on my downdraft skimmer backed up and overflowed. This kind of skimmer is very sensitive to back pressure and usually overflows a little every time it starts up until it gets going. Something must have changed to cause more back pressure or faster flow and it overflowed the waste container. About two gallons went into the basement. It goes right through the cracks in the hardwood floor. Luckily it is self limiting, as the sump level goes down so does the back pressure. A bigger waste container will prevent this in the future but it will have to be at least five gallons.
Not what you want to be dealing with when you first wake up.

What kind of downdraft to you have?
I have an ETSS and they make a great container that has a ping pong ball and when it fills, it automatically shuts the skimmer down as it takes the air away from it.
Needless to say, it has saved me on many occasions.