Octopus 1000 HOB skimmer: how to stop overflowing?
- Thread starter Steven777
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I’m running into the same issue. Some suggestions were a delay start switch for the pump. This would allow the skimmer to turn on before the pump turns back on.
Unfortunately this option didn’t work for me and I still overflowed. I have a skimz SH2 HOB skimmer which is a little different than yours but same concept. My new plan is to drill a hole in the container that holds the water above the normal operating water line. I’ll put a piece of pvc or flexible tube going into the DT. Anytime power goes off and the skimmer restarts the new emergency drain hole should allow water to go back into the display and not on the floor until it balances out after a few seconds.
2 concerns: having a leaky seal and cracking the plastic or acrylic container when I drill lol
Unfortunately this option didn’t work for me and I still overflowed. I have a skimz SH2 HOB skimmer which is a little different than yours but same concept. My new plan is to drill a hole in the container that holds the water above the normal operating water line. I’ll put a piece of pvc or flexible tube going into the DT. Anytime power goes off and the skimmer restarts the new emergency drain hole should allow water to go back into the display and not on the floor until it balances out after a few seconds.
2 concerns: having a leaky seal and cracking the plastic or acrylic container when I drill lol
Salted
Active Member
Op is a year old but since I just had this issue it's new to me 
. Anyway, I just went through this issue this morning. I had set up my Reef Octo hob 1000 and got it up and running fine just two days ago. We had a power outage and luckily it tripped the power strip breaker as I had to reset and was right there or would have had a huge mess. It did dump about a pint of water before I got it shut back off. Thank God I heard it. So a bunch of restart attempts ending in the same result of overflowing had me to start googling. One person claimed to have solved this issue by cutting the vertical return tube shorter. Since that was and option I could try right now I gave it a go. I unscrewed the tube and off to the garage and cut 1 1/2"s off, reassembled = Success! . I will also be adding a secondary overflow tube as @Deiblerj came up with in the above post. Deibler did you end up doing this? I agree with your concern with the risk of the acrylic cracking. I will be carefully drilling only a 1/4" hole then opening that up to what I need with a dremel or file. Lastly, for those of us that this is happening to I feel its not a design flaw but a problem of our own causing. Running the water level in the tank an inch or two lower would alleviate this issue without and mods to the skimmer, but I'm guilty of wanting my water lever up high. Hope this helps someone else out, Salted.
. Anyway, I just went through this issue this morning. I had set up my Reef Octo hob 1000 and got it up and running fine just two days ago. We had a power outage and luckily it tripped the power strip breaker as I had to reset and was right there or would have had a huge mess. It did dump about a pint of water before I got it shut back off. Thank God I heard it. So a bunch of restart attempts ending in the same result of overflowing had me to start googling. One person claimed to have solved this issue by cutting the vertical return tube shorter. Since that was and option I could try right now I gave it a go. I unscrewed the tube and off to the garage and cut 1 1/2"s off, reassembled = Success! . I will also be adding a secondary overflow tube as @Deiblerj came up with in the above post. Deibler did you end up doing this? I agree with your concern with the risk of the acrylic cracking. I will be carefully drilling only a 1/4" hole then opening that up to what I need with a dremel or file. Lastly, for those of us that this is happening to I feel its not a design flaw but a problem of our own causing. Running the water level in the tank an inch or two lower would alleviate this issue without and mods to the skimmer, but I'm guilty of wanting my water lever up high. Hope this helps someone else out, Salted.
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