Air in our closed loop system

[kbandwb]

Help! We aren't new to the hobby, but have had a fairly low maintenance tank until now.

We have a 120g reef tank. last week we had a lot of air in our closed loop system which then killed our chiller. We replaced the chiller and cleaned the pump. Problem appeared to be fixed. No air since Thursday until today (Tuesday). Now suddenly we have A LOT of air in our closed loop again. We turned off the chiller so we don't kill another expensive piece of equipment.

Any thoughts about why or where we could be sucking air into our system. It runs from the tank to a GenX PCX 40 pump then through the chilller and back into the tank.

Thanks a bunch for your help!!!
Ware and Kristy

 

[Jimbo7]

I would double check all your hoses, especially at the ends. there may be a gap that is sucking in air. Could you post a diagram of your tank? Just a crude paint drawing may help us.

 

[kbandwb]

Well, we disconnected our chiller and there is a constant visible flow of small bubbles coming up to the "out". The hoses have been completely disconnected from the "in" and the "out" for 30 minutes and there is still a constant stream of bubbles visible in the "out" port of the chiller. It is not connected to the tank at all, and the bubbles continue. (Despite the chiller being off and completely disconnected from the tank). Is it possible that we could have a freon leak? And the bubbles are actually freon??

Strange that we had the same problem before we replaced the chiller? I wouldn't think its related to the chiller, but strange bubbles in the chiller???

Description of system:
Out of the tank in back of tank 2/3 of the way down the back of the tank one hole for the closed loop. Then it drains down into the sump directly from the tank into the Gen X PCX 40 external pump. Then from the pump a hose takes it to the JBJ Arctica 1/3 HP chiller. Then from the chiller to a Y hose connector into 2 tubes back into 2 ports into the tank 2/3 of the way toward the top of the tank.

Does that description make sense??

Thanks a bunch!!
Ware and Kristy

 

[Jimbo7]

I would take the chiller out of the equation, replace the chiller with a standard pump. See if there are still bubbles, otherwise I would contact someone at JBJ about it possibly being the chiller.