Filter Not Working.

[Ben M]

hi, I have a Rena XP2 filter for my 4ft 216 l tank. it has been running fine for nearly 2 years, but on Monday I noticed that it had nearly stopped. I assumed that it just needed cleaning. so I cleaned it and it was fine again. but then on Wednesday I noticed it had stopped again. so I cleaned it again and it worked fine. but after that I have had to clean it every day because it has stopped working constantly. does anyone know what is wrong with it? and if so what, if anything can I do to fix it?
thanks

 

[Davo86]

Have you opened the impellor shaft and checked that there is no debri stuck inside?
It sounds like something is catching on the impellor, that is unless the motor is completely cutting out,
Is it going completely silent when it stops working or can you hear/feel it vibrating slightly

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've checked that, it seems to be fine. could the pipes be blocked?
the filter does still work slightly now, it totally stopped a few times, but now the current is tiny, not even enough to move the floating plants.
it sounds quite loud now, and is vibrating

 

[Davo86]

hi, i've checked that, it seems to be fine. could the pipes be blocked?
the filter does still work slightly now, it totally stopped a few times, but now the current is tiny, not even enough to move the floating plants.
it sounds quite loud now, and is vibrating

Have you tried removing the top unit off the cannister so you can see the impellor and then switch the unit on to see how quick the impellor is spinning?

Is there any chance you have an air lock? which would explain the increased noise and lack of pressure,
try shaking the cannister and see if any bubbles are released

Do the pipes go directly down, i.e. not twisted down, around anywhere?
unless you have removed the filter casing on the inlet it shouldn't be clogged?

 

[Ben M]

Have you tried removing the top unit off the cannister so you can see the impellor and then switch the unit on to see how quick the impellor is spinning?

Is there any chance you have an air lock? which would explain the increased noise and lack of pressure,
try shaking the cannister and see if any bubbles are released

Do the pipes go directly down, i.e. not twisted down, around anywhere?
unless you have removed the filter casing on the inlet it shouldn't be clogged?

i'll try seeing how fast the impeller is spinning, there has always been air in the filter but i've never had any problems with it. how could i get rid of the air?
the pipes do go directly down, and i haven't removed the filter casing.
thanks

 

[Davo86]

Is the XP2 self priming?

Do you have a spare water pump or internal filter that the inlet can attach to?
If you do you can attach the filter to the end of the inlet and use it to pump the water through the external until all of the air bubbles have been pushed through.

 

[OldMan47]

I had something like that on one of mine. It worked great for a few days and then almost quit. When I followed the inlet tube with my hand, it was out of sight behind the stand, I found a kink in the hose. That made the fix easy as can be. When I pulled the canister out in front of the stand to clean it, the hose would unkink and things would work perfectly. When I pushed it back into the cabinet, the hose would get pinched again. I finally took Rena's advice on how short to cut the hoses, and the kinks were gone and stayed gone. Now it is one of my best performing filters again. The advice they give on only leaving an inch or two, I forget the exact number, of slack in the hose prevents the kinks from forming in the first place and will cure them if you get into that mess. Now I need to shut off the hoses before I drag the filter out onto the floor but the whole thing works a charm these days.

 

[Ben M]

i think it might have been blocked because last night when i turned it back on after cleaning, a huge load of rubbish spewed out into the tank. and it is still running at full power.

 

[OldMan47]

I'm glad you have it figured out now.

 

[Ben M]

thanks for the help everyone