Help With My Filter?!?

[Kitty_Nin]

I have an Aqua-Tech 5-15 power filter with bio-fiber that came with a 10 gal tank set-up. This morning when I turned the lights on all my tanks on it was perfectly okay, but I went out for a few hours and when I came back it was not working but also not making any weird noises. I turned it off and jiggled it around gently a bit, trying to hear if a piece or gravel was in it or maybe an air bubble...... counted all my fish and no-one got sucked in, not that anyone would fit anyway. Turned it back on and it started making a gawd-awful grinding, buzzing noise, and still not working. There's nothing in it or wrong with it that I can easily see. I know that my fish will be okay for a while without it, but I'm still worried.... I just introduced a few new ones yesterday So I'm a bit worried about it stressing them out. Does anyone have any ideas of what might be wrong with it or what I can do to fix it?? I'd really rather not have to buy a new one!! ANY advice is welcome.

 

[rabbut]

Grinding noises from an internal is one of three things IME;

1) Air lock

2) Impeller Jam

3) Impeller failure

Try starting the filter upside down and see if that works. If it's an air lock, the air will have risen away from the pump if you start it the wrong way up this will alow the pump to re-start. Now, carefully and slowly return it to the upright postition.

To clear an impeller jam, dismantel the filter and check all parts are clean. Re-assemble the impeller and it's central shaft. Check that the impeller is free to move and then complete re-assembly If the impeller has jamed in operation, not on starting, it would raise serious reliability concernes to me...

The most likely caurse of your symtoms IMO, would be an impeller failure. Take the impeller out when you try the "free impeller jam step" and before cleaning it, inspect it for any signs of damage or wear and tear. It it looks normal, try getting the blades to turn seporately from the magnet. If they do, ensure they don't go all the way arround. If they do, you have a failed impeller and it's a replace the filter case. Likewise for any wear you note... Some impellers will have blades that turn a little way seporately from the magnet, but this is the exception to the rule... You are probibly best placed to say what is and isn't normal for your filter's impeller

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Kitty_Nin]

Oh, I hope turning it upside down works, because I can't get to the impeller in my filter. It's down inside a tube pretty deep in the filter, and the filter doesn't come apart, so I have no idea what the impeller looks like... you can't even see it with a flashlight. It did fail in operation, not on startup. I think what I got was probably a really stupidly designed filter.

 

[smegforbrains]

Where abouts are you based?


I have some small filters, BNIB if you need one.