New Fluval U3 Stopped Working.

[Hydra]

I have an internal fluval U3 for my 120litre, I bought it brand new abut 3 months ago.
Today I noticed the water was a bit cloudy & upon closer inspection seen my filter wasn't working    I checked the fuse & it was fine, I then pulled the bottom part off the filter, ie the impeller & plugged it in on it's own & it worked again.

Why would it stop working like that??? I have hard water where I live so I'm wondering is the internal part of the impeller clogged with limescale or something? Something I can clean maybe? I don't want to take a screwdriver to it without asking for advice first.

The worst thing is I don't know how long it was off, I've 2 airstones in the tank otherwise I would have copped it straight away  :dry:

 

[fluttermoth]

The Fluval U series filters are quite well known for having impeller problems. You should be able to clean out the impeller chamber with a cotton bud of some rolled up tissue, once you've taken the actual impeller out (they can be difficult to pull out; I often use pliers to get a good grip; be careful not to break the shaft though!).

I have known people who have to poke the impeller from the inside of the filter to get it going again after it's been cleaned out. Obviously you have to take all the media out to do that.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, a good shake (underwater!) can get it going again.

 

[Lillefishy]

I had one & as Fluttermoth has said they do seem to have an impeller problem & refuse to start up.
I found blasting it with water from a turkey baster was often enough to get it going, failing that a good shake.
Tbh I got rid of mine, the filter itself took up loads of room & inside had very little media space, I have the Eheim aquaball now & never have any trouble

 

[Hydra]

Cheers lads, I thought my filter was screwed, i guess not