Sera Precision Leaking

[g3o]

i got my first external filter last week a Sera precision 250, after about 12 hours it starts to leak slightly from under one of the side clips, i think it must be once all the air has been pumped out, if i tip it on it's side a little the water really gushes out (any way that i tip it this happens) would this be normal? i thought that it would have had a nice watertight seal all the way round, the leak is always at the same side even if i turn the top 180 degrees, also it is on the floor next to the fish tank as there is no room underneath, the inlet pips is about 1cm higher than the inlet on the pump i presume this is fine ? as it is below the inlet?? any help/ideas appreciated.

 

[saltynay]

You need to put vaseline on the seals to make them watertight.

 

[three-fingers]

The seal should be watertight without any lubrication to begin with.

If your having to lubricate an o-ring to make it watertight, you need a new o-ring.

The lubrication is to stop it wearing out thus increase it's life.

Vaseline would be a bad idea if the seal is made of rubber, I believe most modern o-rings should be made out of different material that cat petroleum based lubricants can be used on anyway, but to be safe it's better to use silicone grease or whatever the recommended lubricant is in the filters manual.


However, if it's a new filter, and the leak is always on the same side, it sounds more like there's a slight defect in the casing...

It's always worthwhile removing, rinsing (under the tap) and lubricating the o-ring anyway, Vaseline will do temporarily if you don't have anything else to hand. Often just resitting it will help.

If this is a second hand external filter, I would source a new o-ring right away before use anyway.