Tetratec Owners

[tenohfive]

At least its getting sorted, thats usually a sign of a good manufacturer.

 

[maximinimus]

I finally got my replacement motorhead yesterday evening. The new one is almost silent compared to the old one

 

[shelaghfishface]

so glad it all worked out, a big for tetratec

 

[smudger123]

I am having this problem too, bought a tetratec ex1200 yesterday and the noise is so bad we've had to turn it off to get some sleep. Its a mechanical hum rather like a large manic computer fan in the aquarium cupboard! We've taken it apart, jiggled the air out and tried all the troubleshooting but its still whirring like crazy in there.

Looking through various websites it seems a few people have had this exact problem with ex1200s recently.

What is the motorhead and how is it malfunctioning to make that noise?

 

[rabbut]

HUM.... I many people have had issues with this recently, it would appear that a bad production run may have slipped tetratec's Quality Control net

When you get excessive noise from any extrunal, try the following;

1) Shake to release any trapped air. Watch the outlet for any bubbles being released. Bubbles and noise constantly indicates an air leak, and you should inspect all seals. The fault is before the motor, so the main seal ring, the tap seal rings, the quick disconnect rings or the internal seals on the tap/quick release are shot... Find which one and replace. It is normal to get some air trapped when first started If you switch the filter off you will usualy get some water sepage from the offending connection

2) Take the motor appart and inspect the impeller and impeller well for cavitation, and the bearings for wear. If you find any, get the offending part replaced.

3) If all else fails, the motor unit is gone. This is the bit that is clipped directly onto your "bucket" and does all the pumping of water. Get this replaced. There are many things inside that can go to caurse noise, but the most likely is something inside working loose, and the strong electro-magnetic forces from the internal coils are making it shake.

If you are unsure of what is normal, post pics on the forum and a member will tell you

I find my two nearly silent. They start fairly noisy after a clean, and quieten down over a few days. Keeping it too clean produces noise, keeping things too dirty increases wear. You need to ballence between to two

IME Tetra take 2-3 weeks to reply to e-mails, but 'phone answering is almost instant. For failures and warrenty issues, use the 'phone. Non-urgent info about where to get spares should be done through e-mail.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[smudger123]

Hi Rabbut, thank you for your reply.

Well Tetra sent a whole new hood which was fab until we turned it on to find it was even noisier than the last one. I have absolutely no idea what to do next - we have taken them apart to check everything around 3 times with each hood. I am positive it is not an air issue, that was the first thing we investigated. When you first turn them on there are two noises, the sound of trapped air and a loud whirring within the hood. After gentle shaking the first sound disappears as the air is released through the spray bar but the second is there all the time and much louder than our largest air pump. The first hood ran for three days and this new hood is on its third day with no change in the sound.

After the air is out no more bubbles appear so I dont think its a leak plus all the seals seem fine. Same with the impeller and wall, we can't see anything wrong.

All thats left is the motor unit but it seems the worst luck in the world that i've recieved two broken hoods.

I will try to get some pictures in the morning along with a sound clip of the whirring noise. I have no idea how tetra will respond to us claiming the replacement is making the same noise - it was so great of them to send a replacement hood in the first place. I'm unwilling to send back the whole lot because the tank is in its 7th week of cycling and I'd rather sell the tank than start it again at this point if i'm honest - who new a stubborn fishless cycle could be so frustrating.

UPDATE: Ok i've recorded the two hoods from my aquarium cabinet door put them in a youtube vid: http/uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QMM3t5lRK5s. Both times the filter was tipped and rocked until no air was left. You can hear the new 2nd hood has a coarser quality to it than the 1st and my partner has been sleeping on the sofa since we installed it! The coarse whirring is strong and constant unlike the occasional 'ticking' like noise you can hear quieter below it which disappears completely after 12hrs or so of running. Can anyone diagnose the problem? Will post photos of parts tomorrow

 

[rabbut]

Hood 1 sounds louder than normal through my Ipod eat phones, with nothing else going on, but then, most lower down things aren't relased on those 'phones, cause of how tinny they are Hood two sounds like there is a background rattle going on in there, like an impeller bouncing arround possibly... Have a look at bearings, preferably in-situe, as they may be squashing on something in the unit(s) and allowing the impeller too much movement... Try taking the impeller and impeller shaft and brearings out of the filter, and assemble as though you were about to drop them back into the filter. There is usualy a bit of play up-and-down on the shaft, but there shouldn't be any side-to-side. Have a feel and see if there is any movement from the impeller there that shouldn't be

On a side note, when you get pics, can you get one of the filter(s) in situe? Also, you are just running one at a time? There is a phenomenon known as super-inforcement that you get with lower frequence sound, that can take two point sources (or one reflecting off a surface) with the same very quiet vibration frequency (50Hz mains supply in this case) and have the sound waves super-impose on each other creating a larger sound in certain areas of the room. while each (or both if running two) are running, walk slowly arround the tank cabinet, as far away it/from them as possible, and see if you can hear a change in volume as you do so. If this phenomon is going on, you would expect to hear it louder in some places than others, and moving the filters positions relative to each other/ the cabinet walls can stop it It's rare to come across this though, and usualy only happens when you place a large bass bin (speakers) near a wall, and then it interfers with itself, but it could apply to filters in the same way in theory...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[elaine128]

i bought my ex 1200 a couple of months ago and i too found it noisy esp after having a silent eheim previously,but since cleaning it out a couple of weeks ago its so quiet you can only hear it if you actually put your head in the cabinet,i can only tell its working by water movement and slight swaying of plants,and now i love it,