View Full Version : help with fluval
thejoker
08-01-2003, 7:57 PM
Hi everyone. I just bought a new fluval 304 filter for my tank and am having problems getting it started. There is definitely nothing happening right now. Here's a few questions I have:
1. What does priming mean? I've gotten the canister and tubes filled with water using the self primer, but is that all I have to do? Is water supposed to be flowing at this point? Nothing is flowing for me.
2. When I plug in the unit is the motor supposed to go on? I plug it in but nothing happens. I can't hear or feel a motor running. Is this the way it's supposed to be?
3. Are all canisters this complicated to start?
If someone could help me out that would be great.
Thanks
if you can pump the primer and water comes out the outlet you should be more than good to go. generally enuf pumping to get the filter itself to fill i would think would be enuf.
if it's a "brand new" unit. did you install the impeller cover properly? was the impeller even in it? if you're not getting any action or noise out of it i would be looking to see if it's somehow bound up. shut off the water, disconnect the hoses and open it in the tub or someplace in case it leaks a little out. then you could try just a quick plugin maybe to see if the impeller is working at all, but you would probably be best to open it and inspect it.
squeeze the 2 little tabs so it unlocks and gently wiggle it out (the cover). then check to make sure the ceramic shaft is seated properly, the impeller is in the right way and that it spins freely. if all this is correct, line up the cover properly and evenly push it in until you hear the locks click again. then maybe try a quick plugin test. if it doesn't work you might have a defective unit.
if it spins or make noise when you plug it in for a second then put it back together and pump it a few times until you see the water coming out of the outlet and then plug it back in and it should expell any remaining air and run.
other than that, i'm not sure. pm or email me if you like with questions........
good luck
there's not alot of assembly to the filter, but i would wonder if something is in wrong somehow. i haven't heard of anyone ever complaining of these filters being dead new or defective from the factory. it would be alot more common for it to be "air locked" somehow.
is the filter below the tank? if it's on a shelf with the tank, that also might make it harder to prime.
edit: speeling :D
another little note...... put the outlet below the water level at least for now. that will make it easier to start. the air will naturally be trying to come out then......
Hebdizzle
08-01-2003, 10:35 PM
make sure you have the valves fully open. This is adjustable by the grey lever just above the cannister. Pushing it all the way down will get the water flowing. Pump the primer until the filter takes in water on its own, then it is reccomended to tilt the filter from side to side to get the remaining air bubbles out of the cannister.
Keep us updated, and be sure to tell us what went wrong!
Aaron
thejoker
08-01-2003, 11:34 PM
Thanks for the advice from the both of you!!! I took another look at the filter and realized that the impeller thing was not even in the unit. Somebody probably stole it from the store. So I went back to the store and they exchanged it with another one. Now I have the new one set up and am just trying to get it started. I am definitely getting closer to getting it work. After I prime it I plug it in and it works for like 5 seconds but then water stops flowing. I'm guessing it has something to do with how my hoses are set up. Do you have any advice on how the hoses need to be set up. Is it bad if the hoses are kinda long? Also my canister isn't directly underneath the aquarium, its underneath and on the side of it, so that causes the hoses to tilt to a 45 degree angle instead of being straight up and down. I'm not sure if this matters. I'll keep you all updated on how this all unfolds finally.
Thanks again.
elgecko
08-02-2003, 8:09 AM
I used that F^&!@)N primer 1 time, when I first bought mine. Never again. Fill your filter up with water BEFORE you attach it to the tank. Then plug it in. You will not ever have to use the primer again if you fill it up first. :D
LOL! sorry, it isn't funny, but it is....
i still say put the outlet below the water level. for some reason it's a bear to prime when it's above it.
my 404 on the tank behind me sits off to the left of the tank and i even have loops in the hose because i didn't trim them and i never touch the primer now that the hoses are full. after cleanings i hook up the hoses, open the valve and watch the bubbles come out, then plug it in......
i said not on level with the tank, because the filter is basically gravity feed, so the stand or floor below the tank works best.
yashinfan
08-02-2003, 2:05 PM
OMG the thing was a pain to set up. I did it last weekend and I am sporting a nice big gash in my thumb thanks to it. We had trouble with the ring that is supposed to seal the lid and canister. You have to stretch this ring and wet it and place it as close to the bottom of the lid as possible otherwise it won't run/start at all. Also, some people have problem with the magnet in the lid and they had to take it out and put it back before it started.. ech.. but once you get it working it's awesome. There's some directions online that might help you. I didn't bookmark the page but just look it up on yahoo!
Hebdizzle
08-02-2003, 2:34 PM
i didn't have a problem setting up my 204... I am a big fan of fluval.
thejoker
08-02-2003, 2:55 PM
I finally got it working and it works great. The filter is super quiet and cleaned the tank very quickly. It had been two weeks since my old aquaclear filter had died and I didn't have any filtration until I got this new fluval set up.
Thanks ewok for the tip about putting the output under the water. This helped. I have no idea why the directions tell you to do otherwise.
Now I'm just looking forward to my first maintence session. Hopefully it'll go a lot better.
i had the same problem myself. :)
edit: as long as you keep the outlet below the water level, it should be a breeze. once it's running you can pull it up out of the water and it will work fine, mine comes out of the water sometimes when the tank gets low. my friend leaves his above the water and he has had some problems with priming too. you can tilt the nozzle up to get more surface agitation if you need it. i use multiple filters and aeration in my tanks, so i don't worry about that much myself.....
Originally posted by yashinfan
OMG the thing was a pain to set up. I did it last weekend and I am sporting a nice big gash in my thumb thanks to it. We had trouble with the ring that is supposed to seal the lid and canister. You have to stretch this ring and wet it and place it as close to the bottom of the lid as possible otherwise it won't run/start at all. Also, some people have problem with the magnet in the lid and they had to take it out and put it back before it started.. ech.. but once you get it working it's awesome. There's some directions online that might help you. I didn't bookmark the page but just look it up on yahoo!
how many thumbs do you have? ;)
seriously tho, i don't get it. the filters pretty simple to set up. i haven't opened any of mine in awhile, but i'm pretty sure there's a notch where the sealing ring is supposed to seat. the water is just to make it slide into the bottom easier. as far as the magnet, i think the only part of that that is removable is the impeller.
i'm confused at best..... :confused:
yashinfan
08-07-2003, 6:52 PM
If you don't put the ring on properly it does not seal as easily, and since mine didn't come with instructions (I got a sweet deal second-hand), I was trying to figure out why it was so tough to close. Anyway, I ended up using all my (100lbs of) bodyweight to close it and it snagged my thumb! It actually bled for quite some time and is beginning to heal finally! But my filter is working quite nicely now :)
icefish
08-07-2003, 10:37 PM
I just set up a 304 and it was a breeze. It's running in tandem with a 203, and whata world of difference. The 203 has a little squeezy thing that you use to prime by sticking it in the output hose and drawing water through (a huge pain in the a**). The built in in primer in the 304 worked like a charm. The only thing I don't like is the tubing, as it has a mind of its own.
Geoflo
08-08-2003, 7:56 AM
I have a fluval 304 that isn't working right now. From reading this post I see maybe why. You know the magnetic stick that the impeller shaft is on? Well, mine comes out. I thought it has done that for awhile, but when I read the instructions, it says that this is not removable. perhaps this is the root of my problem afterall...
When I plug my filter in, it won't take water into the canister - even though I pump the primer, also, the motor is making sounds - as though it is running dry (which I suppose it is).
So, what do you think I should do to repair it? What part would I have to get to fix this? ... or maybe it is beyond repair now? :(
125gJoe
08-08-2003, 9:49 AM
Originally posted by thejoker
[B... ... ...3. Are all canisters this complicated to start?..... [/B]No they're not....
I didn't think the models 30x were even sold. They are the older models. 40x replaced them.
yashinfan
08-08-2003, 7:33 PM
Originally posted by Geoflo
I have a fluval 304 that isn't working right now. From reading this post I see maybe why. You know the magnetic stick that the impeller shaft is on? Well, mine comes out. I thought it has done that for awhile, but when I read the instructions, it says that this is not removable. perhaps this is the root of my problem afterall...
When I plug my filter in, it won't take water into the canister - even though I pump the primer, also, the motor is making sounds - as though it is running dry (which I suppose it is).
So, what do you think I should do to repair it? What part would I have to get to fix this? ... or maybe it is beyond repair now? :(
Okay, I know how to solve this. The guy showed me that this piece is, in fact, removable. The magnet on the propeller isn't working and therefore will not pump water and makes that RRR RRR noise. You can take out the propeller and the magnet and then put it back in (kinda tough to do but managed to get it done in ~20 minutes) and then the filter works fine again! Good luck!
anonapersona
08-08-2003, 8:15 PM
Originally posted by yashinfan
If you don't put the ring on properly it does not seal as easily, and since mine didn't come with instructions (I got a sweet deal second-hand), I was trying to figure out why it was so tough to close. Anyway, I ended up using all my (100lbs of) bodyweight to close it and it snagged my thumb!
It is best to fill the filter before you try to close it for it will prime easier, but it is hard to close the filter when the in and out valves are closed and it is full of water, you just can't compress the water and that last little bit won't go.
I set the filter in a big bucket and barely open one of the valve sets to dribble water in (and ou)t of the filter. It does spill out, into the bucket, just a bit, but it sure is easier to close.
I had tried to close the filter a few times before I even got it into the tank, and finally figured out those air/water tight valves and the air/water tight O ring, were not letting me get the lid down properly, it was a snap to close if the valves are open. Of if the valves are closed and the O ring is upset.
I have a 303, used, but newish and working great.
125gJoe
08-08-2003, 11:01 PM
Originally posted by anonapersona
It is best to fill the filter before you try to close it for it will prime easier, .. ....... ... ... ... Always fill it to the top, or real close. I think many make this mistake.. When it's full there should be hardly any 'priming' at all.. HTH :)
anonapersona
08-09-2003, 12:11 PM
Originally posted by 80gJoe
Always fill it to the top, or real close. I think many make this mistake.. When it's full there should be hardly any 'priming' at all.. HTH :)
Right, I've had to learn what people meant when they said prime, if you keep the input and output tubes full and the cannister as full as possible, it just goes when you start it.
yashinfan
08-10-2003, 10:37 AM
I filled the canister in advance and it was a PAIN to close. My boyfriend finally got it about half an hour into setting it up. Eesh. Maybe it would have been easier with instructions. Also, we didn't know that the input had holes all along the sides so we turned it on while it was out of water and holy... there was water EVERYWHERE in my room....... a veritable flood!
Faramir
08-11-2003, 9:22 AM
Fluvals really are a complete 'mare to prime, aren't they?
They're particularly bad with low tanks - bottom of a twin stand for example, when there's only a couple of inches difference between water level and the top of the canister.
Keeping the outflow below water level is a must.
The other pain in the @r$e is that water gets into bits it shouldn't when assembling full of water, and looks like it's leaking for the first half hour or so...