Near Disaster with my Filstar XP3

[beviking]

I wouldn't have thought this could happen. I cleaned the filter, put it back together, blah blah blah, all seemed fine and went to bed. Those experienced with canisters may be thinking "I know what's coming". I woke up the next morning to hear trickling, the spray bar was ABOVE water. It wasn't before I went to bed. AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Quick investigation revealed, duh, a leak in the filter. SOMEHOW, and I still can't figure this out, the top thingy (that the hoses connect to and it sits into the filter as a unit) didn't seal. The lever that locks them in place and allows the water to flow, won't go all the way down if the thingy isn't fully seated. But SOMEHOW it did. So water leaked into the head of the filter and out where the power cord goes in. Luckily, I took a tip from this forum to place a kitty litter pan under my filter. It had 3 to 4 inches of water in it. So I took the head off, put it back on, and started it back up with no problem. Phew!
And I would still recommend these filters!!!!
Just thought I'd share.
:cool:

[Mrditty]

I always hold one finger over one outlet and blow air into the other to check for leaks before reconnecting the hoses. Yes this was learned the hard way.

[JSchmidt]

Another way to avoid catastrophic leaks with canister filters is to drill a small hole in the intake tube about 1" below the water line. That way, if the water level drops too much (say, from a leaking hose or gasket) the syphon will be broken before the tank drains to the level of the intake. A small hole - 1/8" - is plenty.

Jim

[goldfish freak]

That is a good idea JSchmidt, I think I will try that with my canister filters.

[gillfluke]

I had the same problem with my XP1.
As a matter of fact I lost an air pump to
the same diaster. I wound up calling
Rena's tech support and they had some
suggestions:
a)Make sure you have some slack in your hoses, don't cut 'em too short.
Make sure there is not too much tension on them.

b )Put a thin film of vasaline around the
"O"-rings in the connector plate

c)Put something under the filter to raise it a bit. Such as a book or a piece of styrofoam.

The guy at tech support told me this was
a common problem. I followed at least
two of the suggestions (a and b) and
so far no problems.


Hope this helps;

Gillfluke

[NJ Devils Fan]

It seems like so much work haing a canister filter, and everything seems very confusing.

[JSchmidt]

It's really not that confusing. They're a bit more involved than a HOT filter, but they have substantially more room for media and they are less obtrusive. They're also quieter.

Seems a pretty reasonable tradeoff to me.

(Canister filters and their setup are also one of those things that require a lot of words to describe to someone else, but they really are pretty easy.)

Jim

[beviking]

GOOD IDEA JSchmidt! I feel somewhat ashamed - being a man and not thinking of that on my own.

But NJ, I thought you liked cleaning hoses?

Thanks gillfluke. Now I feel a bit more abashed cuz I had just shortened the hoses and they are a little snug. I'll pull 'em back off the hard tubes a little.

Thanks all.

[NJ Devils Fan]

I clean my hoses everyday, rain or shine. ;)

[gillfluke]

beviking;

If you need new hoses, you can call
RENA OEM @800-968-7362.

The hoses are cheap ($4.00 a pair).
I know how you feel, my XP1 starting
leaking after I had cleaned the hoses
and reattached them.



gillfluke

[goldfish freak]

With those coments from the Rena technical rep, I would never buy a Filstar. At least not until they fixed that problem in their design. I mean come on! Leaking a common problem, that is ridiculous! I am sticking with Eheim.

[beviking]

Yeah, leaking as a commong problem is ridiculous. I don't think I'd switch though. Maybe I'll just use some of the $100 I saved by NOT buying an Eheim and buy the $4 hoses? :p

[gillfluke]

My Apologies folks;

I seem to have created a misunderstanding. When I spoke to the
RENA tech rep about the leaking problem
he did say it was a common problem. But
his point was that this happens when
there is not enough slack in the hoses which does not allow the connector plate
to seal properly. I think the main problem
is not so much with the filter, but with the
installation instructions which do not warn you to leave slack in the hoses.
I would still recommend this filter to anyone. Will everyone please accept my
apologies for the misunderstanding.

Thank You;

gillfluke

[goldfish freak]

No problem, Gillfluke.

[beviking]

No sweat gillfluke. It's not like I was going to go out and buy an Eheim or anything! (Sorry goldfish freak, I thought it was funny even if noone else did!)

[goldfish freak]

Hmm... Beviking, you stick with your potentially leaky Filstar:p I will sit back and relax with my Eheim :cool: :D .

[Heady]

That is a great idea, about the hole in the intake an inch or so below the waterline. Until now I have been on the fence, canister vs. HOB for a 100 gal because of the potential for sucking out the entire tank's worth of water. This sounds like a simple, cheap insurance policy against 100 gal of water on my living room floor.

One thing Gillfluke said bothers me - a thin layer of vaseline on the o-ring? ....... Isn't the o-ring made of rubber? ... and if I remember correctly, aren't you not supposed to use vaseline on condoms because they break down the rubber? ... Are you setting yourself up for o-ring failure by using vaseline??? :eek:

[beviking]

That's funny Heady. No, you're not setting yourself up for disaster. They're different types of material. Even the Eheim manual says to use vaseline on it's gasket and the underside of the primer if it becomes sticky (how silly, why not go with a Filstar that has less parts to worry about?). Of course, Eheim has it's own part # so you can order their "special" vaseline...$$$$$. This thread is pushing me to think about buying stock in Eheim!!


"Hmm... Beviking, you stick with your potentially leaky Filstar I will sit back and relax with my Eheim."

You got me on that one! "Once a leak, always a worry!":D ;)
Oh, BTW, it's only a potentially leaky filter when the idiot setting it up cuts the hoses too short.
At least in my case it is!:rolleyes:

Heady, don't use vaseline on condoms! You can use it on your filter. Maybe you should get an extra filter for the bedroom? :)

[JSchmidt]

Eheim calls their lubricant 'vaseline', but I was under the impression that it's actually a silicone-based lubricant. I don't use petroleum-based lubricant on my o-rings out of concern that it will degrade the rubber. Most online pet supply houses sell generic silicone o-ring lubricant for a pretty reasonable price.

Jim

[Heady]

Heh Beviking, no my username is heady because when I was real little I couldn't say my name... Heather... so I did the best i could. My family's been calling me that ever since. :D

After reading all the input here and in other parts of the forums, I think I am going to get an Eheim 2028 Pro II.
(... never mind how i am going to pay the electric bill... ;) )
I'm thinking about paying the extra $20 to get the Ehfisubstrat, Ehfimech, and carbon filter pads.

Does anyone know if this comes with coarse and/or fine filter pads as well, or if that's what the carbon pads are for?

[tnlguinn]

skip on both of the filters and get the Fluval MSF 404 and buy a marineland biowheel pro 60 with the money you saved.:p

p.s. just noticed that Filster claims that their XP3 will filter a 175 gal aquarium, how do they plan on that with such a small flow rate?

p.p.s. just razzing you guys by the way.

[Tiger15]

There are just so many potential problems with canisters that I stay out of them completely. My first and last cansiter was a Magnum and one time the seal broke and drained my tank and flooded my floor. Canisters have too many parts, hoses, valves and seal to take care of which multiply the chances of failing. Why bother with canister when HOBs can provide simple, fail-proof filtration. I don't mind the extra noise from HOBs but the risk of draining the tank, flooding the floor or going anoxic with a clogged up canister is not worth it.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by tnlguinn
p.s. just noticed that Filster claims that their XP3 will filter a 175 gal aquarium, how do they plan on that with such a small flow rate?

p.p.s. just razzing you guys by the way. I did my own test and found the Filtar XP-3 to filter better than the Fluval 404. I use both filters, and when the Fluval breaks or 'accidentally' drops to the floor and breaks since Fluval provided no handles to carry the thing, I will get another Filstar and may have an even cleaner tank.... :)

[125gJoe]

Tiger15,
If you are using pressurized CO2 it's a good idea to use canister filters to help keep the CO2 in the tank. HOB's cause some surface disturbance that can cause quicker depletion of the CO2. HOB's are good if you are not adding CO2... I still like the idea to use both HOB and a good canister in combination and in a non-live planted tank - again no HOB with extra CO2 for the live plants.

[125gJoe]

After reading some about the 'no slack' in hoses thing....
I wonder if somone has an extra tall tank stand and just had their canister hanging in the air and wondered why it leaked...??

I'm guessing this has probably happened somewhere!
:D

[Skittyfish]

You know, my hoses on my eheim are just loose enough for me to take the spray bar and intake hose (still attached to the pump) out of the tank.

And mine has leaked too. If you don't check to make sure the clips are firmly locked down, it leaks around the top. But this is an instant leak as soon as it fills, and you definately know it.

When I bought my eheim pro 2 2026, I got it from BigAlsonline and it came with all of the media. I did order extra fine pad sets which come with two fine and one course pads.

[NJ Devils Fan]

Originally posted by 80gJoe
I did my own test and found the Filtar XP-3 to filter better than the Fluval 404. I use both filters, and when the Fluval breaks or 'accidentally' drops to the floor and breaks since Fluval provided no handles to carry the thing, I will get another Filstar and may have an even cleaner tank.... :)

I'm sure your dog will 'accidently' knock it over ;) .

Or, you can just send it over here, I am loking to get a canister so filtered water till go through my U.V. ;)

[gillfluke]

Dear Fellow Fish keepers;

I must say that the Filstar has exceeded
my expectations even with the leaking
problem. Since following the advice of
the RENA tech rep and setting up the
hoses better , no leaks. As we can see
every piece of equipment has it's potential problems.

I think it behooves all of us in this hobby
to keep after all equipment manufacturers
and "keep them on their toes". We must
make sure that they realize we will not
tolerate shoddy products and heaven
knows there are many out there.

I'll get off my soapbox now and say that
I am glad this forum exists so that we
as fellow hobbyists can help each other.


regards;

Gillfluke

[beviking]

Originally posted by tnlguinn
p.s. just noticed that Filster claims that their XP3 will filter a 175 gal aquarium, how do they plan on that with such a small flow rate?

I don't know about a 175, but I'm going solo filter on my 90gal with the XP3. Seems to be a heck of flow so I decided to skip adding the AC500. I guess I'm a little skeptical of the over-filtration idea. WHAT? OH KNOW!!!!!! SKEPTICAL?!?!?!?!?!?!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, it's spreading. :D:rolleyes:

Heady, that's cute!! So, are you just little now and not real little? j/k :D Check out some threads on media b4 going with the efisubstrat. It works, but you're suppose to replace "x" amount every month(?) or so and it may be more than you want to spend, especially when you can go with straight efimech and not have to replace any of it for...years?

"After reading some about the 'no slack' in hoses thing....
I wonder if somone has an extra tall tank stand and just had their canister hanging in the air and wondered why it leaked...??" Joe, you really have little faith in mankind!;)

Hey, no more goldfish freak since Skittyfish chimed in with the leaky Eheim post? Hmmmm??? Raz, raz away!!!!!

[goldfish freak]

LOL! Beviking, Ah neva said Eheims were perfect :p .

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by beviking

......
"After reading some about the 'no slack' in hoses thing....
I wonder if somone has an extra tall tank stand and just had their canister hanging in the air and wondered why it leaked...??" Joe, you really have little faith in mankind!;) ..What can one expect? Have you been in city traffic these days?? Many idiots behind the wheel.... And, let's not forget this... :D

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL59/715239/1510346/19057889.jpg

[Stias']

It was mentioned earlier about o rings and vaseline but I thought I would elaborate a bit. Rubber o rings are pretty rare now days, most of the time they are made of different stuff like: Silicone, Viton, EPDM, teflon, and polyurethane to name just a few. They all have different properties, meaning heat range use, pressure, wear resistance, compatibility to such things as petrolium products ect. I dont know this for fact, but I would highly doubt that it is real rubber used in the orings for a filter but if you are worried about using standard vasiline, silicone grease is available at the auto parts store pretty cheap. I bought a tube that was about half the size of a tube of tooth paste for a couple bucks. You can get a product called "petrogel" at a food supply place that is almost the same but concidered food safe for only a little more. If you wanta go whole hog, they make a high temp faucet grease that wont melt even at the heat that is genereated from a hot water heater, I never looked but you might have to get it at a dedicated plumbing supply house.

I just use vaseline on the magnum 350, no problems yet and if I do, I know I can get replacements from the hardware store for about $.67 each and they are polyurethane.

HTH
Stias'

[beviking]

Originally posted by goldfish freak
LOL! Beviking, Ah neva said Eheims were perfect :p .

I know.;)

Joe, point taken!!:eek:

Thanks for the clarifiction Stias'!