Eheim Professional II.... air bubbles!

[beantownmba]

We just bought a new Eheim Professional II on the weekend and installed it. Works great but the problem is the spray bar is blowing out air along with water. We've tried all sorts of things to fix it. :help:

Following the spray bar manual, we unplugged the filter and unscrewed the cap on the spray bar to "let the air out." Then we closed the cap and turned it back on. No luck.

Following the intake manual, we shut off the filter, unscrewed the caps on both the spray bar and the intake and proceeded to fill the intake tube with aquarium water. We poured and poured and poured and it never seemed to fill though the manual only said to fill it till it was "visibly" filled. It was at that point we noticed there was an air bubble on the intake tube so we got rid of that then turned everything on. No luck either!

So then we tried taking the end cap off the spray bar, hoping all the air would blow out but we just ended up w/bubbles out the end.

We've also tried turning the unit off and priming it and turning it back on. Each time we try something it runs ok for about 2-3 min and then the bubbles start coming out.

We're not sure where the problem is coming from. There seems to be air in the tubes so perhaps a leak? Anyone else have this problem? The tubes are a bit long so we can easily pull the unit out but perhaps this is causing the bubbles?? :confused:

Any help is appreciated and FYI, it is a 75 saltwater reef aquarium. Thanks!

[shoe]

Apologies for replying to so late a thread but piece of mind was curious regards how you resolved, if at all.

I believe I have the same issue... the user here [URL=http://reviews-cdn.petsmart.com/4830/7810/reviews.htm][URL] the head gasket is the problem... Not sure why the user gave the filter such glowing reviews having encountered a problem so soon after purchasing!

I've swapped out the headgasket (with OEM part) on mine and no luck... Perhaps as the user suggests, a 3rd party seal, by way of a rubberband (or large oring silimar to the Eheim 2217) is probably the way to go.

Also, I switched out the o-rings just under the quick disconnect with #18's I picked up at home depot and those do make a difference (jiggling the quick disconnect seemed to introduce MORE bubblees even after replacing originals with OEM!) but unfortunately the bubble issue is still a problem.

[shoe]

Just a quick follow-up...

Looks like at least for me the issue is resolved.

Although I read in the manual 'somewhere' a long while back that the unit had be stowed below the tank, I really didn't pay too much heed becuase it seemed a no-brainer, from my experience, that a canister would be located in that place.

In other words, I wasn't inquisitive enough to wonder why that would be the case but it seems now that I have the answer (please correct me guru's if I have this wrong as it's just stipulation on my part).

The unit was built in such a way as to leverage the gravity/weight of the water within the hoses. Seems with that added weight, there is more pressure within the canister itself and that pressure makes for a tighter seal between the head unit and the canister.

So I would imagine that the bubbles issue you were dealing with is similar to me in that, in my case, I was testing the unit in the bathtub to make sure there were no leaks. since the hoses were immersed in a bucket within the tub (right next to the canister) at essentially the same altitude, the canister didn't benefit from my 'weight from above' school of thought and the propeller was sucking hard enough to pull air though the gasket. Since my leaking problem went away, I gave the unit a shot once more in my tank and amazingly, the bubble issue disappeared (hence my being hit on the head with an apple.

Hoping I got that right... it does at least make sense:)

The #18 o-rings was a smart call... The total diameter of the rings is just slightly smaller than the originals but the diameter of the rubber itself is noticibly wider and now installed, my leak issue is no longer:)