How Do Youprime This Dam Fluval [Archive]

DodgeIntrepidV6

12-04-2002, 8:47 PM

I just got a 304. All hoses attached properly and output is above water. I prime it and hear water come then keep primer in down position but only hear a little water fill. This keeps happening and I cant get a contious flow. I plugged it in quickly and heard the motor sound like its dry 2 seconds later I unplugged it. Any info tonight would be ver helpful. Thanks Im very frustrated

Richer

12-04-2002, 8:48 PM

Keep on pumping that little plunger like mad until a continous flow of water goes through your filter. May take quite a bit of pumping before you get the filter primed.

HTH
-Richer

TheMightyQueenPixie

12-04-2002, 8:50 PM

If it's anything like my damned Eheim, i'll pray for you...I end up in physio everytime I re-start it.

DodgeIntrepidV6

12-04-2002, 9:07 PM

Just got it to work. Guess I didn't go quick enough. Everything seems good except the tubing which really sucks. It is stiff and goes all over the place and wont hold the output straight or intake. I had to have freaking war with the suction cups and tubing just to get the output straight and facing horizontal not up in the air. The tubing is like twisted the wrong way, so now I know why everyone has bad things to say on this matter. Anyone out there haev fluval with smooth tubing, preferably clear plastic?

Darkangel

12-04-2002, 9:12 PM

You can buy clear hose at Home Depot of the right diameter.

mwood322

12-04-2002, 9:24 PM

Just a note.

Be careful when you clean the impellor, because on mine the stem it is attached to is plastic and I snapped it. one of these days I'm going to prime mine with a hammer. It is an unbelieveable pain to start, taking at least a half hour each time.

--Mia

Tyler718

12-04-2002, 9:25 PM

I used to have the same problem with priming and the same complaint with the hoses.

For priming: I found it alot easier to prime if I filled the filter with treated water. Then plug it in. So the water that came in was pushing the water out of the filled filter.

For hosing: I got the same size of clear hosing from home depot. Alot easier to use. I went as far as buying a piece of 1/2" pvc and made a spray bar. Vice using the small outlet that came with the filter. I drilled holes every 1 1/2" apart and capped one end. I attached the hose using a barb that fit the hose and pvc. It cost me about $9 for the whole thing. I like it alot better. By the way I used heater suction cups from my lfs to keep in place.

DodgeIntrepidV6

12-04-2002, 9:33 PM

Exactly what I was thinking Tyler. Thanks for telling em what to do, I too like the spray bar the old fluvals used to use and same goes for tubing. I'll run to north haven tommorow and get right to work. Glad to hear I'm not the only oen with pirming problems.

kefler

12-04-2002, 10:08 PM

The manual is WRONG!! you HAVE to have the output BELOW the water level.. if it is above the silly primer thing will do the EXACT OPPOSITE and actually send air BACK OUT the intake!

I spent 3 hours on this a few weekends ago with a new fluval 404. Go to the www.hagen.com website and check out the manual there. You'll find that the step that says the output nozzle must be above water has been quietly changed to say 'must be below the water' and they even re-did the picture in the diagram!!

I find it annoying they made this major change and didn't put a notice anywhere about it, they just quietly did it.

If you have the output nozzle below the water, just prime it once or twice and you will hear the water come pouring into the filter. lots of air will come out of the output. When its done right, it doesn't matter if the filter is full or completely empty, it primes perfectly every time. I used to try to make it be full with the 303, but the x04 works great full or empty.

christopher1260

12-04-2002, 10:59 PM

i usually start with the canister empty, and take the output and point it into a bucket well below the intake. i then give it about 10 pumps and bingo, it runs great. i wish hagen didn't suck at writing directions.

Faramir

12-05-2002, 4:20 AM

I usually make sure the canister and the input tube are full of water before even trying to start the thing. It is the weak point. I found the 404 better, but that might have been tank height as well....

ewok

12-05-2002, 5:51 AM

TOTALLY agree with keffler.... (keeping the outputs under water, i think there is a scientific principle about air under water trying to escape.)

i never understood these priming problem posts. i keep my outputs about 2-3" below water and i NEVER touch the primer. i also have emps on the tanks for aeration and agitation and hate listening to the "running hose" sound the 404's make when they are above water. i only ever primed my fluval 404's once each that i remember pretty much and that was to get water into the hoses.

when i break em down and clean them, either replacing them full or empty, i JUST flip the lever and the air bubbles out. i might pump it once or twice after that to flush the last little bit of air, but it is unneccesary really, the filter will purge itself as it runs.

mwood it is actually a ceramic shaft i think and that is why it is brittle. i also think the little tool is there to remove it, but i haven't needed it yet. i have only opened the impeller housing once in about 6-8 months, and that was more for inspection and due to the fact that the carbon bags had been in that one for too long (since i bought the filter ;) ) and the bags had basically disintegrated, allowing carbon to get everywhere. the impeller should be mostly self cleaning from what i have seen with mine.

mwood322

12-05-2002, 7:40 AM

Well, even before I broke it I found the filter to be a pain at starting, its only gotten worse since. In fact I broke it trying to figure out why the impellor refused to spin.

I don't think I'll ever buy another canister just for all the aggrevation this one has given me. My Hang On the Backs work fine.

--Mia

stpower

12-05-2002, 7:45 AM

mwood322

Buy a Filstar xP. Auto priming. You hook up the hoses with this very simple connector and push down the lever. AUTO filling. I have an xp2 never had a problem. Just my 2cents.

Fishiebusiness

12-05-2002, 9:36 AM

Originally posted by stpower
mwood322

Buy a Filstar xP. Auto priming. You hook up the hoses with this very simple connector and push down the lever. AUTO filling. I have an xp2 never had a problem. Just my 2cents.

Yeah that's great, but i dont think he's going to buy a new filter.

Anyways, dont forget to try putting an python on the outtake hose and use it to suck everything out. That'll quickly evacuate the air and get the filter full of water.

Tightdog1

12-05-2002, 12:49 PM

b4 you start to prime/start fill the cannister with water preferably from the tank, then put the top on and prime normally, less water 2 prime with the self-primer.

Hatter

12-05-2002, 1:59 PM

After cleaning my canisters and putting them back together, I remove the intake stem from the tank. I then connect a spare piece of hose to a powerhead output in the tank. Then I use that hose to fill the intake tube going back to the canister. When it's full I put the stem back on and put it back in the water. Then I power up the canister and it starts right away.

I find this easier than trying to fiddle with the priming pump in the cramped space under my tank.

DodgeIntrepidV6

12-05-2002, 2:45 PM

Who would of ever thought priming would be so hard:confused: Anyways, theres a 10 inch plus snow storm here(figures always near weekend) and I can't go to home depot. But when I do I'm gettign the tubing and spray bar. So I'll start from scratch again... I'll see if I give it more effort it fills. Thanks for all your input I really appreciate it.

125gJoe

12-05-2002, 3:05 PM

Originally posted by christopher1260
i usually start with the canister empty,

Always FILL the canister To-The-Top before turning it on and priming it! This is where most of the >I Can't Get It To Prime< problem happens.
I've had zero problems starting up Fluval and Filstars...
The directions do need to be written better on the products.

Hope this will help lots............. :)

TnCgal

12-06-2002, 3:00 AM

Dodge,

I'm going to move this thread over to FW equipment and DYI for more responses ! :)

ewok

12-06-2002, 1:42 PM

Originally posted by stpower
mwood322

Buy a Filstar xP. Auto priming. You hook up the hoses with this very simple connector and push down the lever. AUTO filling. I have an xp2 never had a problem. Just my 2cents.

that is what my 404's do too..... and i am doing nothing special i know of...... didnt even cut the hoses to length, just have them sort of coiled over the filter. i just keep the outlet below water......

and i have done the same thing with an empty, cleaned filter with no problems. i just usually add water as it takes alot of water out of the tank to fill it back up.

125gJoe

12-07-2002, 9:36 AM

"Originally posted by stpower
mwood322

Buy a Filstar xP."

Great Idea!

rahimsach

12-05-2006, 12:40 AM

sorry wrong post

amosf

12-05-2006, 1:09 AM

I have cheap Chinese filters which would have to be the worst possible things to prime since they filter from the top down and so the air is always trapped in the top of the filter. Even so, if you fill the filter, cap it, top it up, have the filter lower than the tank, have the input line full, then it will start perfectly every time. It can't do anything but work. It has the silly little plunger things but I never use them. Other filters are even better to start, once you have it all full.

Hutchewon

12-05-2006, 5:38 AM

The output is supposed to be under water too!

I just got a 304. All hoses attached properly and output is above water. I prime it and hear water come then keep primer in down position but only hear a little water fill. This keeps happening and I cant get a contious flow. I plugged it in quickly and heard the motor sound like its dry 2 seconds later I unplugged it. Any info tonight would be ver helpful. Thanks Im very frustrated
:dive2:

henkychif

12-05-2006, 9:21 PM

I've had 2 204's for 3 yrs. After about 2 yrs the priming pumps don't work anymore - the internal suction cup-like things get worn and don't draw enough water. To prime, I have to disconnect the hoses and suck on the inlet one to start the siphon, close the valve, and insert the connector back in. I have a small bucket I use to catch the water that comes out before I can close the valve. It takes practice. I only have to do this if I want to remove the hoses for cleaning. Otherwise, I just leave them in place. Even if I'm not priming, I remove the hose connector anyway, because I like to take the whole unit, top and bottom, to the sink where I can clean the impeller. I use a toothbrush and brush very lightly, because the impeller blades are easy to break. Also, I use needle-nose pliers to pull out the impeller and its plastic holder. I have to say the Fluvals have been working for three years, they are quiet, and they keep the water clean. I like the media baskets. But when these finally die I'm getting something better. No more Fluvals for me.

DiscusKeeper

12-07-2006, 2:38 PM

The manual is WRONG!! you HAVE to have the output BELOW the water level.. if it is above the silly primer thing will do the EXACT OPPOSITE and actually send air BACK OUT the intake!

Hmmm. This must be epidemic with filter manufacturers. I have a Rena and the manual tells you the exact opposite of how the filter media should be stacked inside. After four weeks, I finally realized this and couldn't believe the difference in my water quality once I corrected it.

Philgo

12-07-2006, 4:55 PM

I prefer to have the filter empty as recommended by the manufacturers, I then blow though the outlet until air bubbles come out of the inlet, this clears the tubing of water

Then one quick suck on the OUTLET until you hear water pouring in to the filter, you then wait a few minutes with the outlet just out of the water until the water level in the pipes are the same level as the tank and turn it on.

This method must work every time, if it doesn't there's a blockage or a leak.

If you don't fancy sucking then a syphon bulb will work as well.

Philgo

12-07-2006, 5:56 PM