And Now Another Problem...Decreased Flow From Filter

[jere1558]

My Fluval 304 used to throw some serious water until the new water level reached over the outflow valve. While it still puts out a good bit of water, not as much as before.

What's in it? Bottom basket...wadding, middle....prefilter, top...biomax, vertical sponges...4. I clean (read rinse) all filter media every other water change (every 2 weeks). I rinse all media in 3 gallon (tank only) bucket. 2 times bucket for full rinse.

Another issue....I blow out the hoses with the cleanings yet get huge quantities of crap blowing back into the tank when filter is restarted. How can I stop that?

[Hound]

Well, with the water level above the outflow there is more pressure the pump has to work against and so that will slow the water flow down. It sounds like you are keeping the media clear of gunk. When is the last time you cleaned out the impeller well? If the impeller somehow got gunked up it could also be slowing your flow. Just be careful when removing the impellor shaft. Fluvals use a ceramic shaft and they can break if you don't pull it straight out. They aren't expensive to replace, but if you don't have an extra on hand then you'll be kinda screwed until you can replace it. More than likely though I would say the flow is lower simply because your outflow is now submerged.

What I did with my fluval hoses was I first removed them from the aquarium. Once I had them in the bathroom I removed them from the aquastop assembly. I then held one hose end tightly to the faucet and turned the hot water on full. Afterwards I then bent the tubing all along it's length taking care not to bend it too much, but just enough to break up what deposites may have been in there. I then ran them through with hot water again. Then reversed the water direction through the hose. Probably didn't get out everything, but it worked for me.

[jere1558]

Thanks...I do clean the impeller well when I clean the filter. usually have gunk in there. I use a pencil covered with tank water soaked paper towels to clean the tight spots. I also put the hoses to the tap with hot water to run water thru each end. I didn't think of the crimping the hoses. I'll have to try that.

As far as the water flow...I used to be able to see the flow after the water was above the outflow. Now it's just a minor movement. Should I replace the impeller?