Filter not working, making terrible grinding noise

[kjr928]

Came home last night to hear my Rena Filstar XP4 making a terrible grinding noise and the filter just wasn't working.

Unplugged it for the night & today I opened it up and rinsed all the filter media with tank water, looked for anything obvious that could be causing the problem, but saw nothing. The filter will not work.

WhAny ideas or suggestions? I'm not very handy in this dept so I don't know what to look for or how to do repairs. This filter is probably about 5-6 years old.

Is it salvageable or should I buy a new filter? Need an answer as soon as possible since I have a tank full of fish with no filtration now. Thanks!

 

[sumthin fishy]

I have no experience with this brand, but I have a fluval unit. They may not be the same, but I have to assume there is a way to access the impeller. When you remove the lid, turn it over and look for a removable cover. Take it off and inspect the impeller. You may have just gotten a foreign object in there that is keeping it from spinning. This is just speculation, but hope it helps

I would always recommend either running a second filter or keeping a spare for this type of emergency. If the filter is dead, you can make a simple sponge filter using the media from the canister, an air pump and some tubing. You could take it a step further and use a cleaned out soda bottle. something like this

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It would at least provide some biofiltration and at the same time keep the filter media seeded so you can use it in a new filter.

 

[sumthin fishy]

here is a how to on checking the impeller
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[Slappy*McFish]

I would suspect a faulty impeller, as well.

 

[Turbosaurus]

most impellers look like a pinwheel or a propeller sitting on top of a a cylindrical magnet. That assembly (those two pieces together) will have a hole through the middle for an impeller rod that's made of steel or (more commonly) ceramic. The rod or shaft mounts in small rubber holders on both ends and holds the impeller upright in the motor housing... Often, if your impeller is rattling it could be a snapped shaft.

so when you remove the impeller, make sure you can see the rod going the whole way through, and no pieces are left in the housing. Make sure the impeller, once removed from the housing, can turn freely on the rod. When you put it back in, seat it carefully and firmly without torquing it, I've snapped my share putting them back together...

If you can identify a fault on the impeller (missing fins or a snapped rod) they're pretty cheap and easy to find replacement parts, so its definitely worth looking into.

 

[fishorama]

I had an impeller that had a very fine circular scratch from sand (or something) that prevented it from working right. I couldn't really feel it but saw a tiny line. Easy & pretty cheap to replace.

Sometimes after thorough cleaning impellers don't seat all the way, like Turbo said. I clean the hole where the rubber end sits w/ Q-tip & make sure both holders are on tight & cover really seals well, there can be a teeny tiny bit of give after a few years. O-rings are also cheap & easy to replace from a well stocked lfs or plumbing supply, take the filter with you to get a really good fit even if they don't have the Rena brand of part.

It could also be from air trapped in the filter housing or coming in somewhere, I assume you've tried rocking it in all directions, checking hoses. Do you use silicone lubricant on the O-rings at least occasionally? Quick disconnect fully seated (lubed?)?

 

[kjr928]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the responses! Very helpful. I will def see if I can open it up and check on the impeller. Like I said, I've never done a repair like this so I'm a little scared.

To answer your question, fishorama, I've never added any kind of lubricant anywhere to the filter. Wouldn't know what kind of lubricant to use or where to put it, or how much!

On the plus side, the morning after it stopped working (which I realized happened after a 4 hour power out), I was able to get the top to my brother's Filstar XP3 and swap it out on mine, since his tank's not set up at the moment. So at least I'm not going to lose my bio in there while I'm trying to figure out how to fix this thing.

What a pain!!!!!

 

[sumthin fishy]

I wouldn't be too scared. Just follow the instructions in the video. Don't think of it as a repair, but more of a normal maintenance. Hopefully all you have to do is remove that impeller cover, which should just twist off, and remove a bit of debris..

 

[Bottomfeeder2]

I used to have an AC20 that would do this. Sometimes priming it (filling it manually with water) would work, sometimes not. I ended up trashing it because it started getting hot and generating a burning smell.

I think you made the right decision switching it out for another one.

 

[fishorama]

I have Rena XP3 that I've never lubed either (oops, lol). But I KNOW I have some tiny tubes of lube...somewhere...for "next time". Siilcone lubricant is sold in almost any hardware store or lfs ( probably more expensive). It never really touches the tank water but a thin layer is all you need, all the way around the O-rings (black rubber gaskets) around both the filter housing (where the top sits on the base) & the rings around where the intake & outlet go into the quick-connect opening on filter top. Use your finger or a Q-tip to apply lube.

Impeller replacement & lubrication isn't at all scary or expensive, you can do it!

Kens fish used to carry Rena impellers I think, many online places do (Drs F & S etc) Look for lube too, I'm sure the big ones carry it. No need to get a new filter