Cleaning my Eheim Canister Filter

[lovemybarbs]

I've never had anything but HOB filters and I think it is time for it's first cleaning.

I assume shut it off, shut off the water valves, and open it up. There's so much stuff in there that it came with. I don't know if I should rinse it all in tank water and that's it, or replace one of the medias.

:help2: I don't want to do something stupid.

 

[dudley]

Unplug the filter, shut taps off, take filter to sink, open taps & drain some water out, open latches & remove top. Depending on filter model, you may need to replace fine white filter pad if it is extremely dirty. I rinse all my media in tank water until excess dirt is gone. Rinse canister out & reinstall media in correct order. Reassemble canister, place back under tank, hook hoses up, open valves, wait for canister to fill up with water then plug back in.

 

[lovemybarbs]

Thank you. I have a 2215.

Turn it off and disconnect the two valves that are attached on both the intake and the out hoses....

So I should have a bucket for each type of media so it won't get mixed up.

I'll get a new filter pad this week.

Hopefully I get this done in the next couple of weeks.

One of my main concerns is not having to prime it again.

 

[Riiz]

Dont remove the biological media from the baskets, just rinse it. Replace the white floss pad with another or filter floss if it is really dirty. And the new eheims are really easy to prime, dont worry about that.

 

[dudley]

As long as you don't empty the water out of the hoses that are still on the tank (not the filter), there will be no problem priming it.
What I do with all my Eheim filters (they all have Quick Disconnects) is once the filter is assembled & ready to put back in service, I only connect the intake/suction hose & open the QD. Then I hold the output/discharge hose in a pail until the water flows out with no air bubbles. Shut the QD off then reconnect to output hose. Plug filter back in and it is PRIMED PERFECTLY EVERY TIME. I have never had this method fail to work.

 

[krytan]

Unplug the filter, shut taps off, take filter to sink, open taps & drain some water out, open latches & remove top. Depending on filter model, you may need to replace fine white filter pad if it is extremely dirty. I rinse all my media in tank water until excess dirt is gone. Rinse canister out & reinstall media in correct order. Reassemble canister, place back under tank, hook hoses up, open valves, wait for canister to fill up with water then plug back in.

Dont remove the biological media from the baskets, just rinse it. Replace the white floss pad with another or filter floss if it is really dirty. And the new eheims are really easy to prime, dont worry about that.

As long as you don't empty the water out of the hoses that are still on the tank (not the filter), there will be no problem priming it.
What I do with all my Eheim filters (they all have Quick Disconnects) is once the filter is assembled & ready to put back in service, I only connect the intake/suction hose & open the QD. Then I hold the output/discharge hose in a pail until the water flows out with no air bubbles. Shut the QD off then reconnect to output hose. Plug filter back in and it is PRIMED PERFECTLY EVERY TIME. I have never had this method fail to work.

:iagree: That about sums it up.

 

[lovemybarbs]

I don't think I have baskets.

 

[dudley]

The 2215 may have a one piece mesh bag that all the media is in. Did you buy this filter new & assemble it yourself? Do you know what media you have in this filter? Regardless of whether you do or not, I still recommend rinsing all your media out in tank water.

 

[lovemybarbs]

Mine didn't come with a bag. Maybe I'll see if I can buy one. I was going to rinse everything in tank water.

 

[legendaryfrog]

Thank you. I have a 2215.

......

One of my main concerns is not having to prime it again.

Ah...priming the eheim classic series. IT can be a hassle, but sometimes it requires you having to pour water down the intake

Anyway, whenever I clean my 2217, I get a bunch of small containers and pour the media seperately into each one. After that, I pour TANK WATER into each container and rinse the media with that. Using a different temperature tap water will kill most of the good bacteria growing.