Eheim 2215 love/hate

fineexampl

fineexampl

noob
Feb 21, 2009
257
0
0
50
Mount Laurel, NJ
So i bought this Eheim 2215 off of a guy on Craigslist a little while ago. First day, worked great and have had to open it up a few times since and every time i open it, i hate it more and more.

I love that it has LOTS of media in it and has a big motor and is supposed to be good up to 90+gal.

Problems: Flow. It has NONE. It practically dribbles out of the end and sometimes not at all. I can't seem to get all the air out EVER and even when i'm close it's barely leaking.

Why are they so darn popular?? I don't get it. My Fluval 204 has 10x more flow than this hunk of carp (see what i did there?)!

Before i dropkick this through my upstairs neighbors deck window, please help me to get the flow back. I can't afford a new filter.

Help?:wall:
 
oh also...contents in canister:
ceramic rings (eheim)
course sponge
Seachem Matrix (not the carbon, the media)
a blue bonded pad

also of note...no hose clogs, impeller spins well and moves freely.
 
Do you have ALL the media located between the top and bottom lattice screens?

No loops or dips in the hoses that run from the canister to the tank?

Any inline equipment on the canister?

I find the best way to prime the canister is with NO water in the filter.
Drain the output/return hose before priming the filter.
Connect all the hoses to the filter, making sure the intake/suction strainer is under water.
Have the spraybar or output fitting above the water in the aquarium.
Briefly suck on the output to start the water siphoning into the filter.
Once the filter is full of water, plug the power cord in. The filter should start circulating the water properly.

If you have the double tap valves (quick disconnects), there should be no need to suck on the output to start the siphon.
 
so...start empty, suck only to start siphon, let it fill, switch on power, and pray. got it.

i do have the double tap valves, but how would that make me not have to suck to start the siphon?

i'm going to give that method a go later or tomorrow. right now i want to smash it to pieces. :)
 
oh and no, all the media is separated like a big sandwich kinda. in other words, layers using the latice.
 
OK, if you have the double tap valves, it makes it much easier to prime the filter.

Connect the intake/suction DT valve but don't open them yet.
Drain the water from the output/return hose and keep the spraybar above the water line. Now connect the DT valve for the output/return side and keep the spraybar above the water line.
Open the output/return DT valves fully.
Open the intake/suction DT valves fully. Water will start to enter the filter and push all the air out of the filter. This should prime the filter with water properly.
Adjust the spraybar so it is in it's normal position.
Plug the filter into power source.


Regarding the filter media. One green lattice screen is at the bottom of the filter housing with the legs pointing DOWN and the other green lattice screen is at the top of the filter with the legs pointing UP, correct?
 
If the blue pad or coarse sponge are gummed up, that could be a problem restricting flow too.
 
dudley said:
OK, if you have the double tap valves, it makes it much easier to prime the filter.

Connect the intake/suction DT valve but don't open them yet.
Drain the water from the output/return hose and keep the spraybar above the water line. Now connect the DT valve for the output/return side and keep the spraybar above the water line.
Open the output/return DT valves fully.
Open the intake/suction DT valves fully. Water will start to enter the filter and push all the air out of the filter. This should prime the filter with water properly.
Adjust the spraybar so it is in it's normal position.
Plug the filter into power source.


Regarding the filter media. One green lattice screen is at the bottom of the filter housing with the legs pointing DOWN and the other green lattice screen is at the top of the filter with the legs pointing UP, correct?
Click to expand...
i'll give it a shot in the morning.

yes, the lattice you described is exactly how i have it.

Squawkbert said:
If the blue pad or coarse sponge are gummed up, that could be a problem restricting flow too.
Click to expand...
checked this today. no gum. :)
 
Eheim is the only filter company to rate their flow with media in the filter, so their reported flow is lower than most similar size filters.

In my experience, Eheim flow is reduced compared to many canister filter brands. For me, that's good.
In my opinion, a 2215 won't work well enough on a 90g tank. I'd want two, and preferably two 2217s.

I have experienced bio film building up so thickly on the tubes/hoses, that water flow was a trickle. You could blow through them, though so they seemed fine. Cleaning by pulling through a brush on a heavy string made them work correctly again.

By the way, the impeller for a 2217 fits the 2215 quite nicely. Vice versa too, if you need to slow a 2217 for some reason.
 
Thanks for the impeller info. I read some about the impellers being interchangable, but couldn't confirm it.

To add to this mess though, i seem to have gotten the filter to operate at a reasonable flow. It's still not where i'd like it, but it's sort of working.

Anyhow, i think this is going to be my backup filter. My lovely wife got a bonus from work and offered to buy us a new filter. I'm thinking another Fluval. I like the way they work and i'm familiar with their flaws/advantages. We're likely getting the 306.

I do thank everyone who chimed in and appreciate that no down-talking went down. You guys helped me out to confirm where i'm going with this effort.

Next up...adding more fish! I think a school of Harlequins is on order. :)


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