Help! Filter Trouble

[test4echo]

I just bought a new filter for a 10 gallon i have. The filter is a Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel 100. After I installed it, It immediately made a loud grinding/whirling noise. I thought that maybe it needed to "break-in" a little bit, but after a few hours, it still persisted. It sounds like the Bio-wheel is spinning really fast, but if i stop it, the noise continues. Is it a piece of carbon stuck in the motor? Any advice? Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[YuccaPatrol]

It sounds like the impeller is not aligned right.

Remove the U-shaped intake tube

Pull up the plastic piece where it attaches to the filter

The impeller will come out with that.

Make sure the impeller is mounted correctly and then reinstall.

 

[test4echo]

That worked! Thanks. Do you think there is any damage done to the impeller now?

 

[tha cichlid man]

It should be alright mine did that a couple of time before & had no problem since.

 

[YuccaPatrol]

Glad to help!

If your flow ever gets so low that the biowheel stops spinning, do the same thing and see if the impeller or the cage it is mounted in is not stopped up with a piece of plant or other debris.

I drove myself crazy for a week trying to figure out why it would not spin and spent all my time concentrating on the biowheel instead of looking elsewhere.

I doubt that there is any damage at all to the impeller.

I think that is a great filter for a small tank. I have modified mine by adding a cylindrical sponge onto the intake because I am preparing a tank for breeding cherry shrimp. It still flows great and the sponge will create even more good surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow.

 

[aquarob]

New power filters (or even used ones) will sometimes make a ruckus when you first hook them up for a number of reasons. Usually, its b/c the impeller assembly is slightly askew or bent. Try adjusting that first. Another reason they sometimes will make noise is due to air bubbles hitting the impeller. Try adjusting the flow of water down to bare min. for a few minutes then crank it back up quickly. This should allow any trapped air to escape the vortex created by the impeller. Yet another possible reason is the "lid" or covering of the filter media basket itself. I have a Whisper 60 that I had to put some cotton in the corners to shut it up, because it rattled faintly, but it bothered me. Lastly, make sure to keep your water level nice and high (its ok to have it covering the return a little) and that will dramatically reduce splashing and evaporation. Hope that helps. =)