I bought a "new to me" Aquaclear 110 earlier this week, and I've been dying to replace my Eheim 2215 with it. I like the Eheim 2215. I just HATE disconnecting it to clean it. And when there is friction to doing maintenance, you tend to put it off.
I hooked up the 110 and it was a bit louder than I would like it to be. So I lubed up the impeller shaft with vaseline and tried again. Still too loud.
Did some homework on Google and saw that the 110 is known for having the impeller shaft wear out. One person said, he replaces them as often as every 6 months with a new one, due to wear.
I then found ONE post that said the impeller shaft from a Fluval 406 power filter is a drop in replacement for the one in the Aquaclear 110 and is ceramic. That makes it quieter And last longer.
So, I went out a bought one at my LFS for $14.00. It wasn't a perfect match. The impeller shaft was longer than the 110's metal shaft, but when I dropped it into the impeller and re-assembled the the filter, the added height was not in the way of anything.
Fired the filter back up and it is a LOT quieter now. Went upstairs to make lunch, and had to double check it was on. It still makes a humming sound, but it is so much quieter now.
Now, it is possible that I may have gotten the same results from a new metal shaft, since the existing shaft was worn, but I think the ceramic is going to last longer before I need to replace it. And the post I found online from people that used either a 406 impeller or an Eheim 2215 impeller claim it's a lot quieter with a ceramic impeller shaft than a metal one.
I hooked up the 110 and it was a bit louder than I would like it to be. So I lubed up the impeller shaft with vaseline and tried again. Still too loud.
Did some homework on Google and saw that the 110 is known for having the impeller shaft wear out. One person said, he replaces them as often as every 6 months with a new one, due to wear.
I then found ONE post that said the impeller shaft from a Fluval 406 power filter is a drop in replacement for the one in the Aquaclear 110 and is ceramic. That makes it quieter And last longer.
So, I went out a bought one at my LFS for $14.00. It wasn't a perfect match. The impeller shaft was longer than the 110's metal shaft, but when I dropped it into the impeller and re-assembled the the filter, the added height was not in the way of anything.
Fired the filter back up and it is a LOT quieter now. Went upstairs to make lunch, and had to double check it was on. It still makes a humming sound, but it is so much quieter now.
Now, it is possible that I may have gotten the same results from a new metal shaft, since the existing shaft was worn, but I think the ceramic is going to last longer before I need to replace it. And the post I found online from people that used either a 406 impeller or an Eheim 2215 impeller claim it's a lot quieter with a ceramic impeller shaft than a metal one.
