# Filters Keep Dying



## dd23149006401549 (Dec 26, 2011)

I have been having a problem with my power filters breaking down. I have gone through 5 in the last 2 weeks. Including The Tetra Whisper that came with my starter kit, 2 Aqueons, 1 Marineland, and a 5 dollar filter from Wal-Mart. Surprisingly the one from Wal-Mart had the longest run. I have sand as a substrate however it is three inches from the filter tube. When I take them apart there is no sand or anything in the impeller. Sometime I can clean them really quick and they will last another day or so. Has anybody else had anything like this happen to them. I went to Petsmart and Petco and nobody has experienced this. Any ideas or help would be appreciated!


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

What is the part that fails. 
is it the impeller 
how does it fail 
does it grind to a halt or does the motor burn up.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I've never had a filter die. Your sand must be killing them. 3" is not very far.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Never heard of having issues with o many different types.I am also curious as to what fails on them.


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## dd23149006401549 (Dec 26, 2011)

I thought the sand was a problem to, but when I take them apart and clean them there isn't any sand stuck in the impeller. 
Sometime there is a grinding noise and sometimes it just stops. It's really random. However when it stops and I take it out to clean it yet again, I do notice that the motor seems really hot, that could be normal I'm not sure. And if it is the sand breaking them is there any way to get around it?


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

dd23149006401549 said:


> I have been having a problem with my power filters breaking down. I have gone through 5 in the last 2 weeks. Including The Tetra Whisper that came with my starter kit, 2 Aqueons, 1 Marineland, and a 5 dollar filter from Wal-Mart. Surprisingly the one from Wal-Mart had the longest run. I have sand as a substrate however it is three inches from the filter tube. When I take them apart there is no sand or anything in the impeller. Sometime I can clean them really quick and they will last another day or so. Has anybody else had anything like this happen to them. I went to Petsmart and Petco and nobody has experienced this. Any ideas or help would be appreciated!


Hello dd...

I use AquaClear power filters and they seem to run very well. Haven't replaced one in several years. They're resonably priced and easy to maintain. I'd suggest giving this brand a try.

B


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## dd23149006401549 (Dec 26, 2011)

Thanks B,
I was planning on giving them a try today when I go to return this filter that died.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

It shouldn't matter the brand really. There isn't normal wear and tear making that many filters quit. Buying a new type filter doesn't take away your problem. I would suggest using some type of prefilter. A sponge or maybe even an old section of stocking tied over the intake may work. Sand is like miniature rocks.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

dd23149006401549 said:


> I thought the sand was a problem to, but when I take them apart and clean them there isn't any sand stuck in the impeller.
> Sometime there is a grinding noise and sometimes it just stops. It's really random. However when it stops and I take it out to clean it yet again, I do notice that the motor seems really hot, that could be normal I'm not sure. And if it is the sand breaking them is there any way to get around it?


I really do think it is sand that is causing the problem.
It doesn't take much to wear out the bearings on the impeller shaft.

I have a 10 gallon that has a pen-plax and it has been running for 2 months now with sand and the intake is about 3 or so inches from the sand. But I have modified it and I have it flowing about 10% of it's capacity since the tank has Dalmatian molly fry that is about 1/4in.


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## Kev1jm2 (Oct 18, 2011)

Stretch some pantyhose over the intake, secure it with a zip tie. If your filters stop dying, the sand has been the issue. If they keep dying, you're doing something absurd to break them.


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## dvanbramer88 (Jul 23, 2011)

Running hot? electric motors run hot when the voltage isnt right or when the load is too high. 

Where do you live? Where are you buying your filters from? 

Are you plugging the filters into an outlet with a dimmer? You can't use a dimmer with most electric motors.


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## phil_n_fish (Nov 19, 2011)

dvanbramer88 said:


> Running hot? electric motors run hot when the voltage isnt right or when the load is too high.
> 
> Where do you live? Where are you buying your filters from?
> 
> Are you plugging the filters into an outlet with a dimmer? You can't use a dimmer with most electric motors.


I was thinking of the same thing. If you are having several filters die then its got to be a electrical problem. Check your voltage. Sometimes outlets are wired wrong and are pushing 240V instead of 120V. Its easy to mess it up.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Call your power company and request that they hook up a recording volt meter (RVM) at the meter base of your house. It'll tell them and they'll tell you if there's any abnormal voltage (or current) issues with the power being delivered to your house. If it's coming from within the house (say from a faulty computer source, loose neutral, VFD, etc) then you won't be able to tell. HOWEVER, the majority of the time there's an abnormal power condition, your tank light would be the first thing to go (the ballast would be fried).

Do you have a digital multimeter? If you do, hook it up to the outlet and see if you have a sustained over-voltage condition or an under-voltage condition (where the voltage is constantly too high or too low). Keep in mind many multimeters don't measure RMS, so you might be seeing instead of 120V AC 120V*sqrt(2)V AC

Sorry, nerdy rant finished


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

Gizmo,
if it was a voltage problem it would be affecting a lot more that just the motor in his filter. 
Unless that outlet is the only one on that circuit and there is a fault of some kind or it was orig a 220 outlet and some one put a 110 outlet on that circuit by mistake in that case everything plugged into that outlet would fry,

I really think it is that the filter intake is too close to the sand and drawing up really small particles of sand and it is wearing out the bearings on the impeller. 

He needs to make a modification to his intake so it is further away from the sand.

on my set up I have gotten away with just limiting the flow of the filter to 10% of normal by making a gate valve in the intake tube. 
I did this by cutting a small slit in the tube horizontally that is just wide enough to fit a pice of the same plastic that the intake tube is made from. 
luckily the intake tube on my filter is square. So I didn't have to shape the valve pice to fit the tube. 







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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

sorry I can't help--I don't use filters so don't have this problem.



my .02


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## TypeYourTextHere (Apr 20, 2011)

Here is what I would do in your situation...
1. Test the output of the outlet where you are plugging your pump into with a multi meter. Assuming you are in the U.S. it should read 110v - 120v.
2. Fill a sink about an inch with water and remove the motor from your filter housing and rinse the impeller and motor housing where the impeller sits. If there is debris in it you should see it. if this is the case you may need to rinse your sand out better (providing you did so initially).
3. Get a new filter and run it for X number of days (the average number of days you have been able to run the filters before they are dieing on you) Hanging off the side of a bucket or trashcan with clean water only plugged into the same outlet you have been using. 

If option 1 is the issue then you need to get that issue resolved (obviously)
If option 2 is the issue then remove all the sand and rinse it and replace it in the tank.
If the filter dies while option 3 is in play then most likely it is another electrical issue.

I hope this helps.


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## TypeYourTextHere (Apr 20, 2011)

KG4mxv said:


> I really think it is that the filter intake is too close to the sand and drawing up really small particles of sand and it is wearing out the bearings on the impeller.
> 
> He needs to make a modification to his intake so it is further away from the sand.
> 
> ...


I have my Aquaclear 110's inlet about 3" from my substrate without any issues. I am using PFS and my filter has only grinded to a halt 2 times in 10 months both times was last month and due to tiny snails.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

Unless I could inspect the impeller I really can only guess. 

But you will have to agree that the problem is not a voltage problem unless he is having other problems and not telling us.


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## TypeYourTextHere (Apr 20, 2011)

I can only speculate. My guess is the sand was not rinsed properly and is building up in the impeller housing causing it to bind up and killing the motor.


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## TypeYourTextHere (Apr 20, 2011)

DAMN, that is pretty ugly.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

very plausible


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