Noisy Aquaclear 70- solutions?

fwiffo

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 5, 2007
163
0
16
USA
hey- i just bought an aquaclear 70 off ebay new for 38 bucks.
it runs good and is very strong on my tank, but it's noisy.
the impeller is loud.
i have an aquaclear 50 and it is whisper silent, no noise from the impeller at all.
is this noise temporary, like the motor and impeller are breaking themselves in?
also,the hood was rattling, so i removed it. any ideas on what the problem is?

by the way, what media setup do you fellows use? it came with a foam, carbon , and clay rings, but those only take up like 1/2 the media basket!!! so what do you guys do?

thanks!!
 

synspilus guy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 3, 2009
52
0
0
arizona
I bought a used ac110 about a year ago. It sounded like a freight train. It took a few weeks to quiet down. Actually the first thing I did was replace the impeller. That helped a bit. It seems like after a few weeks of developing some slime in the filter it helps cushion things and quiet it down. I've taken it out of my system before and when started using it again it was noisy. After about 1 to 2 weeks of running its quiet again.
 

KaiserSousay

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 20, 2009
1,230
0
0
PartlyCloudyFlorida
99.9 noise from a HOB is impeller.
What else on them moves???
A scored, grooved shaft. A slightly bent shaft. Impeller/magnet assembly slightly tight on the shaft, or too loose. An out of balance assembly.
You can help "break them in" by pulling the assembly off of the shaft and use some silicone (aquarium safe) grease on the shaft. I have found this stuff at Ace hardware and is good stuff to have on hand.
Works for me.
 

fwiffo

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 5, 2007
163
0
16
USA
sounds like good ideas. i'll check out the impeller and shaft tomorrow. i have become compalcent with the ease of making my own filters that are a breeze to operate and are silent. these aquaclears need more work!!! i'll check it out though with the impeller, maybe there is something in there. the sound is like a very mild grinding noise.
 
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