what are some reasons why an ac110 would all of a sudden be noisy? it is only a couple months old. i dont understand why it makes a sound like there's gravel in it. i checked it out, there is no visible problem. my substrate is ecocomplete black sand/soil type of stuff.
ac110
- Thread starter downset21
- Start date
might have gotten sand sucked into it and stuck in the impeller. I've got 2-3 AC filters now that have a permanent rattle because of getting sand sucked up into it. I'd take it apart (leave the sponge in a bucket of tank water) and clean the impeller and the impeller housing very well with filter brushes and see if that helps. 
do you think it is detrimental to the life of the filter if i just leave it as is? im feeling lazy, and plan on doing it in a month or so. when im scheduled to mess with all my filters .
You also might want to try to tap on the shaft inside the motor. My AC500 did the same thing. It was a little loose, no more noisy filter. 
Scottfree said:
That was pretty funny.If you clean it and it doesn't stop making noise, it might be because the sand wore down the impeller which would make it loose. You can get the impeller or a new motor off of Big Al's for a lot cheaper than replacing the entire filter.
my ac 300/70 had the same problem
do this take off the motor unit and pull out the impeller
then grab a pair of pliers and pull out the steal shaft and inspect it
mine was worn funny at the bottom which caused the impeller to rattle
just turn the shaft end for end and replace everything
then fire that bad boy back up
viola
it should be a lot better now
next time it starts rattling you will have to replace the shaft and impeller but this should take care of it for some time
mike
do this take off the motor unit and pull out the impeller
then grab a pair of pliers and pull out the steal shaft and inspect it
mine was worn funny at the bottom which caused the impeller to rattle
just turn the shaft end for end and replace everything
then fire that bad boy back up
viola
it should be a lot better now
next time it starts rattling you will have to replace the shaft and impeller but this should take care of it for some time
mike
Sand is an AquaClear Filter's worst nightmare.
Usually I can fix the problem by 'blasting' the filter and impeller out with the hose, to get any sand particles removed. But eventually, the AC filters seem to get the rattle permenantly, and even stop working in some cases..
A good sponge pre-filter is a good idea with sand and these filters.
Usually I can fix the problem by 'blasting' the filter and impeller out with the hose, to get any sand particles removed. But eventually, the AC filters seem to get the rattle permenantly, and even stop working in some cases..
A good sponge pre-filter is a good idea with sand and these filters.