fluval 404

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snake_charmer

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 9, 2006
691
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Michigan
I'm borrowing this filter from my cousin right now and figured I'd toss it on my 55 gallon for some extra filtration. The thing has me absolutly pissed off at the moment though!!! I tried using the self priming, "start" mechanism located on the top of it without luck and I've also tried filling it with water and starting it. Niether way has worked for me. The motor sounds like it is working fine but is not sucking any water in or pumping any out....:irked: Any thoughts? I've looked over the manual on hagens website and everything appears to be in check/order.
 
Start with canister empty of water and fully assembled. Make sure the aqua-stop and auto prime valves are in the down position. Submerge intake line. Suck on output and keep above water level. You should feel air blowing out the outlet pipe as the canister fills. When you hear it sound like the water is trying to flow up the outlet pipe plug in canister - imagine the change in sound when a water bottle is filled up to the neck. Water should flow powerfully (well as powerful as it gets) nearly immediately from your outlet.

I watched the guy I bought my 404 off struggle to get the canister going for like 35minutes - quite amusing. Do not partially fill the canister. It is near impossible to establish a siphon with water in the line. The other thing to check is that the rubber boot is attached to the bottom of the impeller shaft.

Make sure you watch the canister when you get it going as these canisters are prone to leak if the o-rings have not been serviced properly. Try turning the power on and off a few times too as a leak can become evident in event of a power outage.

Good luck, they are a handy little canister if you get your head around the priming.
 
The prime feature is a PITA. One thing, remove the intake basket and check to make sure there is still a plastic ball inside it. Without that ball, it will be evan harder to prime.

I always find it easier to fill the canister with water and prime it. Although, my hoses are already primed. Try sucking on the output and see if that works for you.
 
I don't use the primer either.

Priming the hoses and canister from the start is best done by my previous method. Once the hoses are primed the canister primes itself as long as you lift the outlet above the water level or open the aqua-stop before you fill the tank over the outlet fitting.

It seriously isn't a difficult operation IME :)
 
Hey, I got the 404 running last night! Sucking on the outlet tube did the trick. Thanks for the tip!
 
:eek:Yuck, aren't you worried illness from said hose/water?
I wouldn't put that in my mouth if you paid me.
There are all sorts of pathologic bacteria in aquarium water.
Salmonella,& dysentery just to name a few.NOT a good practice.Grown folks can do what they want, I just don't young people to read this, try it, & get horribly sick.
 
Pieface;2705017; said:
Start with canister empty of water and fully assembled. Make sure the aqua-stop and auto prime valves are in the down position. Submerge intake line. Suck on output and keep above water level. You should feel air blowing out the outlet pipe as the canister fills. When you hear it sound like the water is trying to flow up the outlet pipe plug in canister - imagine the change in sound when a water bottle is filled up to the neck. Water should flow powerfully (well as powerful as it gets) nearly immediately from your outlet.

I watched the guy I bought my 404 off struggle to get the canister going for like 35minutes - quite amusing. Do not partially fill the canister. It is near impossible to establish a siphon with water in the line. The other thing to check is that the rubber boot is attached to the bottom of the impeller shaft.

Make sure you watch the canister when you get it going as these canisters are prone to leak if the o-rings have not been serviced properly. Try turning the power on and off a few times too as a leak can become evident in event of a power outage.

Good luck, they are a handy little canister if you get your head around the priming.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the OT but I love your avatar.

I had a fluval 3 series and it was a PITA it was too long ago for me to give you much help sorry bro.I cant count the amount of times I had to "Pull aka suck" on the tube to get it going blechhh
 
Without trying to sound like a know-it-all...

A lot of people seem to have trouble when they try and operate equipment the way they think it should work rather than how the manufacturer tells you it does work.

Obviously sucking on the pipe is not recommended by the manufacturer but it is effective and was only necessary when first installing the canister. There is no reason to have aquarium water in your mouth! I'm confident the priming unit would work if operated according to the instruction manual. I didn't have the check valve inlet attached so I couldn't operate the canister this way. The principle is the same as my gravel vac and that has always operated fine. The primer only has to pull the water over the edge of the tank and then gravity takes care of it from there. Once your hoses are primed you don't even need to do that...

[/know it all rant] :ROFL:

Oh yeah Glad to hear it worked for ya snake charmer :)
 
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