FX5 filter problems, urgent-ish!

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A

alexsbass

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2008
6
0
0
chicago
Hey guys, I have an fx-5 on a tank with 2 motoros, 3 cichla oriononco (spelling), and 1 tigrinus catfish. I turn the filter off whenever i feed bloodworms so they dont all get sucked up the intake.

Here lies my problem, the way i turn off the filter is by just shutting the intake valve to the closed position. Last night I did this and I forgot and left the filter intake in the closed position for about 3 hours with the filter still plugged in.

The flow rate has diminshed to basically nothing, I am worried about my fish so hopefully someone has an idea of what could be happening and I can get it up and running again quickly. Buying another $300 filter isn't really an option right now.

Could the way I turn my filter off, and doing it for an extended period of a couple hours have fried the motor? It is still running but the flow is barely anything.

Thanks for any help and replies everybody!
 
yikes - not sure why you would shut the intake off....

only option, take off the motor/impeller unit and make sure everything looks ok - if it does, turn back on, if its dead its dead......

something could of clogged somewhere? so check the filter insides....

not much more you can do....
 
I shut the intake off so that the bloodworms would not get sucked up into the filter before the rays get a chance to eat them.

Does anyone know the answer to this.. when a motor is fried is it FRIED? or can the motor be ruined to the point of only working partially. If the fact that it is working at all guarantees a problem with a dirty impeller or a clog in the hose.. which seems very unlikely... and not a problem with the filter motor itself well this would be very good news!
 
The motor is most likely fried and do you still have it under warranty?? then you can send it in and maybe you can hook up some over heads to keep it clean how big is the tank?
 
its 150 gallons. damn it. i thought i was sure i had read of other people doing the same thing during their feedings. do you think it happened just because i left it in the closed position so long?
 
alexsbass said:
its 150 gallons. damn it. i thought i was sure i had read of other people doing the same thing during their feedings. do you think it happened just because i left it in the closed position so long?
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Well if your sure it was three hours i believe the fx5 would have pushed alot of the water out if not all of it, and once you do that there is no more water cycling around the prop in side which will cause a heat build up and probably slow down the motor if not kill it.

Im not picking fights or anything but you should of just turned the filter off because of that reason once you stop the cycle or water hitting the prop inside with no opposite force it will free spin and break.
 
yeah, i wouldn't have done it if i knew it was causing damage to the filter. i didnt think it was pushing out the water because the outflow stops literally 2 seconds after closing the intake, the filter holds about 3 gallons of water so there should still be at least 2.75 gallons of water in the filter the entire time the inflow is stopped.
 
alexsbass said:
yeah, i wouldn't have done it if i knew it was causing damage to the filter. i didnt think it was pushing out the water because the outflow stops literally 2 seconds after closing the intake, the filter holds about 3 gallons of water so there should still be at least 2.75 gallons of water in the filter the entire time the inflow is stopped.
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Yeah it goes something like that but the problem is that water in the Fx5 is still water and keeps spinning that prop is gonna heat up and the motor will slow down
 
I would take it apart and check out the motor, but there's a good chance that it is shot.
 
I agree with Bobby's suggestion to check the pump. It's a real possibility the impeller has seized as it requires water flow for cooling and impeller lubrication.

For future reference, NEVER use the intake valve to stop or slow the water flow on any pump, canister or filter. The output valve can usually be used to accomplish flow reductions without an issue, though I would unplug the filter or pump when you feed live foods.

Just lay the filter plug in a visible place so you remember to plug it back in.
 
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