FX5 help needed
- Thread starter HyPHyISM42o
- Start date
ultimately I do not trust electronic chips in aquarium settings...that is why I tend to shy away from something like FX5 or eheim professional 3e...I ended up getting the 2262 over fx5 for that reason.
I own 6 running off analog 15a timers turning ON & OFF in 30 minute intervals 50 times a day for 2 years which puts the circuit board to the test, and I have yet to have one FX5 so much as hick-up. Now I will say that my my motor impeller are protected by a layer of Poly-Batting wrapped around the outer circumferential 1st stage cleaning before it enters the stacked basket section where I only keep super porous balls and lava-rock. The poly layer not only does a better job but protects the motor/ impeller from fine sand that I use. many times I have kicked up sand during cleaning that got sucked into the FX5 and never have I heard the tell-tale sound of magnet grind due to sand. Also the basket section is a choke point and if you place polishing material in those small surface area baskets, even just 1 will place substantial wear & tear load on the motor making it work hotter. Like all inline basket filters the stacked basket section of the FX5 is its Achilles heel if you use polishing media pushing placing high GPH demand on a mere 70 square inches of surface area. The polishing media belongs on the 1st stage circumference side where there is 400 square inches of surface area to allow good GPH throughput even when the batting is dirty. Save the basket section for high flow porous media such as lave-rack, rings, balls, exc, exc.
Empty out all your baskets, and using hot water in the shower or bathtub, pulse clean all parts with the shower hand sprayer on pulse. Then remove the hoses and run a pipe cleaning brush through them with a long wire attached to drag the brush all the way through and remove the diatoms that are probably contributing to the problem. Clean out the impeller and impeller housing deep down as there may be a magnet chip blocking. Momentarily turn the motor on with the impeller exposed to see if there is resistance when you finger the impeller. Then add a little vasoline lube to the impeller /magnet, reassemble the canister without media inside the bathtub, fill with water, and without hoses momentarily apply power to see if water gushes up and out listening for the impeller cavitation which may mean you have the thing assemble wrong crossed up in and out flow. 99% of these problems are usually human error especially if this is your second occurrance with different canisters your doing something wrong most likely
Empty out all your baskets, and using hot water in the shower or bathtub, pulse clean all parts with the shower hand sprayer on pulse. Then remove the hoses and run a pipe cleaning brush through them with a long wire attached to drag the brush all the way through and remove the diatoms that are probably contributing to the problem. Clean out the impeller and impeller housing deep down as there may be a magnet chip blocking. Momentarily turn the motor on with the impeller exposed to see if there is resistance when you finger the impeller. Then add a little vasoline lube to the impeller /magnet, reassemble the canister without media inside the bathtub, fill with water, and without hoses momentarily apply power to see if water gushes up and out listening for the impeller cavitation which may mean you have the thing assemble wrong crossed up in and out flow. 99% of these problems are usually human error especially if this is your second occurrance with different canisters your doing something wrong most likely
I tried plugging the impeller in all by itself nothing happens. and to add insult to this one of my bichirs got stuck in the tube for my ac70 powerhead and drowned.....
just not my day.....
just not my day.....
I own four FX5s and have never had a problem with any of them in the three years I have had them. Have you removed the impellar from the well it is seated in? I would check to see if there is a magnetic pull from the housing. If so, then it should be working and something is likely not seated correctly.
