xp3 trouble

[3dees]

I have been an Ehiem fan for many years and have no complaints with thier filters. I set up a 120 gal. 6 months ago with an Ehiem 2128 thermo and a Rena xp3 only because I got the rena for a super cheap price from Dr. Foster & Smith. it's very easy to set up and is just as quiet as the Ehiem. for the lasst few weeks the flow has become a trickle. a few days ago I tore it down and cleaned everything including the hoses even though they did'nt need it. the flow was great for two days and now it's back to a trickle. this is so frustrating. I'm thinking about another Ehiem to replace it, but before I do I wanted to ask if anyone has this problem and if there are any tricks to fix this? maybe it's just a bad unit. did'nt save any money if I have to buy another Ehiem anyway.

 

[yodaLBC]

Check your hoses for kinks....

 

[groovylime]

I know this can happen if you have a filter-floss pad at the top. If you do, put a sponge there instead.

 

[3dees]

the top pad is what comes with the unit. replaced with a new one. I checked it and it's not even dirty.

 

[dragonfish18]

those inpelers can be a pain on those 3pxs. try taking it al the way out and twisting it back in again

 

[Moloch]

I've had my xp3 running for a month maybe 2 now without any issues (well...once I did a wc without stopping the filter and ended having to re-start the siphon...)

It still seems to be sprayin just as hard as it ever did. I've got all 4 of the black pads at the bottom with fluval pre-filter media, a few boxes of fluval ceramic rings in the middle with the 12 stars the unit came with and then 3 top-fin large filter bags (left over from my original power filter on the 20gal) with the micro-pad it came with.

I can't imagine why yours would be slowing down like that unless there's something going on like the intake not bringing in enough water. The canister is below your tank right? And the intake is a few inches off your substrate?

I dunno man.

 

[Pharaoh]

I've been running tons of XPs for years and haven't had a problem like that yet. How do you have the media configured? What media are you using?

 

[3dees]

tank is 24" high and intake is more than half way down but nowhere near the sand. i'm using Ehiem media. I even removed one of the black sponges from the bottom. no kinks in the hose. I'll check the impeler but why would it work fine for a few days, then slow down? looks like another Ehiem in my future and keep this for an emergency backup.

 

[importracer]

I have been an Ehiem fan for many years and have no complaints with thier filters. I set up a 120 gal. 6 months ago with an Ehiem 2128 thermo and a Rena xp3 only because I got the rena for a super cheap price from Dr. Foster & Smith. it's very easy to set up and is just as quiet as the Ehiem. for the lasst few weeks the flow has become a trickle. a few days ago I tore it down and cleaned everything including the hoses even though they did'nt need it. the flow was great for two days and now it's back to a trickle. this is so frustrating. I'm thinking about another Ehiem to replace it, but before I do I wanted to ask if anyone has this problem and if there are any tricks to fix this? maybe it's just a bad unit. did'nt save any money if I have to buy another Ehiem anyway.

Is the RENA setup 2 feet below the tank????????Placement of the filter is also a good sign that the filter is not working properly.........

 

[Dahammer]

My guess would be you're getting air into the system somewhere. Maybe a hose is loose on the intake side. Or maybe the seals around the quick disconnect are leaking a bit. Check to see if there is water in the top housing, if so, those seals are probably leaking. Also take a look at the canister housing while it is running and after the flow is impaired, can you see the water line on the canister? If so, and it's more than a 1/4" or so down on the canister it's getting air into the system somewhere.

You can try and purge it by lifting 1 or 2 of the clamps that hold the top on and that will burp the air out. You have to be careful though or else you'll get a wet floor. Just release the clamps while maintaining downward pressure on the top, then slowly release the pressure. You should see the water line climbing, as soon as it disappears reapply the pressure and snap the clamps back down. If the water line does not climb, then reclamp the top, unplug the canister's power and repeat the process with the canister off. The water line will move super fast with the canister off, though, so you need to be quick to avoid wetting everything.

You may have to burp it several times over the course a day or so to get rid of all of the air. If it continues, then you have a leak somewhere for sure.