# Fluval 404 leaks at the handles



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I got a used 404 in a deal with an Eheim and I could never get the 404 to work right without leaking too.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

It's funny because the fluval 204 I gotten used as well works perfectly and has been working fine for half a year. The 404 piece of crap can't even handle itself for two days, not to mention it is much noisier. My guess is that the pressure builds up in the canister after a few days because the water isn't being pumped into the tank as fast as it is being siphoned back in. If I can't fix it in the next few days, I'm trashing it. There goes 80 bucks down the drain


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Lift up the flow control thingy a bit and see if it fixes it, less water going in as fast, would then allow it to pump it out at a more even rate. My 305 has run fine forever without a drop, but the 404 gave me problems.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Yea I actually think they discontinued the 404 completely because it just couldn't stop leaking. Yea I've been online looking up 404 rants...sad


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## Fluidmachine (Oct 20, 2011)

Ever considered getting some RTV gasket maker sealant and making your own O-ring around the edge? It's a long shot, but RTV is cheap and it's worth a shot. Make a fat bead of it where the O-ring sits, and then clamp it down (with the 404 clamps) and clean up any excess. When you pop it open and pry it out after curing, you should have a reusable custom O-ring that will ensure no leakage. Hope it helps, it's worth a try.


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## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

The 404 is the reason I will not buy another Fluval product until they've had a MAJOR and total redesign. 

I was given a 404 that was nearly new a year ago. I tried it several times and it always leaked at the handles---- I can't remember exactly, but it seemed like I saw a weak spot in the way the rim is designed that allowed water to pass around the O-ring. 


Either way, it's completely inexcusable for so many of them to be made and sold with that common of a problem, for that long of a period of time. Every company does this once in a while and I wish there was a real way for consumers to fight back against this sort of lousy engineering---- other than the anonymous "I won't buy your faulty product".


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

I had a 304 that leaked the exact same way. Sometimes it would go between wc's without a leak, other times I couldn't get the stupid thing to stop for a second. From what I've read, this is common on this series Fluval. I ended up putting mine in a big bowl (luckily it didn't leak 5g's onto my floor). When it leaked I could just empty the bowl twice daily and would be fine. SOOOO glad I now have a sump to replace that stupid thing. Good luck with yours. I traded mine with the tank, for my new one with the sump:hihi: One thing I learned, though, was that Fluval will sell you an entirely new filter, piece by piece Maybe you can get a new case (relatively cheap) and see if that does it. If not you can get the next piece down the line.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

redfishsc said:


> The 404 is the reason I will not buy another Fluval product until they've had a MAJOR and total redesign.
> 
> I was given a 404 that was nearly new a year ago. I tried it several times and it always leaked at the handles---- I can't remember exactly, but it seemed like I saw a weak spot in the way the rim is designed that allowed water to pass around the O-ring.
> 
> ...


Eheim got it right by making the filter round instead of square-ish. I do however put my trust in my FX5 because of the way the filter seals shut. Something about 8 lid fasteners makes me sleep easy at night.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Capsaicin_MFK said:


> Eheim got it right by making the filter round instead of square-ish. I do however put my trust in my FX5 because of the way the filter seals shut. Something about 8 lid fasteners makes me sleep easy at night.


Any of the Eheim pro series are rectangles. lol.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> One thing I learned, though, was that Fluval will sell you an entirely new filter, piece by piece Maybe you can get a new case (relatively cheap) and see if that does it. If not you can get the next piece down the line.



Does fluval give you this for free or do you mean that you can buy pieces separately? I don't think I'm willing to buy another case just to find that it leaks again


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

takadi said:


> Does fluval give you this for free or do you mean that you can buy pieces separately? I don't think I'm willing to buy another case just to find that it leaks again


You can buy them but I think its a design flaw over just the case. If I remember correctly, my 305 head didn't leak on the 404 canister but the 404 head leaked on the 305 or vice versa or something. I gave up on it too. Luckily I got mine with a Eheim Pro 2 2028 for $80 for both and sold off the Fluval for 30 or something.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> You can buy them but I think its a design flaw over just the case. If I remember correctly, my 305 head didn't leak on the 404 canister but the 404 head leaked on the 305 or vice versa or something. I gave up on it too. Luckily I got mine with a Eheim Pro 2 2028 for $80 for both and sold off the Fluval for 30 or something.


You're right, you can buy them. You can buy a completely new filter, piece by piece at the Hagen Fluval website. From what I remember, the individual pieces are pretty cheap too. It might be worth spending $10 on a new case as opposed to trashing $80 you have wrapped up in the current filter as it sits. IDK, maybe it would be worth the $80 to be able to smash the thing into little bits. If you smash it good enough, you could then use the pieces for substrate or something and still be able to enjoy your $


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Hi, I have 204 and occasionally leeks from the same place.
Tell me, do you move the start handle(sorry I don't know how its called in english) You know the one that you need to pump so the filter fills with water? If you do-don't.If I see my filter leaking I empty it adjust a bit that hell-handle and take the out-hose and cover it with some clean cloth and suck so the filter starts filling.Its a bit of a drag but I don't have any problems with leaking after that.


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## Sumgeye (Apr 2, 2018)

I was having the same issue. I replaced the main o-ring and it was still leaking. Then I wrapped the o-ring in teflon plumber's tape - still leaking. Finally, following some advice I found online I checked the o-rings on the quick release hoses. Sure enough, one was broken and the other was cracked. I replaced both of those, and now there are no leaks. I would recommend checking those.

My insurance company gave me a water detector that sounds an alarm and sends me a text message when it senses water. I placed the canister in a garbage pail and stuck the water detector in there, so hopefully if there are any more issues I will know about it right away.


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