# Eheim 2215 Noisy after Cleaning



## artemis (Oct 21, 2004)

I hope some of you long-term Eheim Classic owners can help me with some troubleshooting, because my 2215 is driving me crazy right now.

I've had the filter running on my tank for over 3 years now, and until now have had no serious trouble. About two weeks ago, though, I noticed the filter flow had suddenly decreased markedly. I took the whole filter assembly (including the intake and outtake lines) down for cleaning. The problem turned out to be a clog in the intake line, but to be safe I also cleaned the filter itself thoroughly, including the impeller assembly. (I don't clean the impeller frequently, partly because I am afraid of damaging it and partly because the filter rattles a bit afterwards until some fish slime builds up to relubricate things.) Before the cleaning, the filter was almost completely silent. 

In the past when I've cleaned the impeller, all I've done is to pull the impeller blade/magnet assembly off the thin shaft they fit over, rinse the impeller blades/magnet off and use a small brush to gently clean out the impeller well, then slip the impeller assembly back over the shaft and close things up. This time, though, I accidentally pulled that thin central shaft out. I carefully put it back into place, and when I reassembled the unit everything fit correctly and looked fine. Ever since that day, though, the filter has been making a continuous, steady, high-pitched whine. (The sound quality and volume almost perfectly mimic those of an air pump, for what it's worth.) The filter is circulating water well, it's just incredibly noisy. I've already taken it down once to see if I could spot any obvious problems, but reassembling the impeller didn't make any appreciable difference in the noise. This tank's in a bedroom, so I need to get this problem fixed (even if that means buying a new filter, although I hope it doesn't come down to that). Any suggestions as to what could be wrong, and how to correct it?


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

Sounds like the impeller isnt seated correctly. 

There is a rubber bushing at each end of the ceramic axel make sure that it is seated all the way in on both sides. I own 5 Ehiems and they are all dead silent.


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## artemis (Oct 21, 2004)

Thanks - I was afraid something like that might be the problem. I'll take another look at the filter tonight, and see if reseating those bushings solves the problem.

(Am I the only one out there who is annoyed by the lack of instructions Eheim ships with its filters? A $75 dollar unit ought to come with an information booklet containing step-by-step illustrated instructions on correct impeller cleaning procedure, along with some general troubleshooting tips. "Disassemble the impeller and then reassemble in reverse order" simply does NOT cut it!)


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

I have to be completely honest with you, there really isnt much to the mechanics of eheim canisters. the only thing that can break is the impeller and axel, the only thing can make noise is the impeller. It isnt brain surgery


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

It could be that you just had some cavitation after you cleaned it. If that's the case, it should disappear eventually.


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## artemis (Oct 21, 2004)

Thanks for the help, everyone. The problem turned out to be a bad impeller. It looked OK to my eye, but it obviously wasn't working properly; when I swapped it out and put a new impeller in the unit, the filter became dramatically quieter and has stayed that way.


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