# Eheim Pro III flow problems



## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

I recently purchased a Pro III (2080 model) from Drs Foster & Smith. Previously I was using a wet/dry filter, but wanted to switch back to the canister so I wasnt wasting CO2 (was dumping 2 5lb bottles a month into my moderately planted 72gallon before coming here and realizing the wet/dry was getting rid of the CO2 during the trickle).

So as a result, I purchase the Pro III. I was running it in parallel with the wet/dry for about a week so it would get up to speed from the bacteria perspective. During this period it sat outside the front of the tank, the inlets and outlet pipes just hung over the front. The flow seemed okay, no problems priming.

A week later I removed the wet/dry completely, reset the plumbing to go over the back of the tank and moved the filter to under the tank itself... reconnected the hoses... turned on the filter.... and everything looked fine.

Next morning, I got fish slurping air from the top of the tank... more so than before. I figure there's not enough oxygen, so I pop in an air stone for some emergency air and check the filter flow. All I was getting was a trickle.

I figured it was the AquaMedic 1000 reactor impeding the flow, so I removed it... same thing. The flow meter on this thing isnt even registering a flow, and all that is coming out of the spray bar is a slow trickle. No air in the inlets, but a bunch of air in the outlet.... like it's just not pushing hard enough. I know the inlet lines are primed because I pulled out the head unit and opened it up and the inlets flow freely.

I bought this filter because of it's huge flow rate. I know it's way overkill for my tank, but I planned a larger tank in the near future and wanted something that could handle the higher capacity.

In any case, before I pack this up and send it back, could anyone give me any advise on using this thing? I've used canisters before (Fluval) and never had this kind of issue.

Thanks.


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## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Have you checked the adjustable flow control?



> an easy-access, adjustable flow control; flow and maintenance indicator window.
> # Maintenance and flow rate indicator
> # Adjustable pump output


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## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

Wö£fëñxXx said:


> Have you checked the adjustable flow control?


Yes, flow control is at maximum.


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Check the hoses? Nothing bent or crimped?


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

are you using the white fine particle floss? I checked my 2260 today and noticed next to nothing coming out. Replaced the floss and rinsed the substrat pro instant flow.


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## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

Hoses are okay, no problems. When I thought it was the AquaMedic Reactor, I checked all the hoses.

As for the white floss, are you talking about the filter pad? If so, then yes, otherwise, no. The filter pad is practically new, so I don't know why it would have any problems.

Basically, I'll do one last attempt to correct it today (maybe start by reseating all the media trays and pads, rinsing them off) and see if that corrects it. If not, the thing gets shipped back tomorrow, unfortunately.


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## diceroller00 (Aug 31, 2006)

What about the impeller on the pump head, perhaps it is stuck or binding, either that or you got a bad unit?


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Sounds like a filter that has some air trapped in it.

When you re-connected everything, did you break the siphon? Did you re-prime. Did you empty all of the water out and re-prime?


Mike


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

It seems more like a setting-up problem than a problem with the unit itself as it worked until you fiddled with it. (I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to fiddle with it of course!) I'm sure you already checked that all the passageways are clear and no blockages inside or out. I think emptying it and repriming as advised above is worth trying.

Sorry I can't offer any help--I do have the same filter but haven't had to look at it since I set it up in Feb. so I don't know it intimately.


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## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

The impeller is moving just fine, one of the things I checked, pulled the top off and plugged it in to see if it would work. I also re-primed the filter twice in an attempt to "start from scratch".


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## tomwright (Sep 3, 2007)

Momotaro said:


> Sounds like a filter that has some air trapped in it.
> 
> When you re-connected everything, did you break the siphon? Did you re-prime. Did you empty all of the water out and re-prime?


This is likely the culprit, but you say you checked. In my decades running Eheims I have never had a motor or impeller problem in anything that was not so old it just wore out. Or I broke.

Just to be an insufferable nudge, I would unhook the filter, then:

Go to the hoses and drain them into a bucket. inlet and outlet. This may tell you something if they drain slow, there may be something you missed. I had a piece of plastic bag stuck in a hose once. Since it was transparent I did not see it. Drove me nuts until I drained a hose and noticed it was very slow. Check the inlet strainer, remove it from the inlet tube to check it. Do the same with the outlet sprayer, check the spray holes for blockage as well.

If the hoses are OK, check the canister/motor assembly:

Drain the filter completely without removing any media.

Remove the motor unit and drain the cannister completely. 

Make sure you have everything lined up ok. You could have been running it with the inlet pipe that runs through the media baskets out of line and gotten good flow for a bit but not now. 

Make sure you had the top plate in the cannister right side up and nothing between it and the motor unit.

Check the inlet and outlet ports for loose media clogging them. A piece of Ehfi-mech, substrat, charcoal or even some fiber can clog them enough to impede flow.

Then open the impeller housing in the motor unit and look for something binding it, like algae, polyester threads, etc.

Even if it is new, something physical can clog the works in a place you can not see.

The few times I have had a problem, I go through all those steps and I usually find one where I goofed. I fix it and the filter works fine. Sometimes I just reassemble and it works fine, which means I goofed but did not see what I goofed.

When restarting the siphon during a filter change, make sure the outlet hose is open and has been drained dry. You may need to raise the sprayer bar above the water line to break the reverse siphon. Water in the outlet hose WILL cause problems when restarting the siphon. Reattach the hoses, open the outlet first to clear the path for the water from the inlet, then open the inlet to allow the water to flow into the filter and push the air out of the cannister through the outlet hose and spray bar. Do not start the motor until water is flowing in the outlet hose. If the impeller rattles, unplug the power, wait for it to stop and restart.


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## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

Well, tonight I finally got around to getting to the filter. I took the whole thing apart, replaced all of the tubing and checked *everything* for debris that could be clogging it up. Put it all back together, and it looks much better! I even was able to put in my AquaMedia reactor without any issues. No idea what the problem was, but.... it's going, so can't complain anymore.

The only thing that doesnt work is the flow indicator, but I think it's kind of unreliable anyway, the flow is definitely there, the indicator just seems to be generally bad. However, not going to worry about it.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## shiv (Sep 4, 2007)

Hi
Please check if the green plastic mesh (lattice cover) is placed properly and there is no filter pad or any white floss placed on top of the green plastic mesh. I have had a problem when I accidentally placed a white filter pad on top of the mesh. Also if the flow is okay and the indicator seems to be the problem then check if the indicator is assembled properly. There is a groove (recess) in the red indicator tab which should be on top and the spring fits in the groove. The protruding part of the red indicator tab is to placed facing down and then the red washer is placed on the tab.
Hope this helps.
Shiv


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## kuruption (Aug 20, 2007)

shiv said:


> Hi
> Please check if the green plastic mesh (lattice cover) is placed properly and there is no filter pad or any white floss placed on top of the green plastic mesh. I have had a problem when I accidentally placed a white filter pad on top of the mesh. Also if the flow is okay and the indicator seems to be the problem then check if the indicator is assembled properly. There is a groove (recess) in the red indicator tab which should be on top and the spring fits in the groove. The protruding part of the red indicator tab is to placed facing down and then the red washer is placed on the tab.
> Hope this helps.
> Shiv


Okay.. you were right. Flow was low again, and I noticed the white filter pad was on top of the green plastic mesh and not underneath. Re-verified the manual and indeed it should be below the mesh. This was definitely the problem. When on top of the mesh, the filter pad gets dirty and restricts any flow to the powerhead. So yeah, I was stupid and that was most likely the cause of all my problems.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

Funny, this little tip just saved me hours of troubleshooting and mess.  Gotta love this forum.


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## BabyKhan (Dec 24, 2008)

NJAquaBarren said:


> Funny, this little tip just saved me hours of troubleshooting and mess.  Gotta love this forum.


Yes Sir, one really gotta love it.

I just solved my problem and it only took 15 minutes.
It's now half past five AM and my filter is going strong again!

Thank You Forum!


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## Whiskey (Feb 15, 2005)

That tip was useful from all the way back in 2007!

Good searching.
Whiskey


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Almost every time I think I've got a problem with my Eheims, it gets back to me not reading and looking at the pictures well enough.


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