# eheim 2026 leaking



## jibbittyflibbitt (Jun 12, 2004)

hello,

recently we had a power outage where the power went out, then back on, the out again. a few hours later i noticed my 75 gallon tank had leaked about 10 gallons onto the floor.

my eheim 2026 seems to be leaking only when it is turned off and then back on, either due to me changing the filter pads or a power outage

i cannot really tell where it is leaking from, but the water seems to be leaking out of the head unit itself, rather than from where the hoses connect to the head unit. 

i think i read something awhile back about a internal o-ring that goes bad, and it's difficult to find the replacement part.

as long as it is running, it doesnt seem to leak. 

might be time to replace it.. i brought it 5 years ago. 

thanks for any info/help.


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## lescarpentier (Feb 2, 2008)

If you search through the posts you will find a member who is selling these o rings.I had a leaking problem too with the pro II series and I am not giving it the chance to happen again,that is why I use the Eheim classic series exclusively.


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## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

lescarpentier said:


> If you search through the posts you will find a member who is selling these o rings.I had a leaking problem too with the pro II series and I am not giving it the chance to happen again,that is why I use the Eheim classic series exclusively.


Do the classic cannisters not utilize any type of seal between the motor and filter body? Figures ... I buy an Eheim to replace a leaky Fluval and now I have to worry about another leaky filter.

Dave


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

Classic isn't equipped with the priming feature. Less seals to fail. I have yet to experience this situation. But there is a set of seals in the 202x line Eheim expects to receive the pump head and replace for you. These are for the priming head section I believe.

One of the forum members has had said seals manufactured and is getting more as of late.

I'm probably due for this rebuild as my 2026 has about 4 years of service under it's belt.


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## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

Thanks for the info Sean. I will keep an eye on those seals from now on. Mine is only about six months old right now, so hopefully it won't be an issue for awhile.

Dave


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## lescarpentier (Feb 2, 2008)

DaveS said:


> Do the classic cannisters not utilize any type of seal between the motor and filter body? Figures ... I buy an Eheim to replace a leaky Fluval and now I have to worry about another leaky filter.
> 
> Dave


The Classics utilize one O ring between the canister and the pump head.It fits around the pump head instead of in a pathetic little groove like the pro series.The fact that these pro filters come with a tube of Vaseline implies that the engineers at Eheim know that there is a weakness in the design of the pump head seal.The primer O ring is replaceable,(if you can find this part),however you will void your warranty if you replace it yourself.In addition,I also noticed that the square pro series canister body is flexible,but the circular classic is very rigid.(Visualize the structural integrity of the arch) The pro series owners who insist on a single filter for their tanks should be aware that they should have an extra O ring for their pump head on hand.


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## deeda (Jun 28, 2005)

Here's the link. PM him/her directly to place your order. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/43083-group-buy-eheim-rubber-o-ring.html


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## lescarpentier (Feb 2, 2008)

Thanks Deeda!!


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Poohbee does respond, but takes awhile. From what I've gathered from the previous thread as well as the PMs that I've received, however, is that Eheim Pro IIs have two O-rings; one that attaches the motor unit to the canister, and the other is the one within the priming unit (Poohbee sells the latter, but not the former).


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

I had this same extact problem a few months ago. Whenever I turned off the filter to do an H2O2 dose, water would leak out. In my case it was the gasket that seals the head unit to the canister. NOT the priming o-ring. replaced it, filter has been very well again, and no problems when there is no power.


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## jibbittyflibbitt (Jun 12, 2004)

ok, i will order a gasket seal from eheimparts , see if that helps


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## topstunts (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks to all who have the same problem and have posted these threads.

I'm in Malaysia and have had my Eheim 2026 for just over a year. 6 months into the filter, i did the regular change and didn't have problems. But as Murphy's law would have it, 2 months after the warranty, and a second maintenance, the water level in my tank started dropping. And, you guessed it! My 2026 was leaking! And i mean a heavy pee from all over!

So i ordered the O-rings/gaskets and it came as a set. One squarish one for the main canister and a circular one for the top basket.

On removing the old O-ring, i found that there wasn't very much wear in it, so i changed that first and tested it out. Didn't work! Still leaked!

Then tried to change the other O-ring for the top basket and )*^#(*#$ still leaked. 

Opened it for the third time and became more adventurous and decided to unscrew the pump head and cleaned out the priming parts. (they're cream in colour, not sure if it's silicon or rubber).

Darn it! The leak still persisted!

I'm fed up with it. Fortunately or not, i have a secondary pump. But guess what? It's another Ehiem. Pro 2.

I don't think i'm asking for solutions here but actually complaining about the bad design and am ready to rate it FUBAR and will change filter pumps within the week!

Darn, Darn, Darn Eheim!


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## deeda (Jun 28, 2005)

First, Welcome to the PlantedTank forum.

Second, sorry to hear about your problems with the Eheim 2026. It's very possible that just cleaning the primer pump o-ring won't solve the leaking problem. More than likely the o-ring needs to be replaced.

Here is an excellent article on disassembling the pump head and replacing the o-ring. I don't know if the vendor that sells the o-ring ships to Malaysia but you could always contact them.

Good luck and keep us posted on your filter.


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## JimB (Dec 1, 2014)

*Eheim 2026 Leaking*

Ok so my 2026 Primer O-ring had a complete fail,fire hydrant fail. Being nobody local stocks parts and no backup filter I took the head apart. One medium screw driver for the two screws on top of the filter.Take a small screwdriver and Pry up the grey primer cover and remove three small screws.On the bottom side each corner has one small screw and two small screws hold the clamp for the cord. Maybe a three minute job nothing hard. I removed the primer-motor assembly.Picture a engine cylinder and the primer is the piston and the o-ring is the piston ring for any gearheads.To prime you push the primer(piston)down the cylinder and the o-ring(piston ring)seals against the wall to prevent leaks. Maybe if it was done more like a engine and instead of depending on a single o-ring they used two or three i wouldn't be writing this.Or for that had my wife yelling for me to clean my mess up,anyway. I removed the faulty o-ring and went to my local tractor supply and after five minutes I found a o-ring kit model K4 made by Omnifilter"safe clean drinking water'' it had four o-rings and the one looked like it would work but it's not as thick. So next the dollar store and grabbed a pack of rubber bands so now i'm at almost $4 dollars. Got home and put pure petroleum jelly on the ring I wanted to use and the rubberband. I think three of the o-rings were black and the fourth was blue or brown. The one that's a different color was the best match. So where the new o-ring is not as thick I took a rubber band that filled the location for the ring side to side and then placed the new o-ring over top of it.Used the jelly on the cylinder wall were the ring contacts on assembly only being that the rubber band added a 1/16th and It was snug I didn't wanna tear it on assembly.This is a crutch while I order a classic. It works perfect, primed no prob no leaks.Now I just bought 4 o-rings in a bag for drinking water for under three bucks they want like $15 plus for theirs .Now keep in mind the more you prime you may damage the rubberband. I can't say how long it will last but everyone is still alive in the tank and that was my main concern. Im gonna go back with the bad eheim o-ring and find a perfect match if not tractor supply a local hardware store should have it. You prob won't find it on a shelf with other o-rings it will be prob be like the one I got as a rebuild kit for a certain thing.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Awhile back a few guys from our local club, also eheim pro 2026/28 models, and we did a group buy off http://www.atomicrice.com/ and there are some really good instructions on how to here...http://www.njagc.net/wp/filtration-equipment/replacing-the-priming-o-ring-on-eheim-pro-ii-series-filters/. I still have mine sitting in ziplock bag, hopefully I won't need to use it.


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