Filter is driving me nuts!

[Georgia 3,820]

I've had no problems with my AC70 for a year, and now it's starting to drive me nuts. The motor began to make these awfully annoying and loud grinding sounds, like the impeller was grinding against the chamber. I tried cleaning it this morning and no dice. Can someone tell me the proper way of cleaning the impeller chamber, by the way? I feel like I'm doing it wrong.

Also, another weird thing. It always starts in the morning. Never at any other time. It woke me up this morning.

Here's a video of the noise:

\

Sometimes it does it continuously, other times it has "bursts."

I don't know what to do! Is there a chance of a fire happening with all the friction going on in there?

Is a warranty still applicable? Like I mentioned, the filter has been running for almost a year.

[Flipper 13,057]

Nooo! That's not right! Unplug it!!!

Pop off the motor box. I use a q tip to wipe gently, so as not to bend the propeller, each individual paddle and the prop. Then with new q tip wipe inside engine hole. Rinse both with hot water. If unit isn't put together right it may sound cranky

Good luck!

[yafashelli 9,540]

I have a feeling that sand is getting stuck in there. I have the same problem with my 110s, and it's such a pain! Take the motor off, pull out the impeller, and hit them with very strong jets of water--I use my shower massager thingy. Once I do that, I apply Vaseline to the impeller, and put it back into the motor, and then put the filter back together. It should be mostly quiet. If it isn't, Cat taught me to unplug and replug the filter several times, in very quick succession. It will often get whatever is left in there out, and make it less noisy, at the very least.

You have the same sand as me, right? Does your AC have prefilters? That helps a lot, too. I use the prefilters meant for the fluval edge, and they'll fit your 70's, too.

[Flipper 13,057]

Yes! Tammy is awesome!

[Georgia 3,820]

Thank you, you two! Tammy, I have Sunset Gold. I believe it's a wee bit heavier than yours.

I had a feeling it was sand, too. I didn't know you can wet the motor thing? I was hesitant to rinse it out because it's the part that uses electricity and I might break it by wetting it?

Tammy, do you mean a prefilter something like of this?

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcROz4Qi34AMhE_w-cclVrMM12fXspWFjNfIfRjaTCZuU9CMUGCgs0XQ6jFIts6If2BhOawr_e8u&usqp=CAE

I feel like it would kinda defeat the purpose of the filter, since all the debris will stick onto the prefilter instead of actually going into the filter.

Whatever noise it was making this morning has stopped completely now. Not sure if it went away, or..?

[Flipper 13,057]

Yes! That's what she means and you will need to rinse it every couple days too. By using it you will not have to rinse your main filter as much because the PRE filter will be doing more work, but if you don't rinse you can really tax the motor.

[Mikey 6,780]

Yes, those pre filters I use them and they are awesome! Just make sure you rinse them out every couple of days to keep water flow at it's highest.

[Chai 7,337]

One of mine did that and I couldn't make it shut up no matter what. I ended up replacing it after getting a new filter shaft from Hagen didn't help. It was really REALLY bad, though.

Now with noises I do what I told Tammy to do and it eventually gets it out. Put the plug into the outlet just at the tip until you hear it start quietly. It tends to shove out whatever is in there.

I learned my girls were spitting sand near the filter intake since I had it close to the bottom and only let it go half way up now. If its happening to you too, rinsing out the chamber might help.

Although the biofilm contributes to keeping the aqua clears silent, there might also be all sorts of harder material causing the filter motor to rattle. The impeller chamber in the motor IS waterproof and the impeller is held in place with a magnet. Slide out the impeller and give the empty chamber a rinse in the bathroom sink. Don't clean it out too much so that the biofilm comes off completely, but the sand in it should come out without much effort.

[Georgia 3,820]

Ah, thank you, Cat!

I honestly did not know that the motor was water-tolerant. When I did filter maintenance I'd always try so hard to make sure I don't get it wet. I'll have to try rinsing it tonight. The noise has stopped completely so I'm guessing all the sand came out. Dumb question, but: what exactly does the motor do in the filtration process of the filter? Does the water pass through the chamber? I'm not sure, really.

Not sure if I want to try prefilters yet, but I'm looking into it. I'm such a lazy person that I see myself not cleaning as much as I should. Lol!

[Chai 7,337]

The motor draws the water into the intake tube, under the platform the intake tube rests on, shoves it towards the right in the direction of the sponges and pushes it from the bottom up and out of the filter body.

[koko 14,341]

I have a feeling that sand is getting stuck in there. I have the same problem with my 110s, and it's such a pain! Take the motor off, pull out the impeller, and hit them with very strong jets of water--I use my shower massager thingy. Once I do that, I apply Vaseline to the impeller, and put it back into the motor, and then put the filter back together. It should be mostly quiet. If it isn't, Cat taught me to unplug and replug the filter several times, in very quick succession. It will often get whatever is left in there out, and make it less noisy, at the very least.

You have the same sand as me, right? Does your AC have prefilters? That helps a lot, too. I use the prefilters meant for the fluval edge, and they'll fit your 70's, too.

[fantailfan1 26,742]

that is loud!

[Marcus J. 72]

and this in the morning. That sucks

[Flipper 13,057]

Mine is doing it now

I'm going

Can't get it to stop!

[Georgia 3,820]

Aww, Aubrey.

Mine started doing it a little bit when I was doing a photoshoot with my goldfish about a week ago so I washed the heck out of it with no mercy. So far, nothing has started again, fingers crossed.

I wonder if this happens to every filter or just Aquaclears?

[yafashelli 9,540]

Every filter. Lol!

I just ordered two new impeller shafts for my 110's, and I hope that that'll keep it quiet, for a few weeks, at least.

[Flipper 13,057]

Every filter. Lol!

I just ordered two new impeller shafts for my 110's, and I hope that that'll keep it quiet, for a few weeks, at least.

Let me know if this helps

I may have to do the same

[Georgia 3,820]

You guys are scaring me. I hope I don't go down the same road with my filter.

[Chai 7,337]

Ever since the new sand last night, one of my ACs is making this horrendous rattle sound. I emptied the filter out to clean the motor and it still won't shut up. Oh my god..

I think I'll actually see if I can get anything out with the qtip. Yours is quiet because you passed it onto me.

I think cleaning it out entirely helped but now it has to rebuild the biofilm that lives in the impeller chamber.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Chai

[*Amanda* 556]

Ah, thank you, Cat!

I honestly did not know that the motor was water-tolerant. When I did filter maintenance I'd always try so hard to make sure I don't get it wet. I'll have to try rinsing it tonight. The noise has stopped completely so I'm guessing all the sand came out. Dumb question, but: what exactly does the motor do in the filtration process of the filter? Does the water pass through the chamber? I'm not sure, really.

Not sure if I want to try prefilters yet, but I'm looking into it. I'm such a lazy person that I see myself not cleaning as much as I should. Lol!

I know what you mean ... any sort of sponge in the tank can get dirty really fast. I had a sponge wrapped around the intake when I had a bubble eye, and it was pretty nasty! I bought the Moonlight sand for my new tank, which is even finer than the Sunset Gold and TMS. I adore the look, but have resigned myself to the fact that a prefilter will be a necessity, and I'll just have to remember to rinse it out during my weekly water changes. I am really scared of messing up my filter; those things are expensive.