Fluval 207 - low flow rate and horrible noise coming from canister

[luke4868]

Hi, I'm waiting for fluval to respond to me, but I wondered if anyone can help in the meantime.

I have a Fluval 207 - about 4 months old. In the last few weeks a loud noise has started coming from the head unit - but the impeller is intact and cleaned etc.

Once restarting after cleaning I have tried all 3 available scenario's

1. Restart with pipes already primed (water in the pipes maintaining the vacuum)
2. Restarting by using the priming handle (manually starting the vacuum)
3. Combination of 1 + 2 - letting the canister fill up, then topping up with the priming handle to get any remaining air through

Sometimes, it restarts fine but the noise is there, sometimes it will start ok, then stop, and I will have to turn it off quickly and manually prime it again.

 

[GaryE]

I'm wondering if air is trapped inside. Sometimes after cleanings, I attach my water hose to the unit and let it start with the flow from the tap running through. They are very quiet after that. Any air is forced out.

 

[luke4868]

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/047hJuiXZ0ZcglXM2PPRlZARQ#IMG_4871 - VIDEO

 

[luke4868]

I'm wondering if air is trapped inside. Sometimes after cleanings, I attach my water hose to the unit and let it start with the flow from the tap running through. They are very quiet after that. Any air is forced out.

Yeah that's what my gut said - but when I open it to check, water is right to the top, and I even tilt the unit back/front/sideways to get any out a bit easier - I don't have an option to use a water hose sadly - it's bucket fed from the bathroom taps

 

[GaryE]

I have filled them to the top, but a little air can make a lot of noise. Here's a second hack I've used when I was too lazy to unroll the hose (a great aquarium luxury). Go to the British equivalent of a dollar store and get a turkey baster. Submerge it completely and shoot water up the intake. Half a dozen shots usually does it.

I'm not the biggest fan of canisters, but the Fluval ones have been solid enough. Air inside is a weak point with them. You have to check all the seals, too. One of my chores for this afternoon is to change the hoses on a very old Eheim.

 

[Colin_T]

If they get air trapped in the impeller cavity, they make noise and it doesn't come out because of the impeller cover.

When I had canister filters, I had them empty (they had filter media in them but no water in them) and put the outlet hose in a bucket next to the filter. The inlet hose was in the tank. I suck on the outlet hose to get water syphoning into the filter from the aquarium. When the filter is full the water flows out the outlet hose and into the bucket. Give the filter and gentle rock from side to side a couple of times to help dislodge airbubbles. Put your thumb over the outlet of the hose to stop the water draining out. Put the outlet hose in the aquarium. Turn the filter on.

You can give the filter a gentle rock from side to side while it's running to try and dislodge air inside it.

 

[luke4868]

FYI - Fluval have determined the unit likely has a fault, and it's being returned to be inspected, and replaced or refunded. So hopefully it was an isolated issue. I honestly felt like I'd tried everything! Even all the advanced stuff their support team had suggested.

But, I've lost confidence in the system, and bought a cheap filter from amazon for £30 - it says its suitable for up to 240L tanks, but its flow rate is nothing compared to the 207 - and there seems to be an algae build up since that too which I can only assume is because filtration isn't high enough?

Any recommendations for a capable filter for a 200L tank?

 

[Fishfunn]

I love Fluval canister filters and have had them for years. As you had experienced, I had one head unit go up on an old Fluval which was bought used on eBay. I will never buy used filter equipment again.
Recently, I needed another canister filter, and I bought a Fluval 407 for my 65 gallon tank that I love.
I almost bought this one since it had an integrated UV sterilizer that you can turn off when you want: SunSun Hw303B 370GPH Pro Canister Filter Kit with 9-watt UV Sterilizer