Eheim Main O-ring

[waterdrop]

How do you remove the main silicone rubber O-Ring that runs all the way around the big square powerhead of an Eheim Pro external cannister filter? Does anyone have any tips/methods that ensure the silicone will not be cut or damaged?

I just finished the very satisfying feeling of cleaning my Eheim Pro 2222 with the most complete cleaning I've been able to put together so far, but I still want to work out that one aspect. I got some help here recently with cleaning the impeller and impeller well/slot and that went great, used several Q-tips to clean out down in there and rinsed and cleaned all the other parts. I removed and coated every other piece of silicone rubber (as I usually do) with the vasoline type stuff between my fingers, but for the main o-ring I still just coated it from above, without removing it from its deep, tight slot.

So what's your advice/tricks? My feeling with all silicone rubber that's exposed to both air and water is that its better to clean and relube it frequently all over or else you are sure to get degradation. But perhaps the possibility of cutting/damaging this tight-fitting main ring is too much of a risk and its not worth completely removing it for the treatment every time there's a filter clean? My objective would be to return it to position very carefully so as to avoid getting "pinching" damage when putting the pumphead back on. Has anybody had one of these rings crack during removal or behave worse for having been removed? Rabbut? Tolak? ...all you Eheim experienced guys, lol?

WD

 

[Geoff1991]

I just upgraded to an external and sorry to hijack but should i have put Vaseline on the rubber seal when i installed it?

 

[Tolak]

I just clean it good, leaving it in place, and put a layer of petroleum jelly on the plastic rim of the case. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[waterdrop]

I just clean it good, leaving it in place, and put a layer of petroleum jelly on the plastic rim of the case. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

OK, that makes me feel good as coming from you I know the advice is like drop-tested from an airplane, lol. (and of course not taking the seal out is what I'm doing now...)

But, just to humor me, do you have any tricks when you actually need to dig one out of its rim?

And I'd still like to hear from rabbut and any others if they've taken them out...

WD

 

[helterskelter]

If it's leaking Vaseline is great and will help to stop it while the pump is running.

However as soon it's off it may still leak. and if you get a power cut and no-one around to turn it off it could easily leak all over the place.

I've seen this a few times my self.
to remove just get a flat edged knife along side and add presure and pull out, you should then be able to remove the whole thing, clean it and flip it over. This may be enough to stop it leaking.
If not then your need a new O-ring which in the UK is £15-20 or $25-35 (i think)

 

[waterdrop]

If it's leaking Vaseline is great and will help to stop it while the pump is running.

However as soon it's off it may still leak. and if you get a power cut and no-one around to turn it off it could easily leak all over the place.

I've seen this a few times my self.
to remove just get a flat edged knife along side and add presure and pull out, you should then be able to remove the whole thing, clean it and flip it over. This may be enough to stop it leaking.
If not then your need a new O-ring which in the UK is £15-20 or $25-35 (i think)

No, the 2222 is only a year and a half old and has never leaked a single drop. This is just me on a quest to put together the perfect maintenance routine of an eheim filter.

My assumption is that over time time if you are only vasolining the top, the underside of the seal will get dry in some places and be exposed to air and water in some places and that this is the recipe for silicone to break down and crack. So if the entire seal were rubbed down all over with vasoline during each filter mainenance, this main seal would last longer.

What I'm not sure about is whether (and I admit, Tolak has already reminded me this might be one of those "better left alone" things) the action of removing and putting back on the main seal at each cleaning would actually lead to more stress on the seal. Perhaps they mostly get scratched or cut by the knife when people go in to remove them (probably most only remove them when they leak) so taking them off to maintain them really is not a good idea? It just seems if one showed extra patience and caution, regular lubing would be an improved mainenance.

Barring damage, I wonder what the primary cause is of silicone seal failure? Perhaps there's some sort of loss of moisture or something that's primarily age related and so lubing might make little difference, but I've been guessing that there is some slow chemical reaction related to air and water and that inhibiting that reaction via vasoline could prolong the viability and flexibility of the seal indefinately.

WD