Fluval U3 weird noise

[Darter217]

Got a Fluval U3 filter for my new tank and it's been making this noise out of the box (been running in a new tank for 18 hours) Not sure if I'm just being paranoid or if there's something wrong. Obviously it doesn't sound as loud as it does in the video from a distance but this is from close up.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

I know this is a silly question but is water coming out of it?
I had one which would make the same sound and there was no water flow because there was an issue with the impeller (cracked and not rotating)

 

[Darter217]

I know this is a silly question but is water coming out of it?
I had one which would make the same sound and there was no water flow because there was an issue with the impeller (cracked and not rotating)

Are you asking if there's flow from one of the outlet holes? If so then yes I can feel water flow when I put my hand in front of it and it's moving some of my floating plants around.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

Are you asking if there's flow from one of the outlet holes? If so then yes I can feel water flow when I put my hand in front of it and it's moving some of my floating plants around.

Yeah I was,
It might still be worth having a look at the insides, if you pull the bottom off you should be able to access the impeller to have a look if its ok. Its just a magnet inside so you can remove it, just see if there is anything it's rubbing against or if its cracked ect
Other than that I wouldn't know I'm afraid

 

[Darter217]

Yeah I was,
It might still be worth having a look at the insides, if you pull the bottom off you should be able to access the impeller to have a look if its ok. Its just a magnet inside so you can remove it, just see if there is anything it's rubbing against or if its cracked ect
Other than that I wouldn't know I'm afraid

I've had a look at it and it seems okay but I'll check again. There are tiny bubbles all over the front and vents on the filter if that means anything? Might just be because it's a new filter in a new tank

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

I don't know, they are normally pretty quite and the only moving part is the impeller so I would imagine that its the culprit, or maybe some air trapped?

Apart from the impeller issue on mine, it was usually quieter than that

I don't know if anyone else can offer some more insight?

 

[Darter217]

Yes I hope someone can.

 

[AilyNC]

@Ch4rlie have you had any experience with this filter?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sometimes filters can have trapped air inside them and thus makes noises and sometimes restricts water flow coming out of the filter.

Generally giving the filter a wee shake or two helps to dislodge trapped air and it will go out of outlet pipe, or failing that open the filter again and ensure the filter is full of water and no trapped air anywhere and carefully try to put the filter back together without trapping air.

Checking the impeller inside the housing is good advice, check to see if the impeller is straight and not bent, obviously bent impeller is going to make noises and check to make sure no gunk or debris is impairing the rotational speed thus impairing the performance as well as noises.

 

[Darter217]

Sometimes filters can have trapped air inside them and thus makes noises and sometimes restricts water flow coming out of the filter.

Generally giving the filter a wee shake or two helps to dislodge trapped air and it will go out of outlet pipe, or failing that open the filter again and ensure the filter is full of water and no trapped air anywhere and carefully try to put the filter back together without trapping air.

Checking the impeller inside the housing is good advice, check to see if the impeller is straight and not bent, obviously bent impeller is going to make noises and check to make sure no gunk or debris is impairing the rotational speed thus impairing the performance as well as noises.

I'm going go try that today, I'll give the filter a shake and give the impeller a clean as the noise does seem to be coming from that area of the filter. If that fails then getting a replacement impeller will probably fix the issue.

 

[Darter217]

Gave the filter a rinse and also took the impeller out to rinse it separately, it doesn't seem to be cracked and there is no debris in the filter. I'll probably just put up the the noise as there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the filter, my tank is about 3 metres away from me and the noise isn't loud enough to stop me sleeping or concentrating.