New Tank Need Help Asap Please

[logansmommy41306]

I bought a 40 gallon tank with a Rene FilstarxP canister filter today. When turning on the filter I noticed water leaking out of the top where the lid goes on the canister. Is this a common problem? Or did I buy a Lemon?

Thanks Leslie

 

[fatheadminnow]

Never heard of the brand, so that may be a contributing factor?

Canisters do leak sometimes, but not as likely anymore.

Make sure everything is connected properly and all the seals are in place.

-FHM

 

[logansmommy41306]

I fixed it!! I searcha nd found that you can put vaseline on the seal and it will help and it worked!!

 

[fatheadminnow]

Nice!

You can also place the filter in a bucket or tote, that way if it does start to leak, the water will be contained inside the bucket/tote and not go all over the floor.

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

FHM, I think she was trying to say she had a Rena Filstar XP(x) (she left out the all important number where I've put the small x, which tells you the size filter it is... 1,2,3,4) But at any rate it should be a good cannister filter and yes logansmommy, its good to lube all the seals each time you clean the filter, so they won't oxidize and crack over time and so that they will seal better.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[steelhealr]

Is Vaseline safe with rubber 'O' rings? I think not. Shouldn't it be silicone based? What's your thought on this waterdrop? I thought petroleum based lubes will disintegrate rubber? SH

 

[waterdrop]

Is Vaseline safe with rubber 'O' rings? I think not. Shouldn't it be silicone based? What's your thought on this waterdrop? I thought petroleum based lubes will disintegrate rubber? SH

Yes, we've had an ongoing discussion of this periodically and I'd love it if we had some chemist help us get to the bottom of it, lol~ For my part I know that the lube that Eheim provides in a tiny foil pack with their new filters is "different" (more clearish, white-colored slightly) than Vasoline. I've heard said exactly what you're saying, that it there are correct, non-petroleum-based lubricants that are what should be used. But I've also heard it said that in fact Vasoline seems to work ok for people for years and even the extra ingredients it has are not really a problem. But I just don't know that the correctness of this has been shown.

Another personal observation I can make from direct experience is that silicone swim caps (made from the same material as these seals) will very much break down if left to dry with water on them. They must be thoroughly dried after each use to have a long life and the makers even tell you that storage with talcum powder is the absolute optimal in order to remove all traces of moisture during storage. So that tells us that there is clearly a significant oxidation problem. Its very counter-intuitive that water and air damages this stuff because we use it so broadly in applicatons where we want to keep liquids out! I'll bet there must be some help out there on the web about best-practice care of silicone O-Rings and we could settle this forever among ourselves!

~~waterdrop~~