ChronicTyler

hello, I got this filter about a week ago and in the last day or so i noticed it started to rattle a day or so ago. i made sure the lid was on tight. the rattling comes and goes. should i just take it apart and see if there is something stuck in the propeller. but if that does fix the problem what else?

rae64

What kind of substrate do you have? Also, do you have an airstone?

ray_sj

When this filter is new, or just after you give it a thorough cleaning, it will rattle for a bit then quiet down again. Sometimes the lid is on properly, but it still rattles a little. I find that placing a small weight on top of the lid helps in this case. You should also make sure the intake tube, impeller, etc, are all seated properly.

I have this filter, and the filtration capability is great. My water is always crystal clear. However, it is very finicky and almost always rattles one way or another. Drives me nuts...

Jaysee

My emperors have rattles and noises that come and go. Generally a good scrubbing of the impeller and keeping the water level up are the best ways to keep it quiet, IME.

Still great filters, though.

ChronicTyler

I do have an airstone and i have small pebbles substrate. I am going to give it a good look about after i come home from work and see if there is a little pebble stuck in there. if not ill give that weight a try.

gzarr

I have the Penguin 350 and it will do the same thing. I googled the thing and read reviews and discovered people either love this filter or hate it for the noises it can make. However, everyone also said that the filtration on it was great. My noise would come if the piece where the impellor housing would be pushed all the way down. For some reason it made it rattle more. So I ended up putting a LightBright peg on the area where it rests to keep it lifted up a tad and it's a lot better. I can't bump it too much or it'll make the rattle again. It still is noisy in general but I think it's the best it'll be. We'll just have to turn the tv up a tad louder!

rae64

Sometimes in my tank, the air pump gets pushed up against the stand and starts rattling. Sometimes it sounds like it is coming from the filter because the sound is transferred. Other times mine has sand caught in it (my substrate) that can cause the entire impeller to stop spinning. This makes the thing overheat, and I have to unplug it and let it cool down.

Finally, cat/dog/person hair as well as plant fiber gets wrapped around my impeller sometimes. I just take some tweezers and pull it off. This usually stops the impeller, but maybe it causes rattling? Just an idea.

Usually taking all the media out and giving the well for the impeller a good rinse under the sink and swirling the water around gets any contaminants out. Also check the impeller (little pinwheel looking thing) and make sure it is clear. Be sure to fill the thing before restarting, or it will cause problems.

Hope this helps!

gzarr

I don't know if you have fixed your problem or not, but I went in the our LFS today and noticed how quiet their Penguin filters were running and told them how loud ours was. They told me to bring mine in to look at it. I did and they said it was a factory defect and gave me a new filter. Came back home, plugged it in and YAY! it was quiet! So, not sure if yours is a defect or not, but I recommend checking with where you bought it to see if they will help you out!