AquaClear 110 with ceramic impeller shaft

I pulled out my spare AquaClear 110 out of my garage and set it up for my 55 gallon tank. I bought this filter new a couple of years ago, used it for a couple months, and then shelves it when I bought another 110 off of Craigslist for $30.00.

When I turned it on today, it was louder than I wanted it to be. My other 110 is whisper quiet.

As per previous posts I made, I replaced the impeller shaft. I pulled out the impeller shaft, and it was already worn. Not as bad as the used 110 I bought, but worn enough that there was a slight indent in the metal where the impeller spins.

I remember reading years ago on another aquarium forum that the Aquaclear 110 impeller shaft is the same size as the Fluval 406 impeller shaft. The 110 is stainless steel. The 406 is ceramic.

So, off I went to the LFS and bought a 406 impeller shaft.




I lubricated the ceramic impeller shaft with silicone grease after I installed it by adding a dab of silicone grease to the end of the impeller and sliding it up and down a few times.

I have the filter running now and it's nice and quiet.

The ceramic should last longer than the stainless steel shaft.

A word of warning about installing this. A lot of the guides on the Internet tell you to grab the impeller shaft tightly with a pair of plyers, pull it out, put the new shaft in and then flip it over and push down on a hard surface to seat it.

I would STONGLY recommend you do not flip it upside down and push down on a hard surface. Ceramic is harder than steel, but it's also way more brittle than steel. If you snap the impeller, you're in for a world of hurt trying to get the broken piece out.

 

Woke up this morning, came down the basement and the Aquaclear 110 is making a lot of noise. I take the thing apart and clean it. I double check the ceramic impeller shaft and it's in there nice a tight. I put it all back together and start it up. It's a little quieter, but easily 4-5 louder than my other Aquaclear 110.

So, I take it apart again and I check the motor. I was about to pull the ceramic shaft out when I heard something. I pulled the impeller out and shook the motor and I hear a rattling noise, like something is loose inside the motor.

I called Hagen. They're sending me a new motor under warranty.

 

Another update. Whatever is loose in the motor is near where the power cord comes in. So, if I position the power cord a certain way, the rattle goes away.

I did some more surgery this evening on the filter. I took the motor off, and check the shaft and it had NO lubricant on it. It was bone dry. And I looked that bottom of the impeller well and there was a ball of silicone grease at the bottom.

I used a Q-tip to clean all the grease out and this time I applied multi-purpose synthetic grease with pfte. The synthentic grease is food safe, so I am not worried about problems in the aquarium.

It's nice and quiet again, as long as I keep the power cord in a certain position. We'll see how long this lasts. If it gets louder again and I find the shaft to be dry, I have food safe lubricating oil (both silicone and PFTE) I will try next.

Hagen is sending me a new motor. They wanted me to cut the power cord and send them a picture of the motor. I told them I could not do that, since I am using the filter. Can I secure the return with a credit card on file? They told me they're going to send me the motor and an impeller and I need to send a picture back to them or they'll void my warranty.

I've had this Aquaclear off the tank 4 times now and this is so much easier than dealing with a canister filter. If I had to disconnect my canister filter 4 times a day, I'd be screaming in frustration now.

I really wish there was a way to get the impeller out without needing to take the motor off.
I was doing some digging on plantedtank.net and someone posted a link to using teflon tape to help quiet an Aquaclear. The link was dead, but I found it on the Internet Archive. The guy posting this is using teflon tape to tighten up the fit of the impeller blades against the magnet.

I think I may give this a try:

Silence that AquaClear! - APE - Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts | A Planted Aquarium Community

 

UPDATE

Ok, now an update on all this.

Hagen sent me a new motor and a new impeller.

I could not remove the 406 impeller shaft from the old motor, so I just installed the new motor with the existing impeller. And with lubricant, things were quieter, but not as quiet as they could be.

Today, the impeller arrived. I replaced impeller, and with lubricant, the new impeller was MUCH louder than the old one was.

So, I took it apart and tried the teflon tape mod to the impeller that was detailed in the link I provided in my previous messages.

Put it all together and now I just have a low hum from the filter. With the amount of water this filter moves, I don't expect it to ever be silent. But getting it down to a low hum is an enormous improvement.

I have Poret foam arriving tomorrow to make an intale pre-filter. But we're getting 3-6 inches of snow and I really doubt the post office will deliver mail tomorrow.

 

Thanks for wrapping things up for those who many be running into the same issue

 

Not wrapped up. Woke up to a rattling impeller. So, I'll need to do some troubleshooting art lunchtime.

Just annoying that one of my 110s is quiet as can be, but the other 110 is still making noise after a new motor and a new impeller.

The quiet Aquaclear is much older than the one giving me problems.