greengoddess
Hi All,
I replaced my old HOB with the Fluval Aquaclear 30 about a year ago, and have experienced the same issues as have many others: reduced flow, not self-priming, etc. After becoming frustrated with a trickle-like flow that had no apparent cause, I came up with an easy solution which I hope you all find useful. Unexpected bonus: it also solved the problem of the filter not self-priming after cleanings/power outages (mine cranked right up yesterday after a 14-hr outage!)
I work with fountains, and we use a product called perma-putty. It's made for water applications, but unlike plumbers putty, it remains pliable. All I did was take a tiny blob of the stuff, rolled it into a skinny snake, and set it around the top side of the circular opening to the impeller (the one in the squarish grey impeller housing cover.) I gently seated the intake tube onto this, being mindful of not pushing putty into the opening. Et voila! Not only is this thing flowing like a champ, it's also quieter, and as I mentioned, cranks right up all on its own. Hooray!
Next time I do a cleaning, I plan to use the putty to seal around the edges of the impeller housing cover as well, just to create an extra-tight air seal. I imagine I'll need to redo the seals each time I clean the filter, but this stuff is reusable (and super cheap, about $1/lf)
I replaced my old HOB with the Fluval Aquaclear 30 about a year ago, and have experienced the same issues as have many others: reduced flow, not self-priming, etc. After becoming frustrated with a trickle-like flow that had no apparent cause, I came up with an easy solution which I hope you all find useful. Unexpected bonus: it also solved the problem of the filter not self-priming after cleanings/power outages (mine cranked right up yesterday after a 14-hr outage!)
I work with fountains, and we use a product called perma-putty. It's made for water applications, but unlike plumbers putty, it remains pliable. All I did was take a tiny blob of the stuff, rolled it into a skinny snake, and set it around the top side of the circular opening to the impeller (the one in the squarish grey impeller housing cover.) I gently seated the intake tube onto this, being mindful of not pushing putty into the opening. Et voila! Not only is this thing flowing like a champ, it's also quieter, and as I mentioned, cranks right up all on its own. Hooray!
Next time I do a cleaning, I plan to use the putty to seal around the edges of the impeller housing cover as well, just to create an extra-tight air seal. I imagine I'll need to redo the seals each time I clean the filter, but this stuff is reusable (and super cheap, about $1/lf)
