Help! Fluval Canister Flooding My House!

Can someone please help me? I purchased a fluval canister filter 306. Let me start by saying, I just barely understand how regular filters work... so getting a canister filter, was a decision I made because of my situation. Which, without getting into too much detail, is that I have too many fish--live bearers.

Please no lectures on how many fish I have in my 60 gallon tank. My ex left me with them. So none of this was a choice. And it’s really not relevant to my post. You can read my previous threads, if you want more information.

Anyway, I’ve had this filter for about a month now. Last night, at 4:30 in the morning, I woke up to the sound of water. My canister had leaked about 10 gallons of water onto my kitchen floor…

The sound of my HOB filters hitting the water at a higher height, was luckily enough to wake me up. It was a nightmare! I couldn’t imagine waking up hours later to a even more water than that. I got lucky.

Let me back up by saying this is the second time this has happened. The first time, wasn’t as bad. When it happened, I brought the canister to the sink and opened it… when I did so, I found that the red cover thing by the propeller was off/unattached. I figured, this is what caused the leak. I made sure it snapped back in place and I heard the snap this time. I don’t think I heard the snap/click when I initially set it up.

I thought that was the end of my problems. But then it happened again last night. When I saw the water on my floor, I assumed it was the same problem… But the red piece was still intact. So I have literally no clue what caused the leak this time.

What am I missing? What can cause this and how can I prevent it? I really need this canister filter… But I’m terrified of leaving it on over night again. It’s been running without leaks since I’ve plugged it back in again today (after I cleaned up as much of the water as I could)… But I’m still nervous.

I sat down and read the manual again. Let me say, I don’t think I’m dumb. But this manual makes me feel that way. A lot of it is not clear and confuses me. But I think I figured out something I’ve been doing wrong… Not sure if this is relevant or not.

So last night, like most nights (I don’t want to get into the details... but I have a small amount of ammonia—so until I get rid of it, I have been doing daily water changes). But whenever I refill the water, I lift up the gray lever to stop the water flow... but I don’t unplug it. I think from what I’m reading, that is wrong. But I don’t even know. It’s not clear. And the manual doesn’t even mention water changes. It’s ridiculous!

Anyway, can anyone help me here?. I can’t continue to use this canister if I’m going to flood my floors and cause damage. Plus, it’s a nightmare to clean up. Took me hours. Is there a way to check it to make sure this won’t happen over night or when I’m away from the house? Any idea what’s causing the problem?

Any insight here be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

Make sure the rubber gasket is there and there are no cracks, breaks, or is missing.

Can someone please help me? I purchased a fluval canister filter 306. Let me start by saying, I just barely understand how regular filters work... so getting a canister filter, was a decision I made because of my situation. Which, without getting into too much detail, is that I have too many fish--live bearers.

Please no lectures on how many fish I have in my 60 gallon tank. My ex left me with them. So none of this was a choice. And it’s really not relevant to my post. You can read my previous threads, if you want more information.

Anyway, I’ve had this filter for about a month now. Last night, at 4:30 in the morning, I woke up to the sound of water. My canister had leaked about 10 gallons of water onto my kitchen floor…

The sound of my HOB filters hitting the water at a higher height, was luckily enough to wake me up. It was a nightmare! I couldn’t imagine waking up hours later to a even more water than that. I got lucky.

Let me back up by saying this is the second time this has happened. The first time, wasn’t as bad. When it happened, I brought the canister to the sink and opened it… when I did so, I found that the red cover thing by the propeller was off/unattached. I figured, this is what caused the leak. I made sure it snapped back in place and I heard the snap this time. I don’t think I heard the snap/click when I initially set it up.

I thought that was the end of my problems. But then it happened again last night. When I saw the water on my floor, I assumed it was the same problem… But the red piece was still intact. So I have literally no clue what caused the leak this time.

What am I missing? What can cause this and how can I prevent it? I really need this canister filter… But I’m terrified of leaving it on over night again. It’s been running without leaks since I’ve plugged it back in again today (after I cleaned up as much of the water as I could)… But I’m still nervous.

I sat down and read the manual again. Let me say, I don’t think I’m dumb. But this manual makes me feel that way. A lot of it is not clear and confuses me. But I think I figured out something I’ve been doing wrong… Not sure if this is relevant or not.

So last night, like most nights (I don’t want to get into the details... but I have a small amount of ammonia—so until I get rid of it, I have been doing daily water changes). But whenever I refill the water, I lift up the gray lever to stop the water flow... but I don’t unplug it. I think from what I’m reading, that is wrong. But I don’t even know. It’s not clear. And the manual doesn’t even mention water changes. It’s ridiculous!

Anyway, can anyone help me here?. I can’t continue to use this canister if I’m going to flood my floors and cause damage. Plus, it’s a nightmare to clean up. Took me hours. Is there a way to check it to make sure this won’t happen over night or when I’m away from the house? Any idea what’s causing the problem?

Any insight here be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I lift up the gray lever to stop the water flow... but I don’t unplug it. I think from what I’m reading, that is wrong. But I don’t even know. It’s not clear. And the manual doesn’t even mention water changes. It’s ridiculous!

This lever is to slow down the flow of water that is coming out of the filter. The only time you want to close it off is when you take the hoses off of the filter. If you leave your filter on and close that lever you are creating pressure that over time can kill your motor. Also the 2 handles that close the filter make sure that it “pops” when you close it. It may look like it’s closed but until you hear that “pop” it is t fully closed. Most times leaks happen because the rubber o-ring is damaged or has something on it that is preventing the top and bottom of the filter to create a proper seal. Make sure that it’s clean and in damaged.

 

I lift up the gray lever to stop the water flow... but I don’t unplug it. I think from what I’m reading, that is wrong. But I don’t even know. It’s not clear. And the manual doesn’t even mention water changes. It’s ridiculous!

This lever is to slow down the flow of water that is coming out of the filter. The only time you want to close it off is when you take the hoses off of the filter. If you leave your filter on and close that lever you are creating pressure that over time can kill your motor. Also the 2 handles that close the filter make sure that it “pops” when you close it. It may look like it’s closed but until you hear that “pop” it is t fully closed. Most times leaks happen because the rubber o-ring is damaged or has something on it that is preventing the top and bottom of the filter to create a proper seal. Make sure that it’s clean and in damaged.

I checked all the things you suggested and everything looks fine. So I still don’t know what my problem is
Thank you for the help though! I appreciate it!

 

Hard to say what the problem is. Are you sure the canister was leaking? Did you find where it was leaking?

Without more info/pics, it's really hard to troubleshoot.

There was an o-ring in a separate bag for the canister head (top part that holds the motor). Did you install the 0-ring?

Are the trays stacked and interlocked in the canister?

Are the input/output hosed secure on the aqua valve (part that plugs into the head)? The plastic nuts need to screw down toward the valve, then attach the hoses with the white adapter end, then unscrew the plastic nuts to tighten to the white adapters.

Input/output hoses securely attached to your tank with suction cups?

I would put the canister in a 5 gallon bucket or a plastic trash can until you can find why it's leaking.

 

I checked all the things you suggested and everything looks fine. So I still don’t know what my problem is
Thank you for the help though! I appreciate it!

No problem that’s what we are all here for! If you can take a video of you putting the filter together and maybe point out where you think the leak is coming from that would be the best option. I know it sounds weird but it’s really hard to see what is wrong without us seeing the problem and maybe your missing a step or something and that’s why I suggested to take a video of you putting the filter together.

 

I have to apply a decent amount of pressure on my lid while closing it. The clamps are "supposed" to lock it down, but I had a leaking issue as well. I make sure I apply a good amount of pressure equally around the lid. Then snap the clamps.

Good to see you've gotten your cycle though! Congratulations!

 

I agree with sharing a video of your canister. I know a lot of members here use the same canister. Maybe they can give a few pointers if they see how your canister is set up.