New AC 50 has noisy impeller assembly - Is it defective?

Hi,

I have had an AquaClear 20 for over a year and it is silent. I just upgraded to an AquaClear 50 for my new tank and started running it for the first time last night. This new filter makes some noise that I'm not used to with AquaClears. The motor makes a slight grinding noise. It's not crazy loud but it is noticeable when you're standing away from the tank. It is not rattling or vibration of the lid. It is the motor.

I've heard it can take a few days for a slime coat to build on the impeller. I did a little test by taking the impeller assembly (the magnet with propeller thing that actually comes out) from my AquaClear 20 and dropping it into the motor from the new AquaClear 50. The filter made no noise at all, just like my 20 didn't. I replaced the impeller assembly with the new one and it again made noise. Clearly it's a problem with the impeller assembly and not the motor, the lid, etc.

Will the impeller quieten down after a few days once it's had a bit of time to run? Or is the impeller assembly faulty?

 

I have Aquaclears too and I've never had that problem when first using them.

 

I have Aquaclears too and I've never had that problem when first using them.

I never had a problem with my 20 when I first got it but thought maybe this one needed a bit more working in. It's definitely the impeller assembly making the noise. Like I said, when I put the 20 impeller thing in the new 50, it was super quiet. It sucks because I bought the 50 online for a good price. Looks like I'll have to contact them (Big Al's online) and see if anything can be done. I'm still going to give it another day and see if the noise goes away. Is it okay to run the 50 with a 20 impeller? It all looks the same size anyways!

 

If you've checked the impeller then I'd say it's defective. My Aqua Clear 70 is as silent as can be.

 

Sometimes it can take a few days for them to quite down. If it doesn't quite down in a few days, exchange it.

As far as the impeller ... it's perfectly fine to run the impeller from the 20 in the 50. AquaClear models 20, 30, 50, and 70 ... all share the same motor, the difference is the size of the impeller. Impeller swaps work fine as long as your putting a smaller impeller in a larger filter ... though the GPH does decrease accordingly. You can put a 50 impeller in a 70 ... a 20 or 30 impeller in a 50 ... etc. Some folks have done this in smaller tanks to decrease the current while spreading it out over the larger filter's out-flow.

Did you check the impeller to see if prehaps there were any small chips or burr's? Another thing, make sure the filter is level.

 

Too, someone else mentioned once to remove the impeller and coat it with whatever you use as a stress reliever (Nova Aqua, Prime, Stress Coat etc.) or slime coating for your fish. This may help.

 

experienced a similar noise prob from impeller and it came from the impeller it's self droping down a little from it's stem. I pushed it back up til I heard a click and ta da, prob solved.

 

Too, someone else mentioned once to remove the impeller and coat it with whatever you use as a stress reliever (Nova Aqua, Prime, Stress Coat etc.) or slime coating for your fish. This may help.

That was me.

It can in some instances help by simply speeding along the lubricant like coating or slime, that forms on the impeller.

Clean/flush the impeller and impeller housing ... and use a Q-Tip to apply a light coating (no need to go overboard) of a water conditioner containing a slime coat enhancer. IIRC, I used NovAqua+, which has a thicker viscosity than most of the popular water conditioners.

 

experienced a similar noise prob from impeller and it came from the impeller it's self droping down a little from it's stem. I pushed it back up til I heard a click and ta da, prob solved.

What did you push back up? The propeller on the impeller assembly? Not sure I understood you there.

I added some vaseline with a q-tip to the assembly and housing and it made the noise quieter. It's still not as silent as my 20 was, but it's tolerable now. I have to have the lid sitting off-kilter because it amplified the noise the impeller still makes. I can deal with it now though. I'd prefer it silent but it will be more of a pain to exchange it. Since my tank is a 20 gallon, putting the 20 impeller in the 50 would probably lower the gph too much so I'll stick with the 50 I guess.

 

Yes, the propeller on the impeller. It had slipped down. Just a tad but enough to make a horrible racket. I too thought it was the motor.

 

Yes, the propeller on the impeller. It had slipped down. Just a tad but enough to make a horrible racket. I too thought it was the motor.

I didn't realize the propeller could move up and down the magnet stem thing. I just took a look on the 20 and it looks like you can just pull the propeller right off (up and over the bump on the shaft). Then when you put it back on, it goes over the bump and snaps into place. So I'm not sure how yours 'slipped down' when the slipped down position seems to be the correct one (anything higher and the propeller comes right off).

 

I don't know what to say about AquaClears, except Buy from a place with an excellent return policy. When they work, they are an amazing filter - silent, effective, tons of media. I have bought five AC 20's in the last few months - two are currently working, one is about to go back to the store to be exchanged yet again, and two were quickly returned (I eventually want three of these). Of the two I am currently using, one is completely silent - I have to lay my hand on it to know it's on. The other periodically makes a loud buzzing noise for exactly five minutes (I've timed this) and then goes back to being silent. Both have normally functioning clean motors and impeller assemblies. The two I returned were both loud enough to be heard three rooms down and all attempts at cleaning/adjusting/lubricating were unsuccessful. All of these units were bought from reputable stores and came new wrapped in plastic. With this latest one as soon as I plugged it in it began to buzz, and back to the store it will go. Just slightly frustrating.

eepruls, if it were me I'd return the filter to Big Al's. They'll test it to confirm the noise then refund you the shipping charge.

 

eepruls, if it were me I'd return the filter to Big Al's. They'll test it to confirm the noise then refund you the shipping charge.

If the store was here in the city I would exchange it for another since it does make noise. However, since I would have to package it up after it's been running for over a week, ship it back, and hope another is sent to me, it's more of a pain if you ask me. And with my luck I'd have to fight for the shipping charges and I'd be without a second filter for probably a month. Forget it. It's running and it works. I'll deal with the slight buzzing/grinding noise. It sucks but I think it's less of a pain.

I didn't realize filters could be so hit and miss. The next time I buy a filter, I think I'll just go to a real store so that I can exchange it quickly if there's a problem. We don't have any online stores (Big Al's, Petsmart) that have real stores here so I couldn't buy it online and then go to the store to exchange it.

 

I've had hit-or-miss with Big Al's online in general - see . They do take back returns, even used and do refunds, but they're definitely NOT user-friendly about it. You can't return anything bought online to a physical store as apparently they are separate companies. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Maybe try it with the smaller impeller and see how it filters?