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Hi all,

My friend has a secondhand FX5 filter that makes a horrible mechanical noise.
It runs and looks to be working ok but the noise is too much and after a chat with someone at Fluval he purchased a new impeller unit. But, with the new impeller fitted the noise is still there.

Any ideas?????

Thanks

Gavin

Mine has never made any noise. I have had other filters get noisy and it's usually a piece of grit or gravel in the impeller housing and some high pressure water will usually clean it out. Another thing it might be is one of the rubber grommets on the end of the impeller might need lubrication (vegetable oil, just a drop or 2).

Hmmm you've got me thinking. I may need to go take a look at it now, myself.
Cheers

Make sure the replacement bearing is properly installed. When I replace an impeller it appears I put it in backward. When I reassembled the filter it was like new.

The FX5 uses a magnetic impeller, he bearing is cooled an lubricated by the water. The oil will quickly wash out anyway.

Just been to have a look. What replacement bearing??? /

I think there's something missing on this one. We powered it up with the impeller dropped into the unit away from the filter housing. It rattled until I put a little pressure on the end of the shaft with a screwdriver handle. So it's like there's too much play.
On the ceramic shaft, all there is is this castle head thing it spins in, plus an O ring. Is there something else that should go down into that hole??????

Cheers

Gavin

The 'castle head thing' is the bushing. I like the description! The black o-ring is used to hold bearing in the housing. In the impeller kit I used there was a black tube with the new bushing on the end. Note which end is in the tube before it falls out like it did for me. There also was a shiny stiff piece of wire with a type of hook on the end in the kit. This wire is used to pull out the old bearing. Keep the new bearing attached to the black tube. The tube is used to install the new bearing. You must firmly push the bearing into the housing. Do not put it on the impeller shaft as it will not properly seat.

It sounds like the bearing did not seat. I hope this helps
Jim

Jim

We don't have a bearing. We have the castlehead bush and the O ring, nothing else. He got the new impeller from a shop that had it returned to them by a customer who didn't need it. He's been robbed of a few bits by the sound of it!

Thanks

Gavin

Very sorry. I kept saying bearing instead of bushing. The o-ring holds the castle into the housing. The impeller kit I used had the following:
Impeller assembly
Removal tool
Bushing with o-ring attached
Install tool (plastic tube)

Jim

Ah ok. Then I think we had it all. So the bushing goes in with the castle head bits facing down?
Then the O ring above it?
And that's it. So what stops the bushing spinning??? Should it sit tight against raised notches which are part of the orange housing??? If so, then on this filter these are gone and the bush spins and rattles.

Thanks

Gavin

Please send me a pm with an email address. I will send photos directly.
Jim

Jim

Putting the bush and O ring in the right way has apparently helped alot. He said its still not quiet but I've advised sticking a rubber mat under it and see how it is then. At least we know that it could just be the bush and O ring that needs replacing?

Thanks so much for your help. As I read your messages last night, appropriately my 2 L114 were out and up front feeding. I don't see them out so much, although its becoming more and more often and now they're 5-6inch they don't fear the Geophagus in the tank.

Cheers

Gavin

I always thought that the noise was caused by air getting into the filter, rather than any mechanical problems. I caught be wrong though. It was always noisy, but I was too lazy to fix it. Maybe I got a duff one*?

Is the same pipework being used? What happens when you shake it while it's running? Does air get released?

*filter used to be mine

Did you remove the bush and O ring when you cleaned the impeller unit???
How long you had it???

Did you remove the bush and O ring when you cleaned the impeller unit???

I honesty don't remember. I'm pretty careful when doing this kind of task though. I hope there aren't any parts missing.

How long you had it???

I think I bought it in 2008, and used it for about one year.

At first I thought there was a part missing actually but it turns out there wasn't. But the bush was in upside down and the O ring beneath it, which is why it was making such a noise. I just hope if the bush needs replacing that the plastic housing it sits in isn't too damaged. He's been quoted more for the whole unit than you'd pay for a new filter!
Anyway, I'll be seeing him later in the week and hope its alot better and he's happy enough.
They're not noisy filters by the way.

In that case it must have been assembled incorrectly in the factory, as it was always noisy, and I don't recall ever taking it apart.

Tell Roy I'm sorry it's caused a problem.

Thanks, I'll tell him.

Cheers

Gavin