# aqua clear noise



## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

my aqua clear makes some weird noise..it kind of sound as if it sucks in an air bubble something of that sort...anyone know what it can be?


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

usually this is caused by either the "u" tube not being seated properly during installation, or the unit not being properly primed before operation.

Unplug the filter, pour the water from the filter into a bucket and discard, make sure the inside portion of the "U" tube is properly seated in the slot above the impeller (for larger models like the AC110, make sure you have the black ring that goes on the bottom of the tube properly installed), fill both the display and the filter to the proper height (display tank level should be filled up to tthe slide portion of the filter. Filter basket should be filled so tat the impeller is completely submerged). Plug in the unit als allow to prime with the power on the highest position. 
If thw unit has trouble priming, try adjusting the power slider. This will also help make sure its seated properly. 

If this does not work, you may have damaged your impeller.

Remove the impeller housing (black box) from the filter. When the motor is out you should be able to pull out the impeller to check it and the housing for damage or debris.


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## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

thanks i already found out why it was making noise....i have an air stone next to it and i guess once in a while it sucked in an air bubble...i turned off the air stone and there was no noise i felt very relieved


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

awesome


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Good find! My AC makes quite a lot of noise, sort of like a grinding. I have cleaned it a few times, but as time passes, slime covers everything and it goes away


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## apple (Jan 30, 2006)

lol a little slime never hurt anyone


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

Again, your filter should not have any such grinding noise. no amount of "slime" makes up for user error.


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## aquyenl (Jan 12, 2010)

for some reason my aqua clear 70 is making a grinding noise. i use 3m colorquartz substrate which is very fine, so i'm worried some of it may have gotten into the impeller. however, when i wash the motor unit, nothing comes out of it. how do you move the impeller itself out of the motor unit?


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

Twist the black motor out of the bottom of the filter. A quarter urn should do it. When you remove the motor, you have access to the impeller and can simply pull it out with your fingers.

You probably got sand in there. If its grinding, and it may have damaged the impeller. I'd suggest shortening the intake so its further from the substrate, and possibly add a foam pre-filter.


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## aquyenl (Jan 12, 2010)

i did a little inspection and it looks like the impeller is wobbling around the metal pole of the motor. tried cleaning everything and the impeller is still wobbling, not rotating in a circular motion but more oblong. should i just buy a new impeller? maybe i need to have "slime" in it? i don't have any fish in there right now


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## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

The impeller may have. Gotten damaged. If you clean and reinstall it and you still have problems, it may need to be replaced. Luckily they're cheap. 
And the whole "slime" thing is a load of bull. filters are made to work out of the box, not after a month of sludge build up. By letting your filter get dirty and "slimy" without cleaning it properly, it may quiet the sound, but it does not fix the problem of the damaged impeller. Its better to solve the problem at its source


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I bought an AquaClear a few years ago and played with it. I remember that it had an adjustable horizontal tab that was intended to get the filter box level. On mine this didn't hold, and when it would fold in, the filter would get a little hiccupy.

Obviously if you have an airstone too close to a filter intake you are going to get some gurgling.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

just let lots of slime build up so it will quiet down for you..


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