[Eldachleich]

Went for a shower.. Came back... to my aquaclear 20 impeller making the most horrific noise ever.... EVER!!!! Its normally pretty silent... So I was sort of horrified it could make this noise in about 5 minutes... It's been running for about 4 months with no problems... I took it apart and washed everything.... Looked for sand... There wasnt any (my substrate is fine sand, but I have a sponge over the intake) It has quieted down a little since cleaning it, but theres still this horrifying noise coming from it... The worst part is that it stops for a couple seconds every minute or so... It sounds completely normal for about 30 seconds every couple minutes.... any idea's whats going on?

 

[szenic]

Hmm, I was thinking of getting that same filter... I hope someone can help :/ You could check what some of the reviews said about it on amazon, I saw someone mention something about noise... maybe the impeller needs replacing? Not too experienced with filter problems, sorry.

 

[sp33drhno]

did you inspect the impeller? it could be cracked and rattling around, or maybe there's an air pocket. maybe check if it's seated properly.

 

[BlueJack]

sand got in-between the impeller and the impeller shaft. The crazy screaching loud sound is the sand eating away the impeller shaft. Take out the motor, remove the impeller and pull out the impeller shaft with some pliers. Look for rings around the impeller shaft created by the sand being spun around it hundreds of times. If you find any all you can do is try and sand it down so that it's smooth again, but I'd recommend just buying a new impeller shaft. If you have fine sand the problem will happen again. I had playsand for a long time until I finally got tired of replacing impeller shafts.

 

[mott]

Clean the pre filter sponge, mine will make that noise when its dirty also.

 

[wetworks]

I have had this problem with my AquaClear 20. The fit for the intake tube on these is kind of squirrely because of the adjustable flow rate. If you bump the filter while cleaning or adding something to your tank it is very easy to knock the intake fitting askew which creates a small gap. This gap, depending on how big it is, can either let in air, which will cause your filter to sound like it is powered by a tiny robot with asthma, or it could cause your impeller to sit crookedly in the shaft. Just make sure you completely seat the tubing into the impeller housing and you should be fine.

If it is not that then you have something stuck in the impeller housing. I have found both snails and large amounts of algae in mine. These keep the impeller from spinning freely, which makes it sound a bit like an outboard boat motor. A quick cleaning of your intake and impeller will cure this quite easily. Good luck!

 

[Eldachleich]

Thanks everyone... I ahd already taken it apart and cleaned it when I asked this... I tried one more time and the noise was still loud.. but alot less abrasive.. I finally just left it and the noise went away on it's own...
LOL... I found about 40 bladder snails living in my filter... They are now happy in my I don't have the heart to kill you extra plant bin outside...