Getting ready to take a trip and decided to clean my filter. Emptied it, rinsed it, filled it back up almost to the top, hooked it up and let it fill, plugged it back in. All same as usual. But there's air coming out of the jet spray. Tried priming it but it's been so long since I've primed it (4 years ago when I set it up), maybe I'm not doing it right? I turned the filter off, poured water into the back of the intake till it over flowed a bit, capped it and turned it back on. Still air. I tried tipping it this way and that to get the air out. I dunno what to do and I honestly am really pressed for time. Help??!!??
Help ASAP - priming a Rena XP 3
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It sounds like you primed it right, I might try adding more water again and if not just let it run. I have 3 xp4s and they almost always do this after a cleaning.
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You don't fill the canister back up. Hook it back up dry and let it do it's thing. After a few minutes it will be full and you can plug it in.
If not, tilt the filter about 15 degrees and then stand it back up. Do this a few times and it should get most of the air out.
If not, tilt the filter about 15 degrees and then stand it back up. Do this a few times and it should get most of the air out.
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My Rena did this for a while until I cut off some of the excess intake tubing that was making it difficult to prime.
Thanks - this is what ended up working. I just kept adding water, trying it, adding more, trying it. It finally worked. For what its worth I always fill it back up before starting it that way I don't have to do a top off. It works the same - as long as it gets filled with water the filter doesn't care where the water comes from (tank or sink), and it's never entirely full so it still pulls some water from the tank. Been doing it this way for 4 years and never had an issue before - I think it was just trying to frazzle me cause I'm pressed for time.
Thanks everyone who responded!
Hmmm that's interesting. I don't have excess tubing, but it's a rather tall tank so there is still alot of tubing even tho it's needed.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxkqLzx2UgU
at 7:20 it shows you the maintenance part or watch the whole video.
at 7:20 it shows you the maintenance part or watch the whole video.
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Interesting, I've never done it that way. I have always filled the canister all the way up, after cleaning and then put the motor on. The excess water flows out, and then you're good to go. I don't see any reason to let it prime like that, when you can just fill it.
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Well mine was so long that it almost looped around
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I've always filled mine with treated water first then plug it in for my Eheim, Fluval and Rena. Air coming out of the spraybar is fine if it lasts for a min or two, its just purging air from the canister. How long did you let it sit putting out air for before you shut it down? Give it a few mins and it should subside.
I don't really see a difference in having an empty canister that fills with a gallon of tank water, which you then have to top off, or filling it 3/4 full with treated water and then hooking it up. Either way, you're going to be down water in the tank or from you treated water. Why not fill the canister with treated water, its like a small WC. You dumped out the gallon or whatever of water sitting in the canister and replaced it with clean water. Instant WC and filter maintenance in one.
I don't really see a difference in having an empty canister that fills with a gallon of tank water, which you then have to top off, or filling it 3/4 full with treated water and then hooking it up. Either way, you're going to be down water in the tank or from you treated water. Why not fill the canister with treated water, its like a small WC. You dumped out the gallon or whatever of water sitting in the canister and replaced it with clean water. Instant WC and filter maintenance in one.
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I've always done mine the suggested way and I've never had any problems.
I do it this way because every time there's not enough water in the canister it just sits there.
When I remove the hoses attachment, I close it with it full of water. So the only explanation would that air in the canister.
The reason for following the manufacturers directions for priming is that it always works if you do so. And, that is because the filter generates very little suction or pressure, it just moves water. So, it can't suck water over the top of the tank to establish the siphon that keeps it running. When you do it like the manufacturer says to, the initial rush of water down the suction tubing pulls water up over the top of the tank, establishing the siphon. Then it keeps siphoning in water until the filter and both hoses are full of water, and it is then primed. One problem I did have was when I used an external CO2 reactor. That was because it made the water going back up to the tank do a loop up to the top of the reactor and back down, which always left air in the top of the reactor and from there on up to the tank. The pump wasn't able to push that air out so it wasn't primed. I had to bleed off the air at the top of the reactor to make the priming work.
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