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Made the switch to an eheim 2213 and it is not that quiet..

8174 Views 20 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  oaomcg
I bought an eheim 2213 to replace my aquaclear 20 (noisy little bugger) because apparently they're silent. It has been running for 3 days, and still has air in it... I cannot for the life of me shake the air out per instructions.

I don't hear a gurggling sound but I do hear a constant whirrrr coming from the motor.. stops when I put my hand on top. When I'm going to bed or in the morning, I'm absurdly sensitive to low/high frequencies (buzzing, humming, ringing) coming from appliances and such :( and this fits right in there
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I use an Eheim 2075 on one of my tanks, can be a pita to get the air all out. Try tilting it from one side to the other-holding on each side for a few moments. U may have the canister too high, or too low in regards to the water level-mine wont work at all if this is not where it should be. The noise stope when U put your hand on the top of it? Try reseating the impeller. I have to put my ear on the actual canister to make sure its running-they are very quiet
Oh wow, when I get home I will rip it apart and reseat the impeller.

It sounds more like my aquaclear right now than peoples claims of an eheim's silence
Oh wow, when I get home I will rip it apart and reseat the impeller.

It sounds more like my aquaclear right now than peoples claims of an eheim's silence
Be careful with this because the ceramic axle is easy to break. Make sure the rubber bushings that the axle attaches to are properly seated into the filter housing. Also make sure the axle is firmly attached to the bushings. I have replaced the two rubber bushings twice in five years on my 2213. Afterwards it has been silent once again.
So there could be a chance that it is defective? Although I did take the impeller out to check it out and it just popped in really easy because of the magnets. Arghhh I'm going to have to deal with purging all the air again. Oh well I need to shorten the hose between the filter and quick disconnect super short because it kinks now. Is it ok if the quick connect is basically touchimg the input and output and only attatched by a few cm of hose? Would that be ok
So there could be a chance that it is defective? Although I did take the impeller out to check it out and it just popped in really easy because of the magnets. Arghhh I'm going to have to deal with purging all the air again. Oh well I need to shorten the hose between the filter and quick disconnect super short because it kinks now. Is it ok if the quick connect is basically touchimg the input and output and only attatched by a few cm of hose? Would that be ok
Having the disconnects close to the filter is not a problem.

Your impeller is most likely not seated properly, especially since you took it apart. Just because it goes back in the housing easily does not mean it is properly seated. If it is not properly seated, it will make noise.
+1 for them being silent. I got a 2217 used and I can't hear it at all. If the sound stops when you put your hand on the motor housing, maybe it's not seated tight enough?

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Kape! Will take it apart maybe rinse the polishing pad.

Thanks :)
I keep all filter floss/pads out of my canisters. The more often U have to open the canister the higher the possibility of having to replace seals and such. I use filter floss in a hob style filter that can be changed easily weekly. Leaving my canister filters only needing servicing every 2-3 months.
I would do that but its the only filter on my 10 gallon.. but it seems like the filter pads are trapping the air. I have a tuve of eheim grease to throw on the seals which should keep em good for a while. I'm sure o rings aren't that expensive
I dunno. I had a 2213 and I switched it out for an ECCO Pro, as it was pretty hummy. Even the 2211s I've had, have made a little bit of a whirring sound. My ECCO Pro is silent(like ear to motor housing to make sure it's still plugged in). I'd have to agree, and even go so far as to say that my aquaclear was actually quieter than the Eheim Classic canisters I've owned.

If it's a impeller seating issue, then Eheim needs to get on their assembly staff.
I'm sure the O rings are not expensive as well...it was less about the actual expense and more about the longevity of the seals. Mine has one seal that is 20 bucks to replace, and for that price I can buy a small hob and run floss in there....especially when Eheims can be difficult to "prime". Once I do have it up and working again, I'd prefer to not have to touch it for awhile just IMO.
Hope u get it to quiet down some, I feel the same way as U about the "white" noise aspect when I am home
Fair enough on the longevity aspect :)

I should only have to clean it every month or so with my bioload. Yeee overfiltration. I have no room for an HOB and I bought the eheim to get rid of the HOB ;)

Until my new tank gets set up. I didn't even disrupt the biofilter by completely removing the aquaclear yay plants
Ripped it all apart and put vasaline on everything including the magnetic part on the impeller and the ceramic rod.. Took the motor housing off and threw in half an aqua clear 20 sponge i had inbetween the housing and motor.

I great a distinct clicking on start up and then its just that whirring sound that even my away clear had. Mind you its tolerable in my closet.

Should I exchange it?
Did you purchase the filter new or used? If it's new, assembled properly, installed at the correct height AND been properly primed, it shouldn't make any noise. If the following procedure to prime the filter doesn't work, I would recommend returning the filter for a replacement.

Unplug the filter, close the disconnect valves & separate the valves then empty ALL the water out of the filter. Also, drain the water from the return hose/spraybar.

Reconnect the disconnect valves but don't open them yet. Raise the output/spraybar above the water level in your tank. Open the output disconnect valve first. Now, open the input disconnect valve. Water will rush into the filter and expel all the air from it.

Once the filter is completely full of water, reposition your output/spraybar to its normal position. Plug the power cord in. The filter should now run quietly though there may still be a few bubbles of air trapped in the filter. These will usually dissipate shortly or you can try rocking the filter a bit from side to side to 'jiggle' the air pockets loose.

If this procedure doesn't solve the problem, you can try and repeat the procedure or return the filter for a replacement.

Just one more suggestion. If your filter is plugged into a surge protector, see if the high frequency/buzzing sound disappears when the filter is plugged into the wall outlet alone. Some people have reported noticing 'noise' from the filter motor when using surge protectors and/or power strips. Just a thought.

Dee
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Its plugged into a high quality extension cord not a power bar
If it should be dead silent, then it is defective. Its not loud but I hear the humminh
If you can gently tilt your filter and no bubbles come out, then it is unlikely you have noise caused by trapped air. I continue to believe your impeller is not properly seated. Whether this was a defect from the manufacturer or from you taking the impeller out is currently not in question.

Were you able to inspect both of the rubber bushings? Do they fit snugly onto your ceramic axle? If not, your axle is moving side to side within the housing causing your impeller assembly to wobble while rotating. A slight wobble with result in the whirring sounds you mention. A larger wobble will result in a distinct rattle sound. New axles and bushings are sold in kits available from Big Al's and possibly other vendors.

As the other posters have mentioned, a properly functioning Eheim classic is silent.
Everything is fit snuggly :/

Before I attatch the plastic piece to hold the impeller, it is magnetically pulled to one side quite strongly, and requires that plastic piece to align the impeller. My aqua clear impeller gets pulled to either of two sides as I'm placing it in, the eheim gets pulled to one.


It really sucks that this eheim is not silent, and I'm going to give it a bit before I exchange it.. just a highschool student that doesn't drive and big als is FAR. YAY :angryfire

And its nearly winter wooh... next eheim I'm not taking the impeller out before I start it.. I dotn see how that hurt it
i have a 2217.. made a few gurgling sounds right away and then just disappeared 5 seconds later, and ever since i have yet to hear any noises out of it.. Sometimes if its hard to see water movement it scares the crap out of me and i keep thinking it turned off or something.. turns out theyre just really darn quiet! unfortunately i have am emperor 400 with it on my 75g sooo that makes the eheims lack of noise pointless as i still hear the noise coming from your aquaclear only twice as it has 2 outputs (double the size of a standard 20-30g filter D=). haha thinkin of getting rid of it.
I have had my eheim for years and its dead silent. Try rocking it slightly may have air pocket inside.
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