Flowrate of Eheim Canister Problem

[alvinchan80]

I am currently having some problem about flowrate from my Eheim 2026 canister..
my canister seems to be unable to achieve a full flowrate.. what can be the reason?

as the Pro2 series there is a gauge to see what is the flow rate from the output on the canister, mine seems to be achieving 50% only.. Can it be the white filter sponge being dirty?

Thanks for any response in advance...

[stormhawk]

It is usually due to your filter media getting clogged. Check the intake strainer as well, and replace your white filter pad when possible. How long has it been running before you noticed the drop in flowrate?

[alvinchan80]

It is usually due to your filter media getting clogged. Check the intake strainer as well, and replace your white filter pad when possible. How long has it been running before you noticed the drop in flowrate?

its only been about a month i guess... running since cycling from day 1.... thats all... so its the white sponge i think...
i only noticed the drop in flowrate after i added in powder soil during cycle of water... maybe the particles got clogged inside somewhere... but i cannot wash everything now as my fauna has all been transferred in...

can i just change or wash the white filter pad?

[stormhawk]

In that case, it is probably the white filter pad that got clogged, or one of your trays is clogged. I try not to densely pack the filter material in the trays because of such problems that can arise if fine particles start clogging up the filter badly. Out of curiosity, what is this powder soil you mentioned?

[alvinchan80]

In that case, it is probably the white filter pad that got clogged, or one of your trays is clogged. I try not to densely pack the filter material in the trays because of such problems that can arise if fine particles start clogging up the filter badly. Out of curiosity, what is this powder soil you mentioned?

i also think the white filter pad might be clog, but eheim does it in a way that white filter is the last filteration... so it might be anything in between.. i hope by making the bio-tray filled with eheim substrate pro & biohomme plus will not make it packed...
the powder soil i added during cycling is GEX Powder soil...

[alvinchan80]

I did a wash on the white filter pad just now.. and after doing a water change, i switched on the canister... Again i am not getting the full flowrate (by gauging the flowrate bar on the Pro2)..
What other stuff could be causing the cut in so much flow when my canister is the first line of 'defence'? Can it be the inlet's sponge be cutting the flow (but it was brand new with no clog)? Must I start washing the canister when its only a month in running?

[bossteck]

Don't own a pro 2, so I will just ask a few basic questions hoping they will help.
1. Are your hoses bent / excessively long?
2. Is your filter sitting at the same level or only slightly below your tank?
3. What's an inlet sponge? Some sought of pre-filter? Does it come with the filter?

[alvinchan80]

hi bossteck

1. Are your hoses bent / excessively long?
my hose are not bent, but they stretch about 2ft across the table before going through a hole at the table (suppose to be for electric cables).

2. Is your filter sitting at the same level or only slightly below your tank?
canister is directly underneath the hole and the chiller is beside the canister.

3. What's an inlet sponge? Some sought of pre-filter? Does it come with the filter?[/QUOTE]
i think its called the pre-filter sponge. it does not come with the canister as the canister's inlet has big slits on it, so this pre-filter sponge acts as a partial filtration of big particles (i think)

do you need a photo to further see the set up to advise?

[stormhawk]

Perhaps a photograph of the whole set-up and some additional pictures might help. Sometimes, algae buildup in the hose and intake/output head of the canister do contribute to a drop in flowrate.

[bossteck]

Stormhawk is right, photo of entire set up should help.
You mentioned the hose stretches horizontally before entering the filter, did you use elbows for that?

[alvinchan80]

Stormhawk is right, photo of entire set up should help.
You mentioned the hose stretches horizontally before entering the filter, did you use elbows for that?

I will go home to take the photos and post later tonight.

The hose is stretched horizontally across the table then down through a hole for electric cables on the table to the canister & chiller but the return of water is the same route.. I don't use an elbow for that because the hose doesn't seems to be bend till there is a cut in flow.. Or should i buy an elbow for the hose just to be sure?

i am wondering if it is because i am using a converting connector of changing a 16/22 hose into a 12/16 hose into the chiller, and after the chiller convert it back from 12/16 to 16/22 hose for my 17mm lily pipe that the flow cuts as well?

[bossteck]

We will see your photos and give you our best-guess

[Wolfgangs246]

Could it be a priming issue? I've had that problem with my external filters sometimes. Air gets caught in the propeller area and reduces your water flow to a trickle. You may not notice cause the canister will only do the cough and sputter on startup. Anyway thats just my idea of what might be causing it.

[alvinchan80]

Could it be a priming issue? I've had that problem with my external filters sometimes. Air gets caught in the propeller area and reduces your water flow to a trickle. You may not notice cause the canister will only do the cough and sputter on startup. Anyway thats just my idea of what might be causing it.

i believe there might be some air inside the canister too.. mine also cough out air once in awhile... how do i assure that there are no air at the propeller?

does an inline diffusor between the canister and the chiller reduces flowrate as well? i have a Boyu inline diffusor between my canister and chiller... the chiller does seems to have air inside based on the flushing sound it make.. maybe the co2 bubbles are concentrated in the chiller?

[adeguay]

I also face the same problem when i setup my 2080 filter.

The flowrate reduce to 1/2 after i connect to a chiller. It reduce to only 25% if in-between i install any on/off valve.

In the end take out the on/off valve and live with 50% flow rate.

To find out if your case is the same as mine, maybe you want to try connect the inlet and outlet directly between the filter and tank without any chiller. Try to shorten your hose as possible.

[bossteck]

Alvin,

I think we are dealing with 2 different issues here.

1. Actual flow, which is the flow you're experiencing in your tank and
2. The indicator flow, which is the flow represented by the indicator on your canister filter.

Since the indicator is part of canister, I would venture to say that it should not affected by your diffuser and the chiller.
The actual flow, on the other hand, would most definitely be affected by your diffuser, chiller, step up/down connectors, I think you know this as well.

What puzzles me is that since the indicated flow rate should not be affected by the things mentioned above, why is it showing a significantly lower flow rate?

I have already highlighted some of the possible culprits (hose, elbows, where the canister is sitting, pre-filter).
One last try... can the flow meter / indicator be removed and cleaned?

[stormhawk]

I think in this case, if there are no kinks or issues with how the hoses are connected, it is probably clogged somewhere in the chiller unit OR the hoses need a good scrubbing with hose brushes. There was a thread awhile back, where a fellow forumer was wondering why his Eheim's flowrate dropped drastically. It was checked that the drop in flowrate was caused by the accumulation of algae in the inner hose. After he cleaned it out, the flowrate went back to what it was originally.

There could also be a build up of sediment within your chiller. Sometimes we connect too many things, it causes severe strain on the canister's pump head. My advice is to get a dedicated pump for the diffuser or chiller alone. Taking out excess attachments from the connection will probably improve your affected canister's flow rate tremendously.

As for trapped air in the canister, during operation, tilt it at an angle until you see air bubbles running out of the output side. Sometimes air is introduced into the filter during the priming stage or when you are fitting back the canister head.

[Wolfgangs246]

@Bossteck: I think the OP is saying that his flowrate has decreased in comparison to some time ago. I don't think his problem is with the in-line indicator not being accurate in relation to the flow of water.

@Alvin: Please correct me if I am wrong about my comments to Bossteck. If I am correct in guessing that your problem is because of air trapped in your propeller, then you have to do the following:
1) Turn off your filter and chiller;
2) disconnect your canister from the filter system and empty about half the water out.
3) Reconnect the filter to the system but do NOT open the in-line valves yet.
4) Assuming your filtration system goes from the Eheim to the chiller, disconnect the hose between the Eheim and the chiller on the chiller side.
5) You should now have piping leading from the tank to your eheim to a disconnected hose in your hand.
6) Stick the hose in a bucket and open the in-line valves of your eheim, if you don't hear water flowing immediately, suck on the hose in your hand until you head water moving.
7) Once your filter system is primed again close the in-line valve and then reattach the hose to your chiller. You shouldn't have to worry about priming your chiller.
Turn on your filter and check the water flow. If it's back up to speed then turn on your chiller.

[Wolfgangs246]

Although on a personal note, 2 ft of horizontal would mean 4 ft of flat piping that the eheim has to pump through? That sounds like a likley culprit for the loss of waterflow but if that were the case, it would have come up in the in the initial setup and not after any introduction of additional components.

Oh and I think it's safer to install a diffuser only as the last stage of the filtration system before reaching the tank. A nightmare scenario would be air getting trapped in the chiller or the filtration system and promoting frost or water flow problems.

[alvinchan80]

Here you are guys... sorry for troubling you all to help me out... I am just puzzled at how come I am getting such a reduced flowrate...
(PS. sorry about the messy table and stuff.. rushing out to take a photo without packing... )

Table top.. The back of tank is the inlet..


Directly underneath the 'hole' on the table.


Connection after the chiller.


Close up of the inline diffusor before it diffuse CO2 into the chiller.


Thank you for all your help..