aquaclear 50 hob problems

[gy960]

Hi all, just got my new aquaclear 50 hob filter. After running about 3 hurs later, the motor seemed to be warm to touch. Is this normal?

Another thing I noticed about this filter is that there is a media bypass. Some water that is sucked into the motor chamber flows into the media basket through some perforated holes in it, thus not flowing through the bottom layer (sponge). Is this normal?

The motor chamber water also overflows the media basket. Am i putting too much media here?
Haha, sorry for being a windbag here and any replies is deeply appreciated.

[stormhawk]

It is crucial not to stuff to much filter media in the HOB/HOF type filters. These require a constant flow of water to function normally without choking up. Where the media bypass is concerned, did you "assemble" the filter correctly? A wrongly placed item may be causing this.

As for the motor warming up, I don't own an Aquaclear but this is fairly normal as they will generate heat after awhile. However, if it is hot to touch, there might be a problem somewhere. Before the motor overheats and dies early on you, I'd suggest you check the filter again. Perhaps reducing the media in the HOB might help.