My Fluval FX6 keeps filling with air and I can't detect any leaks, I have no idea where it is sucking air because when I turn it off there are no water leaks. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the FX6? I have a 306 on my 55 and it runs great with no air issues at all.
Quote from: Kelly on September 02, 2016, 05:58:51 PM
My Fluval FX6 keeps filling with air and I can't detect any leaks, I have no idea where it is sucking air because when I turn it off there are no water leaks. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the FX6? I have a 306 on my 55 and it runs great with no air issues at all.
I have both a FX-5 and FX-6 running for over 2 years now with no issues. These beasts are awesome canisters! Even though your unit might take in air from time to time, the unit will purge itself twice a day (on a 12-hour schedule) which basically gets rid of the air.
Did you see your FX-6 purges twice a day? Were you able to confirm this? Also, make sure your intake strainer is not near any air bubblers :) These unit are powerful and takes in large volume of water each minute.
It's not near the air bubbler, and it does purge twice daily. if i unplug the filter between purges it takes in an extreme amount of water leaving me to believe it's not filtering properly or at least not well. When I do my water change and cleaning this weekend I think I'll move the filter from under my stand to the side of it. I'm not sure but I think the culprit could be that I can't put enough force down on the connections when I clean the filter and somehow it draws in air when running.
My experience is with the FX5
- double check that the air purging "straw" on the underside of the lid is not obstructed
- make sure the media in the baskets allow for flow - I've had fine filter pads actually stop the flow from moving from the bottom basket upwards
- use some silicon lubricant (no petroleum base - should be clear and not yellow) for the quick connects on the top of the unit - theyll slide on and click - (I found some at lowes in a little baby blue/clear container about 2in diameter - looks like lipbalm - hanging on a card in the plumbing department with a bunch of small parts, but can also check pool supply)
- ensure the cut end of the hose is below the waterline in the tank, and the rubber end is well seated on the end of the hose.
- otherwise I know hagen sells the main gasket/ring for replacement, this could be replaced but I've never known anyone that has had to replace it
I'm sure you've checked all this out, but I thought I'd give it a shot!
Thanks for the info, the silicon lube is a great idea, I don't have a lot of top clearance to push the quick connects on so maybe that's the problem, I'll give it a try.
I couldn't find silicone lube at the big box stores so I ordered spray from BA and then a friend suggested trying vegetable or olive oil, worked like a charm, no more air filling the filter. Guess I'll cancel that spray.
Here's the silicone lube that tanksalot is talking about. I use the same stuff. It's in the area with all the spare parts in the plumbing section.
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.silicone-lubricant.1000515837.html