Help with canister filter

[NicoleC]

Okay, I have been beat by these canister filters. I have a Magnum 330 and a 350, and both just hum without sucking any water through. I got the 350 to work briefly on two occassions very easily by simply filing the canister to the water line and turning it on. But when thrown into production it won't budge.

I downloaded the user manual, but it's not very helpful. What am I doing wrong?

[gho]

I have a magnum 350 on my 100. Does the impeller spin?

[diddye]

is the valve open? Sometimes, I turn it on and off a couple times to get it going.

[NicoleC]

I fiddled with the valves, it didn't help.

On the 350 I am pretty sure the impeller is spinning, but it's on the inside so I can't tell. (And at the moment it's not where I can get to it for a while.) On the 330, it definately is.

[gho]

Well, I would take the impeller out and hold the spindle while trying to rotate the blades - check to make sure that it locks and the blades don't spin freely independent of the spindle.

You can check to see if it's spining by taking out the "stuff" on the inside and turning it on with some water in it to see if it spins.

Also check the impeller sump to make sure it's clear of debris - a small bottle brush or something can help clean it out.

Also when putting the top back on make sure the output tube connects properly with the top (I put it in first, then clamp down the top.

Another thing you might want to check is if all the gaskets are in good order. There should be a gasket betwen the output pipe and the top.

[gho]

BTW, I don't think it should hum - mine are absolutely silent. Are these new units?

[diddye]

i think it hums when theres air there right? maybe water isn't passing through

[NicoleC]

No, water isn't passing through, that's the problem! They aren't new but were supposedly working. Since the 350 did work a couple of times, I am assuming it's user error, not the units.

Thanks for the ideas, Greg.

Well, I would take the impeller out and hold the spindle while trying to rotate the blades - check to make sure that it locks and the blades don't spin freely independent of the spindle.

On the 330, it's all one unit. The 350 I don't recall specifically checking that, but I replaced the magnet and the impeller/magnet assembly appeared to be in good working order.

You can check to see if it's spining by taking out the "stuff" on the inside and turning it on with some water in it to see if it spins.

Yes, I checked that with the 330.

Also check the impeller sump to make sure it's clear of debris - a small bottle brush or something can help clean it out.

I scrubbed them all out well.

Also when putting the top back on make sure the output tube connects properly with the top (I put it in first, then clamp down the top.

Yeah, that was a little tough to get the hang of, but looks good and solid to me.

Another thing you might want to check is if all the gaskets are in good order. There should be a gasket betwen the output pipe and the top.

I bought new gaskets already, so they should be good.

Well, I have a couple of things to look at on the 350, but since the symptoms are the same for both and I've checked all those things for the 330, maybe it's something else?

[glaudds]

It's been awhile since I used a Magnum 330, but I seem to remember that it was critical that the outlets on the canister lid line up correctly with the impeller exhaust tube. Meaning that if the water "in" hole was lined up the the exhaust tube (instead of the "out" hole), it wouldn't work. Hope that makes sense.

[gho]

You might want to check the 350 over again, as it seems you may have checked one thing on the 350 and a different thing on the 330. It could be that they don't work for different reasons.

But assuming the same connections and both don't work, it may be an obvious thing, but did you check the input/output lines? Are they clear and not cloged. Make sure there's no kinks in the hose?

If you want, you can bring it over and I can help you check it out.

[tidesntails]

sometimes it helps if you rock them to the side when you turn them on. gets the air bubbles out

[NicoleC]

Well, what happened was I drove myself nuts trying to get the 330 to work, checked everything, etc. It just hums but doesn't move water.

When the new parts for the 350 came in, I put it together and voila! it worked. No need for in-depth examination. In fact, I used the same top and hoses on both the 330 and 350, since it was the top that was configured the way I wanted.

I drove the 350 out to the tank it was going on, plugged it in and voila! it worked. It started making an occasional noise, so I checked all the lines, twiddled with it (but didn't take the top off) and turned it back on... all hum, no water movement.

The 330 and 350 are a little different, so not everything applies to both in the same way.

[glaudds]

Could it be a bad motor? I don't remember them humming.

[Paul B]

It's just air bound. Take the return hose out of the tank and leave the intake hose in the tank. Lower the return hose to the floor (over a bucket) water should come out into the bucket. That will expel the air. If water does not come out, Suck, as you would to start a siphon. It's delicious. When water comes out, put the both hoses back in the tank and turn the thing on.
Good luck.
Paul

[gho]

Originally posted by glaudds
Could it be a bad motor? I don't remember them humming.
That's what I'm thinking... Mine certainly doesn't hum... Sounds to me like the impeller might be stuck. It really doesn't have a "motor" per se - I think the base is simply an electromagnet like in powerheads.

I can't speak for the 330, as I don't have one of those - mine's a 350.

[NicoleC]

Thanks Paul -- I tried something similar but I will try your technique. Do this with the unit off, correct?

I thought about it being a bad base unit... but BOTH of them?

[Paul B]

Yes, do it with the unit off.
Paul