Bad Leaks, Water Running Down through the Floor into the Basement

[SHMG]

Hello members,

If anyone could give me some advice, I would appreciate it very much.
My Rena XP4s have had air on the top of the filter basket stack; but my focus now is on the bad leaks. I see the leaks around the motor head, and around the lip of the filter tank where the motor head sits. I filled the O rings and gaskets with silicon grease (water based) about 4-6 weeks ago. Last night I lost almost a gallon in a couple hours.
Is it worth fixing it by buying a gasket kit?
Two Rena XP4s have constantly had air inside; tilting the whole filter, opening one of the 4 brackets to get air out, removing the quick stop part by the base of the in/output tubes...etc did not fix the problem. Now the bad leaks; I had to disable one unit last night. The other unit is running with a lot of air inside.
Meanwhile, what is the quick fix, and what is the permanent fix in the next few days?
What do you recommend?
Thank you!

 

[Silent]

sounds like a bad design. are you sure that it is not sucking air and that it is happen at the seal? A new seal might fix it and be the cheapest option.

 

[Johniejumbo]

I’ve had this happen with Rena filstar filters before. A new gasket did help but it went south on me again after a few weeks. I tried putting little shims in the clips that hold the lid down to tighten the seal and that helped a lot but was a pita to get done effectively. I ended up replacing it.

 

[Billdogg]

I used canister filters for about 22 years when I had my 60 cube running. The most important part of using silicone on an O-ring is this - Use just enough silicone plumbers grease to make the o-ring shiny - no more than that. Any globs left on it or on the mating surfaces will cause it to leak.

As for the air - It is impossible to not have air in a canister when you first start it up. What I did was start it up, let it run for 10 minutes or so, then shake it back and forth several times to allow the air to be forced out.

The best fix, of course, is to not use them at all. Unless cleaned often they can become a part of the problem they are supposed to prevent.

 

[SHMG]

Thank you all who has answered my post(s).
sucking air in: none that I can see. I keep the tip of the intake tube out of the bubbles in the tank. Anywhere else is unseeable.

I will examine the gasket and O rings to see if there any glob of grease anywhere.
I have too much air inside that they both become really noisy; the air space is usually about 2”! As previously mentioned, no matter what way I bleed the air, they come back rather shortly, and become noisy again. When they were new, they were unlike this. Of, course, with that much air inside, the output is either weak or none!

I like the Eheim filter 2262, but none is on sale at this time. I think of the Fluval FX6, but it is very bulky for this location. The tank has fish communities, and plants, so I need something with ample space to store the biological particles for a while before the filter clogs.

 

[SHMG]

I used canister filters for about 22 years when I had my 60 cube running. The most important part of using silicone on an O-ring is this - Use just enough silicone plumbers grease to make the o-ring shiny - no more than that. Any globs left on it or on the mating surfaces will cause it to leak.

As for the air - It is impossible to not have air in a canister when you first start it up. What I did was start it up, let it run for 10 minutes or so, then shake it back and forth several times to allow the air to be forced out.

The best fix, of course, is to not use them at all. Unless cleaned often they can become a part of the problem they are supposed to prevent.

I feel perplexed about your final statement; if you don’t use canister filters, what do replace them with? Do you use a DIY “bay”?
I am now waiting for the gasket kits to arrive. I watched a video clip on how to fix the Rena XP filter leaks, and according to the fellow, there are 2 more O rings between the top of the quick lock, and the lower half of it. I opened it yesterday to find the rings, but halfway through the process, the two parts we interlocked by the valve mechanism, and was unable to split them apart.

Do you think there are two other O-rings that are not included in the kit? Have you ever used the Rena XP filters?

Thank you billdogg!

 

[SHMG]

sounds like a bad design. are you sure that it is not sucking air and that it is happen at the seal? A new seal might fix it and be the cheapest option.

I can’t see if other connections are the culprits, but where visible, I notice no sign of air being sucked in, and not even at the screen on the intake tube.
I am waiting for the kits to arrive. Thank you!

 

[Billdogg]

Rather than use a canister filter, most use a sump underneath the tank. There, you can put your heaters, skimmer, return pump, and if you want mechanical filtration, filter socks. I don't use any sort of mechanical filtration anymore. I got tired of having to clean/replace the filter media, and I feel my tank may very well do better without it anyway.

If you don't have a sump, at least IMO, you'd be better served by a HOB filter such as a Marineland Emperor or similar.