# Bio master thermo leaking



## Bolota (30 Jun 2022)

Hi,
My bio master was off for sometime, and after rescaping my tank it started leaking. I can't diagnose the leak properly, but it comes from the lateral blue clips.
The lock/unlock switch of the taps always worked badly (always had to force it strongly to open). I contacted the vendor who told me I should lubricate the seals. I wonder if anyone experienced that?
What have you used to lubricate?

In my opinion, the bio master thermo is a good idea  (integrating pre-filter and thermometer in one divide) but still badly engineered. It is noisy and the cleaning of the pre-filter still messy and not practical.
Meanwhile I returned to my old Eheim...
Cheers.


----------



## seedoubleyou (30 Jun 2022)

Mines always leaked ever since purchasing, this happens if I lift it up, or turn it off for too long, it stops once running again.


----------



## Hanuman (30 Jun 2022)

Sad considering the price one pays for an Oase....


----------



## seedoubleyou (30 Jun 2022)

Hanuman said:


> Sad considering the price one pays for an Oase....


I don’t know any different, but I could only assume that Oase is massively overrated for what they are and unfortunately just glorified by people within the hobby.


----------



## tigertim (30 Jun 2022)

A Eheim thermofilter might be a wiser choice and try vaseline, i've used it on Ehiem parts before.


----------



## Hanuman (30 Jun 2022)

Quick story. I owned 2 Filtosmart 200. A gift from a fellow hobbyists who wasn't using them any longer. They were only 3 month old when I got them. I sold one as I didn't needed it and kept one for my 60cm tank. I never had a problem in two years other than it started making some noise 3 months ago. I suspected the shaft / impeller, so I went to the only Oase retailer here in Thailand (where I know for a fact the filter were purchased since I have the receipts) hoping to buy the new spare part. I was welcomed with some rather unpleasant surprise when they told me that they wouldn't sell me anything unless I brought the old one to the shop. Mind you the filter was already out of warranty so this request flew over my head. Needless to say it got into a heated argument as I was branded as a liar, them implying the filter was not purchased in their shop. LOL. Even the warranty sticker was on the filter. Anyway it ended up in me threatening them to report them to Oase headquarters for such non sens and disrespectful attitute. Which obviously I did. It took Oase 2 months to answer..... At which point I was pretty annoyed by such bad customer service, be it from the retailer and from Oase headquarters. I specifically asked for the spare part and that I wanted to pay. The distributor then obliged at the request of Oase Singapore and he requested my address but refused my money. One day, while coming back from work I had received a brand new Filtosmart 200 in place of the shaft/impeller I had requested. 😂. The end.


----------



## Aqua sobriquet (30 Jun 2022)

I believe Silicone Grease is the correct lubricant for the seals?
Out of interest what  model Biomaster is it?


----------



## Hanuman (1 Jul 2022)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> I believe Silicone Grease is the correct lubricant for the seals?


It is. However, I have asked Eheim directly and they said that using vaseline was acceptable too as the email below attests. Not sure what Oase would think about this since it will depend on the rubber they use for sealing the head of the canister.


> Gesendet: Montag, 11. Januar 2021 10:03
> An: EHEIM Info
> Betreff: Information request
> 
> ...


ANSWER:


> Dear sir,
> Thank you for your email enquiry.
> 
> You can use commercially available Vaseline or our care spray. The care spray is silicone-based and harmless to animals and plants.
> ...


----------



## Hanuman (1 Jul 2022)

Bolota said:


> Hi,
> My bio master was off for sometime, and after rescaping my tank it started leaking. I can't diagnose the leak properly, but it comes from the lateral blue clips.
> The lock/unlock switch of the taps always worked badly (always had to force it strongly to open). I contacted the vendor who told me I should lubricate the seals. I wonder if anyone experienced that?
> What have you used to lubricate?
> ...


Although I have had a bad experience and made some negative comments about Aquael in the past, I have to say that so far the Ultramax 2000 has been reliable. For some period of time it was making some unpleasant noise among other things but it seems that with time they just disappeared. What I mostly like about that filter though is the very easy accessible pre-filter compartment which doesn't even require you stoping the canister. That is just awesome.


----------



## Wookii (1 Jul 2022)

Hanuman said:


> What I mostly like about that filter though is the very easy accessible pre-filter compartment which doesn't even require you stoping the canister.



That's a great design feature for that filter - if they'd have thought to include an integral heater, I'd had bought one of those to try.

I honestly don't know what is wrong with all of these filter manufacturers that, after all these years, can't seem to engineer a reliable leak free filter with an integral heater and an easily removable pre-filter. I haven't been able to find one yet! I mean the Oase Biomaster series are good with the integral standard type heater and pre-filter, but the pre-filter isn't 'easily removable' when its in a cabinet, and many people experience some sort of leaking (either water outwards, or air inwards) during use.


----------



## Hufsa (1 Jul 2022)

Wookii said:


> That's a great design feature for that filter - if they'd have thought to include an integral heater, I'd had bought on of those to try.
> 
> I honestly don't know what is wrong with al of these filter manufacturers that, after all these years, can't seem to engineer a reliable leak free filter with an integral heater and an easily removable pre-filter. I haven't been able to find one yet! I mean the Oase Biomaster series are good with the integral standard type heater and pre-filter, but the pre-filter isn't 'easily removable' when its in a cabinet, and many people experience some sort of leaking (either water outwards, or air inwards) during use.


Im still waiting for @dw1305 to release his "Pump In A Bucket". 
I figure in order to avoid being mobbed by the part of the forum that likes prefilters, he will also have to include a "Pump In A Bucket Deluxe" in his product lineup.


----------



## dw1305 (1 Jul 2022)

Hi all,


Hufsa said:


> Im still waiting for @dw1305 to release his "Pump In A Bucket".
> I figure in order to avoid being mobbed by the part of the forum that likes prefilters, he will also have to include a "Pump In A Bucket Deluxe" in his product lineup.


Yes, I'm definitely going to build the hype up slowly for <"Pump in a Bucket">, before adding in lots of different <"variations on a theme">, <"James Dyson"> style.

Going <"too big, too early"> was the mistake with the Duckweed Index, that and not patenting a "new improved" duckweed.

cheers Darrel


----------



## becks (4 Jul 2022)

My oase has been perfect, I do lubericate the seals every now and then during cleaning


----------



## jaypeecee (4 Jul 2022)

seedoubleyou said:


> I don’t know any different, but I could only assume that Oase is massively overrated for what they are and unfortunately just glorified by people within the hobby.



Hi @seedoubleyou

That's the result of employing *Emotional engineers* and *Creative composers.* Honestly. That's what it says on their website. So, it must be true:









						About us
					






					www.oase.com
				




JPC


----------



## Garuf (4 Jul 2022)

seedoubleyou said:


> I don’t know any different, but I could only assume that Oase is massively overrated for what they are and unfortunately just glorified by people within the hobby.


Shills. Shills all the way down. 
Ever see one being used on any media? Then it’s safe to assume they’re shilling. Same goes for kessil fresh water… aquario too but I quiet like everything I’ve tried of theirs.


----------



## jaypeecee (4 Jul 2022)

Garuf said:


> Shills. Shills all the way down.
> Ever see one being used on any media? Then it’s safe to assume they’re shilling.


Hi @Garuf 

I've just learned a new word - shilling. About 50 years ago, that same word was legal currency in the UK. Now, it seems to have a new meaning!

Thank you!

JPC


----------



## seedoubleyou (4 Jul 2022)

Garuf said:


> Shills. Shills all the way down.
> Ever see one being used on any media? Then it’s safe to assume they’re shilling. Same goes for kessil fresh water… aquario too but I quiet like everything I’ve tried of theirs.


It’s why I don’t do social media. People are happy to sell their morals for a bit of sponsorship. 
When I kept a reef tank, it always seemed that the “influencers” had the worst looking tanks, but companies didn’t care as they just pushed their products on others.
I much prefer forums where you can find honest opinion within most threads.


----------



## Garuf (5 Jul 2022)

seedoubleyou said:


> It’s why I don’t do social media. People are happy to sell their morals for a bit of sponsorship.
> When I kept a reef tank, it always seemed that the “influencers” had the worst looking tanks, but companies didn’t care as they just pushed their products on others.
> I much prefer forums where you can find honest opinion within most threads.


It’s been a bigger problem here in the past but we’re smaller now so we don’t get much traffic from those who go down that route.


----------



## Simon Cole (5 Jul 2022)

Bolota said:


> What have you used to lubricate?


I would use PTFE tape or replace the seals completely.


----------



## Garuf (5 Jul 2022)

Do you know if are they a preformed seal or are they like older eheims where it’s just a ring?


----------



## Bolota (30 Jun 2022)

Hi,
My bio master was off for sometime, and after rescaping my tank it started leaking. I can't diagnose the leak properly, but it comes from the lateral blue clips.
The lock/unlock switch of the taps always worked badly (always had to force it strongly to open). I contacted the vendor who told me I should lubricate the seals. I wonder if anyone experienced that?
What have you used to lubricate?

In my opinion, the bio master thermo is a good idea  (integrating pre-filter and thermometer in one divide) but still badly engineered. It is noisy and the cleaning of the pre-filter still messy and not practical.
Meanwhile I returned to my old Eheim...
Cheers.


----------



## Aqua sobriquet (5 Jul 2022)

I’ve noticed that seals on some filters are of a specific non round profile so a simple O ring won’t work. This means OEM spare  parts only I suspect. This is why I liked the old Eheim Classics,  apart from the noise on the last one I bought.


----------



## jaypeecee (5 Jul 2022)

Hi Everyone,

It's also advisable to check that things like Vaseline (petroleum jelly) are compatible with the gasket material. There are quite a few sites that provide this information.

JPC


----------



## Aqua sobriquet (5 Jul 2022)

jaypeecee said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> It's also advisable to check that things like Vaseline (petroleum jelly) are compatible with the gasket material. There are quite a few sites that provide this information.
> 
> JPC


How do you know what the O rings are made of?  There’s no mention of it in the manual for my TetraTec EX600, it doesn’t even mention any lubricant.






Edit: According to this probably the safest thing to use is Silicone:









						What you need to know about O Ring Lubricants
					

Silicone grease and lubricants aren’t just a nice to have for o rings, but they are a must-have. Here is some information on o ring lubricants and silicone grease.




					www.specialistsealingproducts.co.uk


----------



## Hanuman (6 Jul 2022)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Yes, I'm definitely going to build the hype up slowly for <"Pump in a Bucket">, before adding in lots of different <"variations on a theme">, <"James Dyson"> style.
> 
> ...


You got beaten to it man. Meet the "pump in a tupperware":


----------



## PARAGUAY (6 Jul 2022)

Food grade silicon grease as used in Catering industry is cheap and effective on all seals


----------



## Aqua sobriquet (6 Jul 2022)

PARAGUAY said:


> Food grade silicon grease as used in Catering industry is cheap and effective on all seals


Plumbers use it as well, it’s a standard lubricant for use on potable water.


----------

