# Help! External Newbie Problem(s) Tetra EX



## Smells Fishy (16 May 2016)

Arrrgggghhhh! So Yeah I was finally in the position to buy a decent external so I went for a tetra ex 800. It arrived on the 14th and got set up on the 15th and since then its made me a bit melancholy, proper anti climax man, had to be not straight forward. You read a lot about people complaining about their externals making stupidly annoying noise well now I'm one of them. When I first turned the filter on after priming it (1 pump), the sound that emitted from it was awful, think a scooter driving past you all noisy, then it dies down as it gets further along the road. Noooooo! So I read the manual and it recommends rocking it gently, ok I did that and air would shoot out into the spray bar and make some more noise, it took a good few rocks for that to happen though. There's no dents or kinks in the tubing, I tried to make it as straight as possible and cut one tube to size. The filters more than 10cm from the water level. The noise is a little bit better after over a day in operation but still nowhere near the claimed silent.

So what plan of action should be taken? Has anyone like me been in this situation but for the problem to be solved naturally by the filter sorting its life out? I've read on other forums that people have phoned tetra and got good results and others that haven't, for example the person working for tetra thinks he/she knows best even though they can't see/hear the filter and don't really listen to the caller. Is this the UK number I need to call
08700554031?  Obviously I don't want to be fobbed off again so would it be easier to email tetra and have a conversation that way? Plus I could say a lot more that way.


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## alto (16 May 2016)

I'd return the filter - it's advertised as "silent" & that IS how filters should run - when I decided to buy some new filters last year, I did the shop rounds so I could listen to display units of all the locally sold canister filters (went back with Eheim as they still won on the degree of "silence"), a low hum is the most you should hear - that level of startup noise is NOT how a filter is supposed to begin
- you do need to follow the specific start-up directions for your filter brand, but if a particular filter is "tricky", chances are there is some manufacture defect (whether in impeller or motor or some other unit imperfection).

If you've a smart phone, just record the sound & include in your complaint.
When communicating with a company in regards any issue, always email with follow up phone calls - hard to prove your side with phone calls where you're not able to record (for quality  ) - if you don't receive a satisfactory response through initial emails, cc to various company supervisors & mention that you will be following this up with (whatever passes as your local) consumer trade protection agency.
When contacting Tetra, ask to speak with a supervisor if you're not happy with the service rep you do get on line, also ask to be transferred to the technical department for further assistance - ask people's names that you speak with & write this down with a brief summary ... be polite but persistent, state that you've tried xyz & the noise persists, the filter is obviously flawed etc, etc
It is NOT a difficult thing for Tetra to send you out a demo filter to try - they should pay postage your way, you may be responsible for return postage on the replacement unit, but Tetra should be issuing your a Return Authorization # that includes postage for the problem filter.

I assume you bought this filter online? you should also be able to do a return there IF you've not exceeded the PayPal/Ebay time period (30 days I think) - just file a customer dissatisfaction report (sorry can't recall the term that Ebay/PayPal use for this) & you should have your money back before you've even sent the filter out.

It's "better" to try & resolve this with the manufacturer if company is willing to work with customers to solve issues, but if they are giving you grief, then just get rid of the damn thing, send a follow up email to company management detailing the incident  & mention that you won't be a company customer again.


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## Manu (17 May 2016)

Hi,
When I first run my Jbl1501 it was very noisy for quite a few days, I was very disappointed... and it slowly became quieter and, if I remember well, after a week or so the noise was completely gone.
That's just my experience, I can't say there is no problem with your filter...

Cheers,
Manu

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk


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