# Can you hear your Eheim Pro 3 or 3e from inside your cabinet?



## TimT (20 Dec 2013)

I'm having some noise issues with my Eheim 2076 and have tried several advice from my LFS (great support from him by the way - nothing bad to say about his efforts in this matter). I just want to be sure that it isn't me who is expecting too much from my filter. Mine is humming so loud that I can hear it clearly in my living room with the TV running from inside the cabinet. It takes TV music with an adequate volume or other constant sounds for it to drown the noise the filter is making but normal TV talk like the news makes it impossible not to hear it all the time. There is no air in the filter and the noise is the same if the filter is placed on something soft in the cabinet or even lifted from the surface so the noise doesn't come from resonance with the cabinet. The sound originate from the top part of the filter and I have tried changing the shaft and impeller and following other good advice from my LFS.

Can you guys hear your filter when it is inside your cabinet with the doors closed?

I'll return it to him tomorrow and ask him to send it down to Eheim but I'd like to hear if I'm unreasonable or just unlucky with the filter I got.

Your feedback is much appreciated!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that it was so quiet the first 1-2 weeks that I couldn't hear it from inside the cabinet.


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## Iain Sutherland (20 Dec 2013)

doesnt sound normal, had a 2076 for a long time and was almost silent.  I would suggest taking it out of the cabinet and running it with a bucket of water to see if it is the same.  I used to run an eheim 5000 pump which hummed like a bugger in the cabinet even on something soft, it can be the way the pipes sit against the cabinet causing reverberating.
Failing that send it back.  Just as heads up though they can take a week or two to bed in if its new...


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## Gary Nelson (20 Dec 2013)

No it should be whisper quiet, like Iain said, pipes touching the cabinet can cause a nasty hum.... If they are try padding them with a small bit of sponge (cut up foam is great) failing that are all the rubber feet on the filter? Try slightly tilting the filter an inch and see if it stops.... If it does it's vibration related, if not then it could be more than likely the filter


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## TimT (20 Dec 2013)

Thank you both. Luckily I don't have any fish, substrate, sand or plants in the tank so to be honest I'm almost hoping it is the filter and Eheim agrees that is broken so I can get fixed. Right now I'm only playing around with tubing, DIY spraybar, CO2 reactor and heaters so I know exactly where everything goes before I put in the hardscape. I have of course removed all that as part of trying to remove the noise. The noise described is with only the two green original in- and outtake pipes. I have also tried suspending the pipes and tubes so they don't touch anything and it is the same. The noise is very easy to pinpoint location wise. It is clearly originating from the top of the filter. It is not 'unhealhty' with a high pitch or rattling like something is broken. It's just a too high humming noise.


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## Ben C (20 Dec 2013)

Hi Tim, 
Yes, I can hear mine (Pro 3, 2075) too. Its coming from the filter as well, not the pipes etc. I think the cabinet amplifies things as well. I'm kind of used to it now, but next time I rescape the tank, I will be ensure none of the pipes etc are vibrating against the cabinet. I just assumed this sound was normal to be honest! Its brand new also, so not sure how I'd about reducing the sound any further than this... let me know if you have any incredible break-throughs! Am following this thread. Good luck.


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## greenink (20 Dec 2013)

Have two. Can't hear outside cabinet. And am v sensitive to that. (Whine on aquaray tiles when dimmed drives me insane).


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## Jimmy Dale (21 Dec 2013)

Hi mate, I have an Eheim pro3 2075 I bought it second hand so it's a few years old but runs fine. I can hear mine running from within the cabinet. It's a gentle hum coming from the filter itself possibly amplified a little by the cabinet. I can live with it but I think it is more annoying for my housemate downstairs as the hum seems to resonate through the ceiling. oops.


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## MikeG747 (21 Dec 2013)

Tim,
Check this thread out for a possible cause of the noise. 

Rattling eheim thermofilter | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Mike


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## TimT (21 Dec 2013)

Thanks Mike! Good input but that part has been checked too by my LFS.

The filter is not on its way to be looked at by the distributor.

I guess a more clear way of putting my question is what can you actually expect from a Eheim Pro 3(e) filter that is *not* broken. Is it possible to hear it from inside a cabinet with closed doors in a normal livingroom environment with the news running on the television?


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## Ben C (21 Dec 2013)

Just to add to this - I'm not convinced by the flow of mine either. Its definitely *not* broken as you say, Tim and there is no air it in, but when I first set it up, it was like a tsunami tearing through my tank. Its not that any more either... 
Not sure whether I should be sending it back as well... This is not what I expected from an Eheim


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## flygja (22 Dec 2013)

I have 2 and they are pretty quiet. Can't hear them outside the cabinet at all. But I live in the tropics so there are distracting noises like the ceiling fan and tank cooling fans. 

BenC, I just had a problem with the flow of one of my Pro 3s. Tried all sorts like pinching one intake and blocking another. In the end I just tilted the canister, it burped air out and was immediately back to normal. Maybe you can give that a try?

One thing is for sure, I'll personally never buy a pro series filter anymore. The classic range is cheaper, simpler and has no issues for me.


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## GHNelson (22 Dec 2013)

MikeG747 said:


> Tim,
> Check this thread out for a possible cause of the noise.
> 
> Rattling eheim thermofilter | UK Aquatic Plant Society
> ...


 
I would check that personally again...and also the impeller should have a similar rubber bush where the impeller shaft sits inside.
hoggie


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## GHNelson (22 Dec 2013)

Eheim Parts - 2076 - Eheim Pro 3e Electronic
Check here for all internal parts.
hoggie


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## TimT (23 Dec 2013)

hogan53 said:


> I would check that personally again...and also the impeller should have a similar rubber bush where the impeller shaft sits inside.


Thanks Hoggie! Yes, it has been checked and the filter is on its way to the local supplier here in Denmark. And I hope that both me and my LFS has missed something so it can be fixed and the humming will be significantly lowered.

What I'm asking is if it is possible to establish a consensus that a Eheim Pro 3(e) is is in fact broken/faulty if you are capable of hearing it too loud outside a cabinet with closed doors. My biggest fear is that is comes back with the message: "There is nothing wrong with that filter!". So this is more to calibrate expectations about what what one can expect from a normally functioning Eheim Pro 3(e) filter.

I'll go mad if I have to hear to that humming all the time!


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## MikeG747 (23 Dec 2013)

I have two pro 3 filters, one is a standard 350 one and the other is the thermo model. When there is no air in the filter and it is working correctly then it should be virtually silent. I certainly can't hear my filters and I am sitting less than six feet from them.


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## ian_m (23 Dec 2013)

My mate has had fun and humming games with his new Eheim filters. Replaced a 20 year old one with new one and the new one caused humming of the cabinet. If you held it up in your hands there was absolutely no noise, but as soon as in cabinet and door shut humming noise appeared.

Sorted by standing the filter canister on a block of polystyrene with a piece of kitchen surface sponge wiper (what was at hand at the time) on top to stop it sinking through the polystyrene. Also keeping the in & out pipes from touching the cabinet helped as well. Kitchen sponge idea was from HiFi magazines in mid 80's that did a speaker stand/support test and found that kitchen wiper sponges gave a massive improvement to loud speakers when sitting on a hard surface ie shelf or windows sill.

I suspect the original 20 year old filter, was slightly smaller, certainly not as powerful just happened to not resonate in the cabinet, unlike the new one.


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## harryH (30 Dec 2013)

Just been reading all this with interest.
I have the Eheim Ecco 220 and it hums like a humming thing,

I noticed that by holding it off the cabinet floor it stopped humming. Then I noticed that when I closed the cabinet doors it was at it's worst, suggesting the cabinet was acting as an amplifier. My cabinet is small and the compartment for the filter is fairly snug.

To combat the noise I tried standing it on rubber pads, not much better. Then on thick polystyrene, no different so finally I made a thick pad from a couple of bar towels I had and the humming is now very much reduced and acceptable.

It is very important to make certain no parts of the filter or pipes are in direct contact with the cabinet.

My view is that smaller cabinets tend to resonate and amplify. It's better to have maximum room around the filter, hence some saying theirs are really quiet while others hum. Reason for my views is I have had Eheims for years in the past but always quiet and always used in less restricted area than my current one.


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