# Tetratec 1200



## lil-lynx (28 Feb 2010)

hello i have a tetratec 1200 external filter and it leaks   i have got a new o ring and fitted it where the canster head removes from the body it still leaked then i read some where to put vasaline on it and guess what it still leaks and now it leaks from one of the taps where you screw it up ? have any one had these probs ? relli p****d of as it made a big mess on a 5ft tank as you can imagen


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## chump54 (28 Feb 2010)

contact tetratec my 1200 wasn't leaking but head unit was filling with water... they replaced the bit the pipes connect to... this fixed it. anyway the support was great and it's worth a go.

Chris


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## lil-lynx (28 Feb 2010)

mine is second hand tho  so i dunno what they will do they can replace it as its second hand. have you got the phone number for them please


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## Jase (28 Feb 2010)

Don't tell em it's second hand


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## lil-lynx (28 Feb 2010)

dont have a recept or any thing does that matter ?


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## chump54 (28 Feb 2010)

it's worth a try I think Aaron had a second hand one that had probs and they fixed it... but I can't find the phone number I know they are in Southampton... sorry

Chris


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## lil-lynx (28 Feb 2010)

cool. thats not a prob i will go on there website and find out. it realyl  as i have every thing to set my tank up brand new t5 lights co2 just need a filter lol as dad got a  fx5 for the 5fter but as u can see it made a big mess when it was on there


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## dkm (1 Mar 2010)

Does not seem they have a number on the website. Unless I missed it.

But there number is 02380 606070.

Dave


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## Steve Smith (1 Mar 2010)

I used the support contact email form and mailed then when I had a noisey one.  They just emailed back saying "we're sending you a replacement filter head" and it turned up about a week later 

The form asked for the address of where you bought the filter from, and how old it is.  As I have 5 EX1200s I couldn't remember if this was one of the second hand ones I bought, or the one I bought new.


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## AJB (2 Mar 2010)

Lil-Lynx, I have just had the exact same problem. After 2 years of seemless operation, my EX1200 decided to leak and dump 10L of water all over my carpet yesterday. Nice!   After firing off a volley of colourful adjectives, I settled down (with rapidly soaking knees) to figure out what had happened.  I replaced the O ring and smeared it with a little vaseline and put the filter back together.  It ran for 10 minutes before leaking again.  On taking it apart again, I noticed that the O ring has two mould lines on it where the rubber is uneven.  When the o ring is sitting naturally (ie. untwisted) These mould lines have a tendancy to align themselves so that they sit against the sealing surfaces of the filter.  End result, leak!  So before putting it back together again (cue more colourful language!) I rotated the O ring so that the mould lines don't come into contact with filter head or body.  Also, as insurance, I ran a layer of insulating tape around top of the inside of the filter body (the width of the lip) taking care to butt the two ends of the tape together (rather than overlap them).  The filter has now been running for 24 hours without a leak, so it seems to be working in the short term.  What I'm going to do in the long run is another matter.  Coming home to a half empty tank and floor dripping with water has kind of knocked my confidence in the filter!  I may change mine, which is a shame because apart from its rubbish carrying handle, I liked the EX1200.


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## Nick16 (2 Mar 2010)

if you want to sell on your leaky ex1200 i might have it off you....


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## lil-lynx (2 Mar 2010)

omg :O same prob so its not just me  might have to try  yh 10litres is far to much just think about 5ft tank water  and i only new about it at about 10pm and was far to late to do anything so was really gutted. ok thanks for the advice well defo give it a go cheers


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## AJB (3 Mar 2010)

Hi Nick

Me thinks that by your keeness to have my EX1200 that you have a cure for their leakiness!?!   I'm going to persevere with it for a bit longer, but I'll keep you in mind!

Any joy with yours Lil-lynx?

Al


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## lil-lynx (3 Mar 2010)

not yet haven really had time, but its not all bad have a fx5 running on it atm  so got a filter on it


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## bare bottom (4 Mar 2010)

Mine was leaking in June 2008 after a filter clean. I found the water was filling up the void between the plastic case of the head and the head itself and manifested as a leak from the latch.

If you look really closely you should be able to tell if it is the main pump head seal or not.

If the pump head seal is ok there are two other sets of seals, the ones on the adaptor unit that you can see and have spares for that were included in the box, and the ones INSIDE the adaptor unit.

The seals inside are not available as spares you have to replace the adapter unit itself. I took the unit apart (4 screws) and found two seals that had dried out. Relubed put back together and all ok.

I should point out that taking apart the filter could void the warranty but in my case i had no option as it was the weekend and Tetra have been excellent about it and sent a new adapter unit.

HTH


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