# Eheim Classic Noise - New Impeller



## jameson_uk

I inherited an Eheim Classic 600 (2217) which has been running on my tank for about 7 months but has started to get really noisy.  The filter was 20 years old when I got it (but had never actually been used).

It isn't the gurgling noise when you get air in the filter and tipping it up doesn't release any air but it doesn't really sound like grinding either which is the other noise people seem to report.

I have taken apart and cleaned the impeller (several times) but without any real change (it does seem quieter after a water change as the filter is getting going again and clearing air but it soon gets noisy again.

It kind of sounds like an air pump / fridge noise.

My first thought was just to get a new impeller and shaft as worst case scenario I will have spares.

Any suggestions on what to look at?


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## GHNelson

Hi
I'm not familiar with this model.
I'm sure there should be a little rubber bush, that attaches to the bottom of impellor shaft....could this be missing!
hoggie


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## Madhav

No way, without the rubber bush, impeller will make rattling noise and impeller shaft will break in an hour or even less. Why dont you apply some silicone lubricant and see?

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## Aqua360

Vaseline is worth a shot


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## jameson_uk

Madhav said:


> No way, without the rubber bush, impeller will make rattling noise and impeller shaft will break in an hour or even less. Why dont you apply some silicone lubricant and see?
> 
> Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-UL00 using Tapatalk


I remember looking before and needing some specific lubricant as some weren't safe for aquariums.  Any idea which one to get?

Also what do you actually lube?


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## Madhav

When I buy spare part for my eheim 2080, the item that connects impeller housing to the outlet, eheim supplied some lubricant with it. I just apply a thin coat when I wipe the shaft may be once in a couple of months. I dont really think its an absolute must. As the chamber is always filled with water, it acts as a lubricant.

You are getting some noise means one moving part is touching the other part, in the canister only moving part is impeller. So the culprits are impeller, shaft and the rubber housings for the shaft. Open up the canister head and give the impeller housing a good scrub. Make sure the impeller housing doesnt have any leaves, loose soil or sand etc. If your noise is more like water flow through a pipe line, then its a sign that air is entering the canister which is not good, you have to check the oring and intake side piping for potential air leaking to the canister.
In any case, complete re assembling all the components should fix the issue and classic should run silent. 
Lubricant is not the reason for noise, so if you dont have dont worry. U still can fix your classic.

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## jameson_uk

One thing someone posted on another forum was that gunk around the impeller actually helped.  I cleaned it a lot and removed anything from the outside and I am wondering if I cleaned it too much.

I have ordered a new impeller and shaft anyway so I have spares but will take it apart (yet again) tomorrow and see.  

Noise is subjective so...

My phone makes this sound worse than it is.  I did a big water change earlier so have just been releasing some air and I think the microphone is also picking up the air pump slightly.   Does this sound like air getting in or mechanical?


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## sciencefiction

That's exactly how my eheim sounded...Mine use to make this grinding noise each time I started it after water change.... The noise would stop in a 30-60 seconds and the filter would then work fine until the next time I turn it off.  However, whatever the issue is, seems to be cracking the impeller and ceramic shaft. I had a hair like crack in the impeller once and a ceramic shaft that had snapped in two pieces at another time.  This is additional to a previously leaking hose adaptor...kind of a major issue with it once a year.... Unfortunately, after the last fail, despite replacing the impeller and shaft, although the filter starts up, I failed to prime it in any way possible I tried...It just would not pull any water if it had the minimum of air in it...Now its been used as a media container with an external working pump attached to it.


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## Madhav

Thats bad, classics are known to run silently. how is it after re-assemble?


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## GHNelson

Sounds like air to me......rattling the head!
I have found Eheims can be a pain to get started up properly sometimes!
My solution was (not for this model)a Thermofilter....... you could try something similar!
Check the seal O Ring for any nicks or damage as this will let air into the canister.
Remove the tubing from the head.
Remove the head.
Fill the canister till it over flows with de-chlorinated water....you would need to sit in a tray of some sort to collect the excess water!
This will expel any trapped air....give it a slight shake.
Attach the head so that excess water come out of the top coupling!
You add some more water till it overflows you don't want any air in the head.
Submerge both the in and out hoses and draw water into them by sucking, close the valves and reattach to the filter.....open valves and switch on!
You can also use Vaseline around the seal...to help with sealing!
This always works for me!
Cheers
hoggie


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## jameson_uk

hogan53 said:


> Sounds like air to me......rattling the head!
> I have found Eheims can be a pain to get started up properly sometimes!
> My solution was (not for this model)a Thermofilter....... you could try something similar!
> Check the seal O Ring for any nicks or damage as this will let air into the canister.
> Remove the tubing from the head.
> Remove the head.
> Fill the canister till it over flows with dechlorinated water....you would need to sit in a tray of some sort to collect the excess water!
> This will expel any strapped air....give it a slight shake.
> Attach the head so that excess water come out of the top coupling!
> You add some more water till it overflows you don't want any air in the head.
> Submerge both the in and out hoses and draw water into them by sucking, close the valves and reattach to the filter.....open valves and switch on!
> You can also use Vaseline around the seal...to help with sealing!
> This always works for me!
> Cheers
> hoggie


I will check the o ring later but it was fine for months.   After cleaning the filter I would normally just let it kick out any air on it's own and after several hours (and a couple of swishes of the canister) it would sort itself out.   The noise however was slightly different (I think) to now.

When there was air in the filter just tipping it up a little would release it and cause a loud whooshing sound but there is nothing when I do this now.   Also if it was ratting the head would pressing on it not reduce the noise (I did have this a while ago) ??

I will give it the once over again tonight.


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## GHNelson

Hi Jameson
If you have to much air in the canister and not enough resistance this will cause noise from the impellor!
Just like to say any imperfections on the seal will let air in and may also cause the canister to leak!
I found this happened on a purchased second hand Tetra Tec 600 filters O ring ....It wasn't finished properly therefore let air in and leaked...cleaned the seal up with some fine finishing Decorators Paper!
Used some Vaseline and all was good to go!
Hope you get it sorted!
hoggie


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## roadmaster

I have two of the eheim classic 2217's in service.
Afore mentioned rubber bushing's on either end of the shaft can become worn and this will affect the operation from noise perspective.
I have lost the bushing's on a couple occasion's while running water from faucet into the impeller well while scrubbing out the well with bottle brush.
Have also dropped impeller magnet into sink and it only takes a tiny ,tiny chip or sliver  to be removed from the magnet to cause noise issue.(saw this with magnifying glass)
I think with new impeller and shaft along with new bushing's,you will note improvement.


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## GHNelson

Indeed good point.....these should be checked for!
They are easily lost down the sink!
hoggie


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## roadmaster

And plus one for a bit of Vaseline or vegetable oil on impeller magnet and O ring seal.
I move water from my tank's with small 350 gph pump attached to python hose and the pump is taken apart when it becomes noisy and I clean the gut's and apply a bit of Vaseline to the impeller.Work's a treat.


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## Madhav

roadmaster said:


> I have two of the eheim classic 2217's in service.
> Afore mentioned rubber bushing's on either end of the shaft can become worn and this will affect the operation from noise perspective.
> I have lost the bushing's on a couple occasion's while running water from faucet into the impeller well while scrubbing out the well with bottle brush.
> Have also dropped impeller magnet into sink and it only takes a tiny ,tiny chip or sliver  to be removed from the magnet to cause noise issue.(saw this with magnifying glass)
> I think with new impeller and shaft along with new bushing's,you will note improvement.


I dont think so, if you look at my 2080 impeller magnet, you will ne shocked. It is seriously dented. It was restarted after an year of idling. The flow seem to be lesser than 2073 so I opened impeller housing and realized some salts build up on magnet and gave it a good scrub. I reassembled and it is working like a new one now...6months plus no issue. I posted some pics on this forum...let me find the link...

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## roadmaster

Am not familiar with the model's you mention.
Can only speak to my experiences/trouble shooting the filter OP was referring to.


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## jameson_uk

Ok so I took apart the filter today as needed to get some media to seed my new shrimp tank.

Actually seems a bit worse since I put it back together so will be rebuilding it again shortly...

The impeller itself did have a tiny knick in it right at the very top of the magnet bit






You can't really see it it you could feel a little sharp bit sticking out.  I sanded this off but made no difference.

The rubber bits at the end of the shaft are both there but the one inside is well and truly stuck in there.  To the point I am wondering whether it is actually moulded in there (this is a very old filter which spent 20 years sat in various garages).

Before I try brute force does anyone remember whether the rubber bits were separate at both ends?

If so any suggestions on how to get it out as you can only get at it down the shaft and it is pretty tight (my planting tweezers were no good)


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## ian_m

jameson_uk said:


> If so any suggestions on how to get it out as you can only get at it down the shaft and it is pretty tight (my planting tweezers were no good)



I have one of these for my JBL 1501. You screw then end into the rubber bit in the filter and pull it out.
https://www.jbl.de/?lang=en&mod=products&func=detail&id=4612

You might be able to make something by sawing the tip off a long wood screw ?


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## roadmaster

I see several nick's/chip's missing from the impeller.
A replacement impeller +shaft+ bushing's (comes with shaft) would be my path.


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## jameson_uk

roadmaster said:


> I see several nick's/chip's missing from the impeller.
> A replacement impeller +shaft+ bushing's (comes with shaft) would be my path.


They are sat on the side.  Just wondering what to do about this rubber bushings.  Will try and get the bottom one out later today


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## roadmaster

Hemostat's can grab hold of it maybe, or small needle nose plier's.
It's gotta come out so new one can be placed on the end of the new impeller shaft and then seated in the well.


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## GHNelson

You could try flushing some hot water down there to soften the bush, then use tweezers to remove it!


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## jameson_uk

I replaced the impeller back in January 2017 after finally getting the rubber bushing out but it has started to get noisier and noisier.   It is now much louder from the fridge and noticeable from several meters away.
I found another thread on here somewhere which suggested taking the head off and just holding it in a bucket to rule out air getting into the system.  When I did this it was still really noisy so I am guessing the only real option is to replace the impeller again?

It has never been silent like people claim the classic are so I am wondering if there is something not quite right with the head in the first place?    Other than replacing the impeller is there anything else to try?   I am wondering whether something got damaged int the 20 years it was sat around not being used.    Seriously contemplating just getting a new filter.....


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## Millns84

How about a new pump head? They're around £60 so still a lot cheaper than a new filter.

Might also be worth trying some silicone grease on the magnet? It's worked wonders for me on some noisy powerheads and filters.


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## Aqua sobriquet

I had a classic and it was very quiet. I’m actually thinking of getting a little classic 150 for a Nano.


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## jameson_uk

Millns84 said:


> How about a new pump head? They're around £60 so still a lot cheaper than a new filter.
> 
> Might also be worth trying some silicone grease on the magnet? It's worked wonders for me on some noisy powerheads and filters.


Must admit I was looking at the Oase Biomaster to get the heater and pre-filter out the tank.

I did apply some vasoline to impeller shaft and magnet with no noticeable improvement.

Might have a look at a new pump head.  What might be wrong in the head that would cause noise?


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## Millns84

jameson_uk said:


> Must admit I was looking at the Oase Biomaster to get the heater and pre-filter out the tank.
> 
> I did apply some vasoline to impeller shaft and magnet with no noticeable improvement.
> 
> Might have a look at a new pump head.  What might be wrong in the head that would cause noise?



Silicone grease tends to be a bit thicker and "clingier" so I'd perhaps give it a shot.

I can only speculate about what's up with the head but if it's an old filter it could just be wear or an actual fault of some sort. Eheim are excellent in terms of reliability, but there are always exceptions... i.e. didn't the old 2075 have issues with the head leaking?

I'd rather have the 2217 over an Oase. But if you want an upgrade, the Aquael filters look amazing and have pre-filters too. Personally, I like the ease of an in tank pre-filter that I can just remove to clean without even opening the cabinet!


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## lazybones51

jameson_uk said:


> I replaced the impeller back in January 2017 after finally getting the rubber bushing out but it has started to get noisier and noisier.   It is now much louder from the fridge and noticeable from several meters away.
> I found another thread on here somewhere which suggested taking the head off and just holding it in a bucket to rule out air getting into the system.  When I did this it was still really noisy so I am guessing the only real option is to replace the impeller again?
> 
> It has never been silent like people claim the classic are so I am wondering if there is something not quite right with the head in the first place?    Other than replacing the impeller is there anything else to try?   I am wondering whether something got damaged int the 20 years it was sat around not being used.    Seriously contemplating just getting a new filter.....


I commented in your other thread about my noisy 2217. After less than a year it was as noisy as you describe so I replaced the impeller, shaft and rubber bushes. Less than a year later it's really noisy again. I tried contacting Eheim via email but never heard anything back. I'm less than impressed with it. I'll be watching what you do with interest.


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## Aqua sobriquet

Is there noticeable wear on the ceramic shaft, it should be smooth without any ridges.


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## sparkyweasel

jameson_uk said:


> I did apply some vasoline to impeller shaft and magnet with no noticeable improvement.
> 
> Might have a look at a new pump head.  What might be wrong in the head that would cause noise?



If Vaseline gets onto the bushes it may corrode them, depending on what kind of synthetic rubber etc they are made if.
Silicone grease, as Millns84 suggested is safe.
The pump head doesn't have any moving parts, so unlikely to be the source of the noise, but you could run it with the impeller removed to make sure. Only for a few seconds though, as without the water flow it could overheat if you leave it running.


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## Aqua sobriquet

My new 2213 is noisy as well. The supplier has replaced the impeller but it’s still not as quiet as the Eheims used to be. I measured the impeller shaft with a micrometer and it measures 2.48 mm which _may_ be part of the problem but I suspect Eheim are just making poor quality impellers. Not much you can do about that. I have tried loading the impeller shaft with silicone grease and this does help but it doesn’t stop the noise completely. I would really like to know definitively why modern Eheim Classics are so noisy so I may at some point see if I can find a way to improve the fit of the impeller on the shaft.


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## Aqua sobriquet

Thinking about my old Eheim Classic from over 20 years ago I’m wondering if it had a thin plastic washer that slipped onto the impeller shaft to control end float. Does anyone else recall this or am I imagining things!  

Bit tricky making such a small washer but I could maybe give it a try.


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