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Eheim Pro 3 - worst Eheim ever?

Looks like I can't drill out the screws. Ollie was right, the drill runs without a drill press since the plastic holes are a lot softer. So I'm thinking of hotgluing the plastic pieces together. Hopefully it can keep the seal watertight. I'll be using a lot of Vaseline on the seals.

My other 2080 was also leaking since Friday. It has leaked before, same issue with primer. So I spent about 2 hours yesterday applying Vaseline to all the rubber seals, rubber rings and the in/out cartridge tap. I don't wanna take the head apart and end up with two leaky 2080s.
 
Try to find silicon grease - the "peti ether" component of Vaseline eats away at the seals, so unless you replace them, the rubber degrades (of course you can just replace them annually 🙄 )

Tough luck on this whole situation - incredible that Eheim seems not to care a bit that their authorized representatives don't stand behind their warranty ...
I cant get parts as the country rep disappeared years ago, Eheim Germany won't send me any for some incomprehensible reason insisting that I need to obtain them through my authorised (country) dealer, so I enquire who that might be, oh there isn't one ... :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I now have 3 "retired" Eheim Filters :sour:
 
GTL_UK said:
I had my 2078 for 2weeks and switched to jbl e1501 - 100x better and cheaper

Thanks
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I've just set up a Pro3 250 (not sure on the model number!) and am not especially impressed. I have an e701 on my other tank and am now kicking myself for not buying another JBL instead! I can see the 250 being replaced with an e901 quite quickly.
 
viktorlantos said:
Priming is the worst innovation on modern filters not just on eheim unfortunately
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Yup, I try not to use them... when you press these buttons it looks like filters don't like it. I mean, in general terms most canisters are very quite solid, but priming buttons are IMO the most sensitive parts. All my filters have now priming devices but I do it the traditional way: suck through the tubing and shake the canister to release the air bubbles. It works...

Jordi
 
flygja said:
Looks like I can't drill out the screws. Ollie was right, the drill runs without a drill press since the plastic holes are a lot softer. So I'm thinking of hotgluing the plastic pieces together. Hopefully it can keep the seal watertight. I'll be using a lot of Vaseline on the seals.

My other 2080 was also leaking since Friday. It has leaked before, same issue with primer. So I spent about 2 hours yesterday applying Vaseline to all the rubber seals, rubber rings and the in/out cartridge tap. I don't wanna take the head apart and end up with two leaky 2080s.
Click to expand...
I'd try plastic cement rather than hot glue, and as suggested silicone grease will be better for the seals. If you can get your hands on dow corning dc4 or equivalent would be good as I've found a lot of the cheaper stuff tends to be very runny
 
parotet said:
Yup, I try not to use them... when you press these buttons it looks like filters don't like it. I mean, in general terms most canisters are very quite solid, but priming buttons are IMO the most sensitive parts. All my filters have now priming devices but I do it the traditional way: suck through the tubing and shake the canister to release the air bubbles. It works...

Jordi
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My first ever canister filter is a Fluval 103, followed by Eheim 2215. At that time I seriously thought priming was a b!tch and usually filled up my canister full of water instead of trying to prime them empty like the instructions provided. Especially when I had a reactor and a chiller inline, as these create all sorts of weird pressure imbalances (I mean weird to me, but might be obvious to some). I vowed that my next filter would have a primer. I got a Fluval 405 which primed for a while then stopped priming as the plastic suction cup primer thing kinda lost its shape. Thankfully it didn't leak. Now after these Pro 3s, I think primers are the devils underpants!

OllieNZ said:
I'd try plastic cement rather than hot glue, and as suggested silicone grease will be better for the seals. If you can get your hands on dow corning dc4 or equivalent would be good as I've found a lot of the cheaper stuff tends to be very runny
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Can the plastic cement be removed? I was thinking hotglue rather than superglue so that just in case I need to remove the plastic housing to change the rubber seal, I still can scrape away at the hotglue. then again, I checked the spareparts guide and Eheim doesn't actually sell that rubber seal.

If I don't fix this, then the filter is as good as dead. Eheim doesn't sell a replacement pump head since its probably a major portion of the cost.

alto said:
Try to find silicon grease - the "peti ether" component of Vaseline eats away at the seals, so unless you replace them, the rubber degrades (of course you can just replace them annually 🙄 )

Tough luck on this whole situation - incredible that Eheim seems not to care a bit that their authorized representatives don't stand behind their warranty ...
I cant get parts as the country rep disappeared years ago, Eheim Germany won't send me any for some incomprehensible reason insisting that I need to obtain them through my authorised (country) dealer, so I enquire who that might be, oh there isn't one ... :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I now have 3 "retired" Eheim Filters :sour:
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear about your experience with Eheim filters. The local distributor here doesn't seem to care much at all about customer service. Leaking? O-rings, just buy them and replace them. Service? Forget it. They're just like those broadband internet call centres that always ask "Is your DSL light on?" or "Have you plugged in the phone line". They should be asking whats my skill level first, then don't ask me to try stupid things like turning it on and off again!
 
flygja said:
Can the plastic cement be removed? I was thinking hotglue rather than superglue so that just in case I need to remove the plastic housing to change the rubber seal, I still can scrape away at the hotglue. then again, I checked the spareparts guide and Eheim doesn't actually sell that rubber seal.
Click to expand...
No it is a solvent that will literally melt the 2 pieces of plastic back together. I'd be concerned about hot gluing something that could dump half my tank on the floor....
 
Hi all,
parotet said:
Only classic line from Eheim seems to last for decades...
Click to expand...
viktorlantos said:
Priming is the worst innovation on modern filters not just on eheim unfortunately
Click to expand...
parotet said:
suck through the tubing and shake the canister to release the air bubbles. It works...
Click to expand...
I like simple filters as well, you don't need a priming button, they are just a source of of problems.

I use the traditional "Jordi" method for filling the filter, except after I've started the flow of water, I blew back through the outlet hose and filter until air bubbles come out of the intake, then I start the suction again (by sucking on the hose).

This drastically reduces the amount of trapped air in the filter body.

cheers Darrel
 
I stop my filters every week when doing WC, but don't need to prime the filter when I start them up again. I found that when the hoses and filters are filled with water its easy to start even when I've cleaned the filters (I just pore water in them first)....sometimes the filter sucks in some air (if I started it up a bit to early when WC) and that's when I use the prime button.
After how many month/years does your priming button starts giving you trouble? (mine still ok after more than 2 years)
 
I think my Fluval 405's priming button failed after a year or so. Also had to use their intake tube as it has a one-way floaty ball type valve in it, so can't be used with skimmers or lily pipes. I think you also use reactors and a chiller, I always find that priming the filter when its empty, even when tubes, reactor and chiller are filled with water, has a 50-50 success rate. I had to raise the outlet above the water line, open the outlet valves first so all the water from the outlet pipes flow into the canister, then open the inlet valves and hope it starts sucking through the inlet. Sometimes it starts sucking through the outlet instead, causing air to purge through the inlet tubes. Sometimes it just sticks. Then its a random process of upturning the reactor, lifting the chiller higher than the canister, sucking on the outlet....
 
Brian Murphy said:
Never had an eheim filter but always wanted to get a pro3 thermo 1200xl after hearing they are the boss .... maybe not after reading this !
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Honestly besides the priming function and the fact that it has 2 inlets and 1 outlet, they're quite solid as filters. Mega power even fully load with media. If you were to get one, DON'T use the primer. I would suggest you check the head regularly if water's been getting into it. I've seen some posts of folks in the US and Europe getting a free replacement head if it leaks, so warranty and support are in your favour over there. As for the 2 inlets, I've always had problems where any pressure imbalances between the two will cause the filter to only suck on one. Can be resolved by turning the filter on, then clamping one inlet tube (or just bend in half) so it starts sucking from the other one that has air in it.

Moment of truth this weekend, gonna hotglue the plastic housing together, let the pump run in the bathroom or outside and see if it leaks. If hotgluing doesn't work, then out comes the superglue as last ditch before it gets binned effort.
 
I've had similar issues with my Pro 3 Thermo in terms of leaks from the head and soaking of the dinning room floor, non priming and have had the electronic thermostat fail twice in the last 5 or so years.

I now simply fill the filter full of water which see's it start 100% and carry a spare set of seals covered in silicone grease on fitting. Can't complain regarding customer care from Ehiem who have in fairness authorized their UK agent (John Allen Aquariums) to sort the thermostat/leak issue free of charge well outside the warranty on both occasions. That said I suspect the head has leaked through the priming/motor seals and got into the electronics.

After reading this post and others I suspect there is an inherent design fault made worse using poor quality materials. Given the price of these filters I was hoping given Ehiem's reputation for the longevity of their filters for it to be a one off purchase with good long term parts availability. I now suspect it will fail again and either undergo major "surgery" as above or end up in the bin which will see me looking at other cheaper alternatives.

Shame as its otherwise a cracking filter, lets hope Ehiem have also done some scoping of the issues and designed them out of the Pro 4 but given it's move towards yet more technology in its design (ie link it to your PC) why on earth would you want to?!?! We just want a decent water turn over, ease of use/maintenance and above all reliability with a solid build. Old school but when has electricity and water ever got on well together?
 
Well that was a bust. Water leaked into the head as I tried to prime is by pouring water into the inlet tubes. Yeap, not even with the filter on. When I rotated the motor, it moved the whole rubber seal around too, which goes to show that the plastic piece wasn't pressing hard enough on the outer ring of the rubber seal.

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There's one more thing I can do. Since I saw where the water was leaking in from, I could seal the entire plastic piece using silicon sealant. That should keep water from leaking through the seals and into the head. Tricky bit would be to ensure its completely sealed, and there are portions which are quite difficult to reach. I can't remove the plastic piece now as its been superglued.

Oh, and look what's happened to the other 2080 I have 😡:arghh::banghead:
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Time to start checking prices for a new filter. Fluval FX-6 is half the price of an Eheim Pro 3e 450 (1700 lph and ELECTRONICS)
 
I had a pro 3 and could never get it to prime properly. Got rid of it and got a jbl 1500. Much better filter. Eheim are over priced IMO.
 
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