Aqua Clear self priming?

[Jeff]

I'm 99% of the time a deep sleeper. But last night was different for some reason. I'm in Michigan, and we had a big storm that knocked out the power. The storm woke me, and I saw my alarm clock was out. Fell back to sleep after that.

Woke up a little later, and saw that the power had come back on. I raced downstairs to my 10 gallon tank, and saw that my Aqua Clear 30 was running. Huh....ok - maybe it was a quick power outage...and the filter didn't have time to 'think' about it. Thought nothing of it.

But, then again, the power went out. Woke up again of course, as the storm had gotten louder somehow. This time the power was out for hours. Still out when it was time to get up. 

Eventually the power came back on, after I had left the house. This was a solid 5-6 hours that the power was out. I came back to my tank, and my filter was running AGAIN.

Now, I know Aqua Clears aren't self priming....but this was definitely strange.

Anyone else have something similar happen to an Aqua Clear HOB?

[Widgets]

To me, a self priming HOB means it will start working from a dry start. Unless the HOB is draining back into your tank, it should just restart when power comes back on.

My Aqua Clear 110 has only lost it's prime when I do a large water change and it both drains back into the tank and exposes the seam on the lift tube (letting air into the lift tube). It has always restarted after a power outage, and after most water changes.

I have heard reports from others who have lost prime during a power outage. I think a big factor is the "normal" water level in the tank and how much water is pulled back into the tank when power is off. I have my tanks filled to just above the bottom of the trim to reduce the splash from the HOB.

[Jeff]

I guess my question relates to filters such as the Tidal series.

One of the biggest things you hear is - "it's self-priming...in case of a power outage, you don't have to fill the filter up with water when the power comes back on - it'll restart on it's own due to having the motor in the aquarium."

If this really is the case with Aqua Clears, where I don't have to worry about it during a power outage...then, shouldn't that theoretically negate a self-priming aspect of a different filter?

[Widgets]

I have never had a HOB filter that would loose prime when it lost power. I hear reports of filters loosing prime. The only way I can see this happening is for the tank water level to be sufficiently lower than the filter water level, such that when the water levels equalize there is not enough water in the filter. I only have this happen when I do a large water change. When this happens, it is quick and noticeable with the gurgling sound as it sucks in air.

You said that you have lost power multiple times without your filter loosing prime. This should give you comfort in knowing that your filter when used on a tank with your water level does not have have a problem loosing prime. 

[Jeff]

Then why are some people so big on self-priming hob filters then?

Is it just false advertising? Not in the way that the filter won't self prime....but in the way that others DON'T lose their prime...

[Widgets]

My filter does loose prime when I do a large water change and the tank water level drops too low, requiring me to add water to the filter to restart. A self priming filter would allow me to skip that step.

I have heard of complaints about the noise of the HOB water returning to the tank. To me this is describing the waterfall that happens when the tank water level is too low. A low enough water level will cause the filter to loose prime. You can fix the problem by maintaining a higher water level in the tank, or by switching to a filter that is self priming.

Note that in my opinion there is nothing magic about the self priming filter. The pump motor and impeller are placed in the tank instead of in the filter. They push water up the intake tube instead of sucking the water up the intake tube. There are some advantages of sound dampening and cooling provided by having the pump in the tank. A disadvantage is more tank space taken up by the pump housing.

[Guppysnail]

With all my Aqua clears as long as water level has not been drained they come back on unless the impeller is dirty which happens in days from cleaning. So self priming no they I’ll not suck water up enough to operate if they drain but self starting yes if really clean impellers. I have learned to use a pen tip to budge the impeller when it’s dirty and not contacting enough to start spinning and it starts whirring. That trick is crazy helpful in the middle of the night when I don’t want to fuss with it if the power goes out. 

[Jeff]

On 3/6/2022 at 8:56 PM, Widgets said:

Note that in my opinion there is nothing magic about the self priming filter. The pump motor and impeller are placed in the tank instead of in the filter. They push water up the intake tube instead of sucking the water up the intake tube. There are some advantages of sound dampening and cooling provided by having the pump in the tank. A disadvantage is more tank space taken up by the pump housing.

This has been my thing all along. Not a fan of more equipment in my tank. Glad someone else agrees with me - the 'self priming' is not an advantage for a filter. 

 

On 3/7/2022 at 9:18 AM, Guppysnail said:

With all my Aqua clears as long as water level has not been drained they come back on unless the impeller is dirty which happens in days from cleaning.

I clean my filter and impeller every week when I do water changes. So, this has never been an issue with me either. 

Preventative maintenance is such a huge underrated thing you can do, to help keep your aquarium running smoothly. Just one less thing to have to worry about.