Canister filter blowing bubbles/making swooshing noise

[MrWestCoast]

I have a Penn-Plax Cascade 1000 which has been running for 6 years. A few months back it started to make that swoosh sound every few seconds as air bubbles would hit the impeller. I examined all the gaskets and all seemed fine. I noticed there was lots of plant matter stuck in the intake. After cleaning out the intake hose/pipe, the swooshing sound stopped and the filter worked fine for a couple of months. A few days ago it started to blow bubbles again and make that swooshing sound every few seconds. This time the intake was debris free. I'm guessing it's sucking in air somewhere? My question is, which gasket/o-ring would cause this air leak? Or can it be something else causing the air to get trapped inside the canister?

Also, what does the o-ring around the impeller retainer do?

 

[nabokovfan87]

@MrWestCoast given the age, there has to be a pinhole somewhere on the intake path.  Could be a bad seal with a very tiny hole, it could be hoses, there's a lot of options.  The main thing is to focus on the path into the pump and check everything along the way.  Make sure you're using something like silicone grease (available in dive shops and on amazon, 100% silicone grease) and use that on all the rubber seals.  Once you are confident it isn't an O-Ring, then you open up to further issues along the line. 

Impeller Retainer = the cover that holds your retainer from wobbling and holds it into the pump shaft.

You could also opt for just buying a new impeller, it's likely time to do so.  The magnets wear over time.  That rules out a few issues between the impeller and the O-Ring. 

So.... take a look, let us know what you see.

[MrWestCoast]

Thanks for the reply.

I have replaced the impeller about 2 years ago as the original was making rattling noise.

Can a kink in the intake tubing cause the issue i'm experiencing? I noticed there is a decent kink in the intake tube right before the flow control valve.

As far as the impeller retainer goes, it has an o-ring and i'm trying to understand the purpose of this o-ring. Is it simply there to keep the retainer in place?

Thanks.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/16/2023 at 11:19 AM, MrWestCoast said:

Can a kink in the intake tubing cause the issue i'm experiencing?

yes absolutely. Especially over time as it hardens and cracks.

Not having the bend radius, cuts off flow, forces air in holes that otherwise it wouldn't because the pump is trying to pull in water (and air) from other places it normally wouldn't.

[MrWestCoast]

So I took the filter apart again for a closer look and also to swap out the intake hose and to take out some media (might have had a bit too much media).

First thing I noticed when I took the motor housing off the body is that water was coming out from the seam of the motor housing. Don't know if that's normal. I also noticed some gaps in the seam and they may or may not contribute to the issue.

I attached a couple of pics to show the gaps I'm talking about. Although I don't think this would be an issue since those gaps will be inside the body of the canister. Either way, I'd like to know if these gaps were intended by the manufacturer. Maybe someone with a Penn-plax filter can take a look at theirs?

Anyways, I examined the main seal again and it looks good. After wiping everything down I reassembled the filter and let it rip (priming the new hose full of air was a workout). I listened for about 10 minutes and did not hear the bubbles swoosh sound. Only time will tell if i fixed it.

 

[nabokovfan87]

Definitely weird. Maybe you can try contacting the manufacturer. Is there a warranty option?

[MrWestCoast]

Got a reply from Penn-plax, they are saying the gaps are normal as long as the housing isn't coming apart.

The filter has been working fine since I swapped out the kinked hose and took some media out. Hopefully that fixed the issue for good.

[MrWestCoast]

Did a water change yesterday and the canister started to make the air bubble hitting the impeller noise again. So it lasted a little over a month this time. Not sure what's going on.

I took a picture of where the motor enclosure meets the surface of the top media basket. You can see a big bubble on the right side. Shaking the canister gently will move the bubble, but minutes later another one will form in that place. I did apply some vaseline on the flow control valve threads and also around where the control valves enter the motor head. That did not help. Maybe I can use some plumbers tape on the threads?

 

 

[MrWestCoast]

Here is a short clip i took that shows a drip on the left side of the motor. It almost looks like the water isn't fully reaching the motor head and creates an air pocket.

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:09 AM, MrWestCoast said:

Here is a short clip i took that shows a drip on the left side of the motor. It almost looks like the water isn't fully reaching the motor head and creates an air pocket.

I'm not quite sure. It's difficult to see anything in the video.

I would suggest trying to replace it to eliminate the issues you're facing.

On 7/26/2023 at 9:54 AM, MrWestCoast said:

That did not help. Maybe I can use some plumbers tape on the threads?

Should be fine to do.

On 7/26/2023 at 9:54 AM, MrWestCoast said:

I did apply some vaseline on the flow control valve threads and also around where the control valves enter the motor head. That did not help.

Don't use Vaseline. It's petroleum based. You would opt for something like 100% silicone grease.

[MrWestCoast]

Another thing I noticed is that when I shut down the filter (close the blue valve first and while the canister is plugged in, unscrew the intake hose. then close the black valve and unplug the canister), well, when I unscrew the intake hose, water starts to pour out from the blue tube in the motor head. It's almost like there is air pressure inside the motor head pushing out some water. not a lot of water comes out, but no water should be coming out period. 🤷‍♂️

[MrWestCoast]

Today is one of those days! 😆

I cleaned the filter out a couple of hours ago. Gently wiped the main motor gasket and looked it over to make sure it didn't have any tears/cracks/deformities. All looked good. Put the filter back together, and it still had an air pocket between the motor/media basket. I unplugged this damn thing and called it a day.

While looking for solutions/new filter, my water leak alarm goes off!!! While unplugged the filter sprung a leak. Luckily I had the canister in a basket with the leak detector in there as well.

I ordered some 100% silicone grease. Going to replace the main motor gasket tomorrow and apply some silicone grease. Really hope this will put an end to this issue. I might have to switch to internal filters. I currently have a Cascade 300 HOB filter going, so the fish should be fine.

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/26/2023 at 3:06 PM, MrWestCoast said:

I currently have a Cascade 300 HOB filter going, so the fish should be fine.

Is it worth just removing this penn plax thing long term?  It seems like a bit of a lemon.

[MrWestCoast]

I'm going to give it one more go before I replace it with something else. new motor gasket and silicone grease coming tomorrow.

[MrWestCoast]

Just a quick update...

Filter still leaks with a new gasket and silicone grease. It starts leaking 5-10 minutes after unplugging it. It leaks from both sides underneath the two large clamps. My guess it the clamps are no longer able to clamp down the motor unit to the body, and not able to make a good seal. 🤷‍♂️

With that said, I'm going to order some sort of internal filter and let it run with the Cascade 300 HOB I currently have running in this tank.