# Eheim Classic Canisters... Replacement Parts



## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Is anyone aware of something happening with these Canisters? Drs. Foster and Smith no longer carries replacement parts for them and BigAlsOnline is out of stock on numerous components (including 2217 impellers).

Just seems a bit odd. This is what normally happens before a product is discontinued.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

OuchÃ¢â‚¬Â¦I hope not, right this moment IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sitting here setting up two brand new 2215Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s for a 55 gallon. However, I did notice that all of the big suppliers had the classics on sales when I bought these two.


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## Hanafuda (Mar 31, 2010)

There's also

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/9458/product.web

but they don't have the 2217 impeller right now either.

Try eheimparts.com

But as for whether a discontuation is in the works, I sure hope not. And I think Eheim would be shooting themselves in the foot to do that.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

MarineDepot no longer lists them as well. :?

ThatPetPlace.Com shows them out of stock?



Looks like The Aquarium Guys still has them (http://www.aquariumguys.com/impeller53.html )

I'm also noticing a shortage of Penguin impellers. Perhaps something's going on with a factory in China?

Even EheimParts is out of stock on the shaft and bushings.... and they want $30 for the impeller.  :lol:


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

The issue is not "Classic" unique. It's Eheim parts in their entirety, even for their newer filters. I've got some queries out to see what's up.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Hmmmmm..... imagine that.

Finding Eheim parts is becoming difficult and Marineland C-Series parts are easy to find. Now that's a switch.


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be interested to heat what your queries turn up. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m new to these filters. What parts tend to require replacement? The impeller pieces IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure. The only other thing that came to mind is the Ã¢â‚¬Å"OÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

I try and keep parts on hand for each of my filters. On canisters, this is generally the impeller, the impeller shaft+rubber bushings, motor seal rings, and any other gaskets, such as those found on the Eheim quick disconnects or the valve blocks on a C-Series canister.

By having the parts on hand, part failures or breakage become a minor event instead of an emergency.

Parts failures happen. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. That said, I've got some filters that have been running for 20 years without replacing anything, but 20 years ago things were made differently. In addition, it is less common for the parts to fail on their own than it is for us to break (or misplace) something when doing maintenance.

*Maintenance Tip:* Purchase a silicon lubricant. Whenever performing maintenance on a canister filter, apply the lubricant to any sealing rings. Absent frequent lubrication, the rings will eventually become brittle, develop cracks (or outright break), causing leaks. A frequently lubed motor seal ring should last a lifetime.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I noticed that most of the large Eheim canister filters were out of stock everywhere I looked: Big Al's, Drs. Foster Smith, Pet Solutions, That Fish Place. I managed to purchase a 2080 at petstore.com.

Maybe Eheim is having production problems.

Mike


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

When I needed a replacement Basket for my 2213 I was told by numerous places that eheim was back ordered on a lot of items. Seems strange that propellers would be back ordered. I think eheim is having production problems.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Nope. Has nothing to do with Eheim. I was able to find out what occurred and it will affect more than just Eheim.

It appears that the West Coast Dock workers had some type of strike in early July that caused many delayed shipments, including the latest shipment of Eheim components and equipment. The strike has apparently been resolved and people are expected Eheim supplies to again reach the shelves at the end of the month.

As an example, Big Als only gets a shipment of Eheim parts and equipment every 4-6 months (it all comes in by boat). If something happens that delays a shipment, the shelves run dry. And that is what happened here.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Kmuda, thanks for the heads up on the parts shortage issue and what may have caused it. :thumb: 
I have been often impressed with the breadth of your knowledge and the ability to find an answer to a question even though, in this case, you asked the question first. 

If you need parts, try http://www.trilbytropicals.com/. I've use them a couple times to find hard to locate Eheim parts or when everyone else is out of stock.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Yep... even trilbytropicals.com is out of a lot of the components. I visited there last night.

But at least it's a temporary shortage, the shelves should be fully stocked by the end of the month, so I've piled up my shopping list into a "Wish List" on BigAls and configured them to email me when the parts are available.

I have nothing broke, so no rush. I was simply performing an inventory of what I had vs what I needed to ensure I have spare parts on hand. It's funny how those things always wind up in a friends tank. :lol:


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Phew!

I'm thinking of becoming a "classic canister" guy later this month. They seem to be a pretty good bang for the buck.

-Ryan


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

The 2217 Impellers showed up at Big Als today.


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## cellgrel (Jan 13, 2004)

This long time Eheim fan has thrown in the wet towel! After too many leaks to count (don't cite maintenance please!) and customer service that won't sell you a one dollar o-ring to fix a 30 dollar assembly (or even tell you the specification of that o-ring) it's my opinion that Eheim has lost their pride. If you buy an Eheim canister, don't forget to size a bucket to keep it in... All my opinion, of course.

And they won't even set up a service center in the USA !!!

Off subject but if you have a 2026:
I have fixed the various leaks (4) I've had so far on my 2026 but for the tap valve where replacement o-rings (internal) are needed. The only repair problems I have had are the difficulties in 1) the inadequate documentation provided by Eheim coupled with the inadequate technical support (they didn't even know about some of the o-rings until I sent pictures) 2) obtaining the parts (o-rings) needed from Eheim due to their policy of weak technical support (based on the assumption that customers are incompetent) and 3) the fact that there are just so many issues (leaks) in the design (weak (lack of squeeze) seal on canister gasket, orange/red primer cylinder o-ring material/maintenance difficulties - mine never worked right), flow indicator cracks and o-ring wear, and that tap valve leak. The multiple problems can only be addressed confidently by changing all seals at once. In most cases I have improved on design by increasing squeeze on gasket (canister clamps) and optimizing the size of an o-ring utilized (maintenance indicator), and by simply sealing the primer cylinder permanently with silicone. There is nothing I can do with the leaky tap valve but replace o-rings. And I will find them locally - perhaps with a better material or a more reliable size for the design. (if Eheim were helpful technical support they would explain that old redesign/lubrication problem on the tap valve).

Now let's see what Eheim's suggested fix will cost:
~100 USD to rebuild pumphead
~ 40 USD to replace tap connector
~ 35 for maintenance indicator
~ 15 for canister gasket
~ 25 shipping and handling to Canada

That totals ~215 USD. When all I really need is 2 dollars worth of o-rings... now that's quality service!


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Yep... the Pro II's are prone to leaking as a result of defective (or inferior, not sure) gaskets. It's a bad enough problem they started selling a silicone spray to solve it. But that spray is in the $20 range. It's one of the reasons I've stuck with the classics. No such problems. Sometimes simple can be better.

I am not aware of the Pro III's having similar issues, so it looks like they solved the problem (at least) with that line of filters.

But, in comparison, back before you could find parts anywhere for the Marineland C-Series canisters, I called Marineland customer support to ask where I could buy the parts (while explaining I had exhausted all online efforts to find them). They ended up sending me a complete gasket kit, free of charge. That's a $13 kit.

Aside from price, customer service is one area where Marineland outshines Eheim, by far.

As I mentioned previously in the thread, I found it ironic when I could no longer locate Eheim parts but everyone had the Marineland parts in stock. Quite a change. :lol:


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