# Noisy Emperor 400



## Stellaluna (May 8, 2006)

I pulled my Emperor 400 out of storage and man the thing sounds like a garbage disposal, no matter how much I clean the impeller and the motor housing.

Would a new impeller assembly fix the problem?


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

usually if it's a loud grinding it's the impeller


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Yes


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Yes


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## cerana1007 (Oct 16, 2009)

Here here. I too have a noisy emperor 400. What a racket. A new impeller may be a good idea, although I'd hate to waste the money if that doesn't work.


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## SupeDM (Jan 26, 2009)

Leave it run for a day or two and if it doesnt quiet down then replace the impellor. Sometimes even the brand new ones are noisy right from the start.


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## Stellaluna (May 8, 2006)

Thanks - I did run it for a while and no dice. It ran quietly several years ago when I last used it, so I have ordered a new impeller.

The last tank it ran on was an African tank that was very heavily buffered, salted, etc. so the filter had a lot of calcium deposits on it, even though I scrubbed it before putting it up. That has to have something to do with it!


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

inside the impeller housing is the round part that holds the top of the impeller, it has 3 vanes on the outside that are welded to the main housing.
mine had come loose at the weld and let the impeller rattle, I put a little superglue on them where they are "welded"
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd84 ... 007-40.jpg

might be something to check


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## Stellaluna (May 8, 2006)

That would be an easy fix - I will check that. Thanks!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Keep us posted Stellaluna and good luck! :thumb:


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I have a Penguin 150 on my 20gallon and I think I may have gotten some sand in it or something - When I switched substrates is when it started - Runs fine for a few minutes and then a grinding noise for a couple minutes, off and on constantly! I finally took mine off and was going to try and figure out how to fix it...  I have rinsed it well, but think it may take something more... I don't know what else to try...


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

My advice would me to remove the impellor and clean with a q-tip, examine it and see what happens. You may have to replace it if this doesn't work. Look for anything lodge in there.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I will try it tonight...


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I too have a noisy 400. The grinding noise is driving me crazy.

I have a 150 gallon tank that is also filtered with 2 Eheim 2028 canister filters. I use the Emperor 400 to polish the water.

I took the filter apart and cleaned and inspected the impeller. The filter ran quiet when I started it up again but the grinding noise soon returned. This morning it is noisier than ever.

Should I try replacing the impeller? I have sand in my tank, and my giant pleco (misguided addition) and 8 geophagus either stir up or spit the sand all over.

Is there a better filter for polishing the water (removing particulate matter) that is quieter? I've tried the AQs in the past, and they are cheap **** IMO. Doesn't anyone make a HOB that has the quality of an Eheim canister?

Mike


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## Stellaluna (May 8, 2006)

You might consider a HOT Magnum. Do you find that the Emperor is effective polishing the water, aside from the noise?

I have a 150-gallon with a Fluval FX5 and a Rena Filstar XP4, but it still seems that the water contains particulate matter to some degree, even though I don't have any fish that disturb the sand particularly. I may switch up the media and increase mechanical filtration.

For my tanks where the sand is disturbed, or for a newly set up sand tank, I use an AC sponge over the intake to keep sand out of the filter. It needs to be rinsed out frequently, but it is worth it.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I find that the water remains turbid even with the Emperor 400. I doesn't help that my 8 geophagus and 12" pleco are always kicking up the sand.

This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon:
Got ready to dump my 400 because of the incessant racket
Tried swapping with a Penguin filter which I never used
Forgot that Penquin filter shoots water onto my hood instead of into tank
In rush to unplug Penguin, turned off powerstrip instead, shutting down my canisters
One canister wouldn't restart, had to break it down and took 5 tries to get it primed and started again
Lots of water on wood floor
Finally got 400 running fairly quiet

What do European aquarists do? Are US aquarists the only suckers who deal with HOB and canister filters? There has got to be a better way.

Mike[/list]


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I find that the water remains turbid even with the Emperor 400. I doesn't help that my 8 geophagus and 12" pleco are always kicking up the sand.

This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon:
Got ready to dump my 400 because of the incessant racket
Tried swapping with a Penguin filter which I never used
Forgot that Penquin filter shoots water onto my hood instead of into tank
In rush to unplug Penguin, turned off powerstrip instead, shutting down my canisters
One canister wouldn't restart, had to break it down and took 5 tries to get it primed and started again
Lots of water on wood floor
Finally got 400 running fairly quiet

What do European aquarists do? Are US aquarists the only suckers who deal with HOB and canister filters? There has got to be a better way.

Mike


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