# noisy ac110



## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i have a new ac 110 on my cycling 75 and its loud. it works like a charm but its making an almost rattling type sound. its not grinding as i have sand, but its just louder than i think it should be. the eheim 2217 is silent, the ac50 on my 29 is silent but this ac110 is loud. and suggestions on ways to examine it to try to find/fix the problem?


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## Sick-Lid-4-Life (Mar 22, 2008)

My 110's lids rattle slightly but it's not loud. How long have they been running ? They're never going to be slient.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Try removing the lid & see if the rattle goes away. I have 2 of these filters & sometimes they drive me insane with the rattle.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

its been running for 3 days... maybe 4. its not horrible, i am just very anal and cant stand when something may not be right. it is worse with the lid on. i think the lid on top acts as like an amplifier for the sound. i guess as long as the filter runs ok i should leave well enough alone.

after hooking up my ac110 and my eheim 2217, i have to say i like the ac better. the thing im not crazy about in the 2217 is the intake and spray bar. tubes pinch, spray bar is hard to maneuver, intake tube is hard to work with with the hard plastic. i guess the filter itself is AWESOME but the intake and output are new to me and i was getting annoyed placing them last night.

i think the combo of the two filters will be good on my 75.


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## jimmyknuckles (May 8, 2007)

I've been using various models in the AC line for quite some time. The only problems I've had with them are the rattle you speak of, and the media tray slowly rising out on one side and popping the lid off. My two brand new AC110s exhibit the same rattle as my previous filters. I've found the best thing to do is to place something heavy on top to fix both issues. I use an old hardback copy of "Learning Cobol" (who needs that thing anyway) on one and a bottle of aquarium salt on the other. On my previous tanks I've used bottles filled with spare change and other assorted things that are heavy but not too bulky. I'm sure there are better DIY solutions like lining the top with some sort of foam or sponge, but this has worked for me without incident.


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2008)

I am not sure if the OP's problem is rattling of the lid, which is a problem I am very familiar with. I think OP's rattling noise comes from the impeller. If that's the case, you should try to clean the motor and impeller. If that doesn't work, then you should call Hagen and get it replaced. My AC110 has the rattling noise problem. I cleaned out the motor, replaced the impeller, but didn't fix the issue. I emailed Hagen and I am sending it in for repair. It's a pretty easy process.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks for that advice. i will remember that one. im nervous because it didnt start off making the noise and i have sand substrate. i tried to clean it but i will go through and deep clean. if it persists i will think about calling hagan


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks for that advice. i will remember that one. im nervous because it didnt start off making the noise and i have sand substrate. i tried to clean it but i will go through and deep clean. if it persists i will think about calling hagan


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## prebans (Jul 1, 2008)

Good luck


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## FLYFISH509 (Dec 11, 2005)

Lift the black plastic tray out also to clean all under there. This is the tray just above the motor / impeller. Quite often the 110's and other models squeal. after removing the black tray and cleaning motor, impeller, tray area, the 110 should be like new.


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## FLYFISH509 (Dec 11, 2005)

Lift the black plastic tray out also to clean all under there. This is the tray just above the motor / impeller. Quite often the 110's and other models squeal. after removing the black tray and cleaning motor, impeller, tray area, the 110 should be like new.


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

When I first switched to sand, my 110 started making the noise you describe. It had sand in the impeller assembly. Make sure to remove the impeller and clean the shaft it rides on. Mine had sand between the impeller and shaft, once I cleaned that the noise went away. You can also put foam over your intake to keep sand out.


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## Tigerdat (Jun 29, 2008)

I just had to return an Aqua Clear because the impeller was rattling. The impeller was not centered in the motor, although none of my Aqua Clears are completely quiet. The lids amplifies any vibration.


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

HONDO said:


> its been running for 3 days... maybe 4. its not horrible, i am just very anal and cant stand when something may not be right. it is worse with the lid on. i think the lid on top acts as like an amplifier for the sound. i guess as long as the filter runs ok i should leave well enough alone.
> 
> after hooking up my ac110 and my eheim 2217, i have to say i like the ac better. the thing im not crazy about in the 2217 is the intake and spray bar. tubes pinch, spray bar is hard to maneuver, intake tube is hard to work with with the hard plastic. i guess the filter itself is AWESOME but the intake and output are new to me and i was getting annoyed placing them last night.
> 
> i think the combo of the two filters will be good on my 75.


Same combo I use on my 40 SA planted tank but one step down in size.

As far as the AC noise if not sand make sure you don't have it packed too tight, I noticed my AC 70 will get noisier as the media gets clogged OR if I put in too much floss or other fine filtering material, probably cavitation.

For the Eheim Classics I would recommend the Eheim Installation Sets, they make an excellent filter just about perfect. They can be found at most of the big online retailers.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks for the link to the installation set. i will take a look.
im gonna try different things with the ac and hopefully something works. thats one thing i really like about them is how easy it is to take them apart and put them back together.


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