# FX5 Questions and probable problem.



## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

My return pressure seems to be next to nothing now in my Fx5. I cleaned it and it didnt change anything. When the return line is under water, I feel very little comin out. When I raise it to the surface water comes out, but I think it should be more.

I noticed something with the lid. This is in like 5 spots, all around the filter. It sounds fine, and doesnt seem to have any air problems coming through it, but this looks bad. Could this be the problem ?

Jeff


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

How tall is the tank and how far below the tank are you?

What has happend to myself and friends of mine is that the FX5 pump is in the bottom and sometimes debris, snails, and whatnot get in there a plug up the pump.

I would take my hoses off and blast them outside with the waterhose to make sure that there is not a problem with plugs in the line.

Also, how far into the water is the output nozzles? If I am not mistaken I think the manual lists a specific height not to excede below the water line.

If anything is wrong, I would be more concerned that your lid expanded like that would suck air into the system and wrecking your siphon flow. IF your canister is not filled completely with water this is going to effect your pump performance which would reduce the output flow and pressure.

I would take the filter lid off clean it, and then retighten in a even criss-cross sequennce. Never tighten the knobs with a handtool, always use your finger tight. If the canister lid bows or leaks, then you will have to go get a new case o-ring.

Just re-looking at your photos and the hose on the right is dipped below the canister lid. Which hose is that? suction or discharge?

You do not want to make any drip legs because it also ruins your siphon effeciency. You need to trim your suction and discharge hoses so that they are as near straight as possible to prevent flow losses.

Re-evaluate your hose locations. Look again at the DVD movie or in the manual and make sure your hoses are at the minimum or under maximum heights listed.

Hope this helps...

Geoff


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## fiupntballr (Jul 7, 2004)

I agree with everything the wise man has said
especially the part of the hose looking ot be a bit long


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

The tank is a 220, its 30" tall and the top of canister sits about 22" from bottom of tank. I cleaned all of the insides of filter yesterday and even removed some media for better flow. I will take hoses and clean those out. I am about half way down the inside of my tank as far as the return goes and the intake is probably about the same.
I actually did not check to see what type of suction I have at the intake, but I will. I do know the canister stays full of water though or seems that it does. The intake hose is pulled pretty tight and was cut. The return line is the one that shows the dip. I may cut the return line and see if it helps.

Thanks for the input thus far.

Jeff


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## geoff_tropheus (Feb 13, 2003)

I looked at the online manual for the FX5.

1. The lid must be atleast 7.8" below the waterline to a maximum of 57"

Your lid is now 52" so that is ok.

2. The hoses should have some slack but be straight as possible and no loops.

Your return line has a dip in it, I would straighten that.

3. The intake should be 3" above the gravel line, and the return line nozzle needs to be posisitoned 1" below the water surface.

Your Intake and return are both in the mid-level of the tank. I would switch you suction and discharge hoses and try to get as close to the bottom for the suction side to meet the aproximate 3" from the bottom, and DEFINATELY raise your discharge nozzle so that its only a couple inches maximum below the water surface.

Hope this helps...

Geoff


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

Geoff,

Thanks for the leg work. Much appreciated. Tomorrow I will pull hoses and such and see if I can reroute them as well as shorten them. Changing he height too will be done. I am hoping that the seal on the lid is fine, it doesnt sound funny so I assume it is. I have always just hand tightened and usually cross pattern them. It wasnt until the filter started acting up that I noticed how the lid was fitting. Worst comes to worst, I will call Hagan and see what can be done. As much as it looks like the lid that is out of whack, it may be the canister itself.

Thanks for the help, going the easy route first. Moving hoses and such.

Jeff


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

have you ever disassembled the motor housing, from the canister body itself, for a thorough cleaning of the impeller assembly? (reference page 26 of the manual). they mention replacing the gasket during this cleaning, but you can reuse it more than a few times, IME. HTH.
and just a friendly FYI: your power bar is in a poor location (ref photo #2) it should have a splash guard, if it must be installed so close to potential water contact.


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

Shhhhh! No one was supposed to see that power strip. The tank was supposed to be only temporary in this place and its stayed longer than I had planned. I have NOT taken apart the motor and I have been wanting to. Thanks for that info. I do have my manual out and I will be looking.

Lloyd, being you knew what page it was on, have you done it ? Is it to complicated ?

Thanks 
Jeff


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

BLAHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I cut about 18 inches off the return hose. I lowered the intake and raised the return. I pulled the propeller out and cleaned the housing and such. I still have hardly any pressure. When I raise the return completly out of the water to see pressure, the water shoots out barely 4-6 inches at best. When its in the water it feels like a trickle is coming out. So basically it has no pressure, its just the water falling out of hose, it keeps flowing though. Just with no force behind it.
I am going to call Hagan and see what can be done.

Thanks everyone.

Jeff


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

hi jeff. yes, i have taken impellers out for cleaning, and IME, it's an easy chore. often overlooked, but that's hagen's fault, for not including the tools required for regular maintenance. 
let us all know what hagen has to say...and more important...how they treat you.


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## ironman1769 (Nov 22, 2006)

From my personal experience Hagen has great C S. I have sent back filter and they were replaced with no questions.


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

Hagen has responded to my email. All they asked was what media I am running and if I had replaced the main o-ring seal yet.
I have not, and replied with such. I am waiting for further responses.
Keep you all posted.

Jeff


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## gre (Mar 12, 2007)

I thought the same thing when I set up my fx5. With all the media inside it doesn't seem to be putting out that much water. Put your hand over one side of the output openings and it will be a lot stronger then you think or unhook the double ended discharge and feel the pressure from just the hose.


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## UMphreak (Feb 27, 2006)

Sounds silly but are valves on input and output nozzles turned for maximum flow. You can turn them on the side of it.


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## jimmyknuckles (May 8, 2007)

I had a similar problem with an Eheim Classic that was previously working in the same position. I replaced all of the media, scrubbed the hoses out, checked the impeller, but had almost no power. I ended up replacing the O-Ring and it did the trick. I have no idea why (and it should be impossible without leakage - right?), but it's possible air was leaking out and causing it to lose power. Might not be the same situation with you, and I have virtually no experiences with the FX line of canisters, so I apologize for not offering better advice.


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## AquaTester55 (Aug 16, 2006)

I had a similar problem once with my Fx5 when I bought it. It was right after cleaning it. So I removed the baskets and ran the pump for a bit like that and the flow came back to normal. I put the baskets in and its been working fine since.

This is a common problem with the Fx5 and I only hope that Hagen has a fix for it. I want to say its the circuity controlling the motor. The only way this can happen is if the impeller doesn't spin fast enough. Which btw the impeller spins fairly slow to begin with.


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## AquaTester55 (Aug 16, 2006)

> If anything is wrong, I would be more concerned that your lid expanded like that would suck air into the system and wrecking your siphon flow. IF your canister is not filled completely with water this is going to effect your pump performance which would reduce the output flow and pressure.


Geoff, this would have nothing to do with the output pressure at all. You can remove the intake hose while the filter is running, yes it will suck in air and it will empty the center portion out but still have max flow.

If the cover leaks air he would know. The fx5 is really loud when it has air inside and when the pump shuts off he would see the air escape through the output.

My output nozzel is usually 3" below the surface of the water with no issues.


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## Jeff S. (May 6, 2006)

For what its worth. I have not heard back from Hagen so I will be looking for replacement seal on my own. I have the return valvles open and even with the diverter off, it still not much pressure. When I got it new about two and half years ago or so, it had pressure that shot water the length of tank. Now the water just rulls out to end of hose. It is still very quiet, so I really wonder if it is the seal, but it very well could be.
I have already started shopping for parts for wet/dry and plan on drilling the tank anyways. However I want to get the filter back to working right so I can either sell it off or keep it as a back up.

Jeff


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## AquaTester55 (Aug 16, 2006)

Don't bother searching for an o-ring for the top cover. Its not going to solve the problem. if you unplug the filter and you don't get LOTS of air purging, than there is no problem with the top cover seal.

Those "bows" in the frame are on mine too. Try not to tighten them so tight and they will subside a little.

Here is a list of parts from Hagen
http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/sub_ca ... BCAT=11707

call them an ask them about the electric motor and if this could be the cause.


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