# penguin 350 buzzing



## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

I have been having issues with my penguin 350 almost since i set it up, twice over long weekends it cut off on me, and it makes this ugly noise, but not a typical impeller noise. I called marineland and he said they'll send a new impeller, and that sand will damage the shaft, etc. My only issue is that there is barely any sand in the filter, it's less than a month old, and i had a penguin suck up tons of sand, over a long period of time, the magnet has grooves scored into it from sand, yet it still runs, it's noisy, but it doesn't just stop running. So is it really the impeller? could it really have been sand that fast? the imeppler doesn't look damaged.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

in fact is almost sounds like a low pitched kazoo


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Thinking about it, the only moving part is the impeller, right? Bio-wheels maybe but I'm sure you've sorted that out. The thing with sand in the impeller may just be a case of where it lands rather than the amount. The space between the moving part and the solid wall is pretty slim and if the sand wedges itself in the wrong way, even a single grain can stop the impeller and not show any damage. Best to not get any sand in the works. It will be worth the time to take a good light and look at the pockets where the shaft rests so that there isn't something making it set crooked.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Bummer.
Had the same issue with my BA, on sale purchase.
Did my mods. Removed half of the vertical bars on the intake guard and shortened the "J', intake pipe 1 in.
Stuck it on the tank, filled it with water, plugged it in.
Only to have it hum and buzz.
Long story shortened, 
I pulled the impeller apart. I chucked up the shaft in a drill and used a wet scotchbrite pad on it.
Got some black on the pad from I don`t know what.
All back together and reinstalled.
Ran fine, no more problems.
BTW: I have a Pen 350 that has run for an awful long time with not a problem, ever. 
I have 2 others that have been noise making, problems from day one.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

is if just a current that spins the magnet then?

it just really isn't an impeller sound I have ever heard before, and i've pulled it apart and cleaned it, no sand in it now and it's still making noise


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*is if just a current that spins the magnet then? *

True. 
Shaft is held and magnet on the impeller is driven by the electrical field in the motor coils.

Funny, I turn my filters off during feeding. When I turn them back on they can run quiet, or rattle away.
I can swap parts between the filters and sometimes they quiet down for awhile, sometimes they are worse.
Just no real Ã¢â‚¬Å"rhyme or reasonÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

the noise doesn't bother me, it's that it just stops working, and then the water in the filter gets hot i guess from the motor


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

cjacob316 said:


> the noise doesn't bother me, it's that it just stops working, and then the water in the filter gets hot i guess from the motor


If it`s not running, or sporadically stopping, and the impeller well has no debris in it, I would pull an end cap off of the shaft. 
I have put a drop of dish soap at one end of the impeller and used the shaft to really clean the bore. 
Checking the shaft for grooves and using the drill/scotchbrite to give it a spin.
A good rinse in hot water, and reassemble.
Other than some alignment issue between motor housing and impeller housing, it should spin freely.
I have had the covers rattle a bit, but they only do that when there is an impeller issue.
The plus side of Penguin problems is Marineland`s outstanding customer service. Call them up, or drop them an email.
RANT:
With the impeller/shaft being the heart of the filter, you would think premium parts would be used. 
Adding a few dollars to the cost during manufacture, or offering an "Uber" replacement unit. 
Ceramic shafts and better quality plastic for impellers would solve most impeller noise, wear issues.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

they are already sending me a free impeller, just worried that it's not the problem


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

well i guess it was the impeller, got the hew one right before i left town for the weekend, just got back and it's still running fine. It wasn't a sound I had ever heard before, but now i know what it is, and marineland did a great job getting that part out to me fast and free, despite it being sand, and not faulty equipment


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## blusue2 (Sep 9, 2010)

I just got my 350 a few days ago and it was so noisy. I read a lot of different posts at various sites--bottom line, someone else found that unplugging it, repriming it, and starting it again helped. I did that, and now mine is so quiet. Then, I turned all filters off this AM to do a water change. When I restarted them, the penguin was noisy again, although I had primed it. so I repeated the stop/reprime/restart procedure, and it worked like a charm. I'm thinking you have to prime it slowly so no air bubbles get into it. Hope this helps someone.


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