# Eheim 2026 4 years after purchase



## snorkel2 (Sep 30, 2005)

Thought I would share this.

I bought a eheim 2026 a little over 4 years ago and during my last cleaning it started to leak.
So I took it apart and there was water in the pump head unit. 
I ordered a new priming button o ring from http://www.atomicrice.com/catalog.html and a new 
main canister gasket and lubed all the other o rings with good quality silicone grease from Ace Hardware (90% pure). Put it all back together and no leaks, just like brand new again.

The interesting thing here was the priming button o ring, after I took it out and inspected it, the ring was actually in good shape, the problem was the lube they put on at the factory, it had hardened into a paste/chalk like substance which is what I believe was causing the leaks in the head unit. I am pretty sure if I put that original ring back in with some good silicone grease it would be fine.

Later,

Snorkel2


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Thanks for the long term review and the source for silicone grease. I had to get grease from pool supply stores.


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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 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 !!!

I have fixed every leak (4) I've had but for the tap valve where replacement o-rings 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). 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 redesign/lubrication problem).

Now let's see 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 (half way across continent)

That totals ~215 USD. When all I really need is 2 dollars worth of o-rings...


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## Tiktaalik Owner (Aug 17, 2009)

This "longtime Eheim fan" reviewed 13 (!) different filters with the exact same review. http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member..._dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview

For cost effective vengeance, wouldn't it be easier to become a super villain like the Penguin or Joker? You could be Bizarro Eheim Fan, vulnerable to blue kryptonite instead of green kryptonite, which is deadly to regular Eheim fans. Wait, cutting & pasting the same review isn't hard. Nevermind.

Which specific filter did you have a problem with? That some models are better than others isn't exactly a secret.


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## cellgrel (Jan 13, 2004)

Yes, the exact same, well almost, but for the bottom 2/3 of this review ... Now the top section is general and relative to all Eheim canister filters, quality, and customer service - in my opinion. If Amazon.com offered a place for broadly applicable brand name reviews, the cut and paste routine would not be needed to share one's opinion. Or better if the Eheim site supported user feedback posts. Alas, only claims of quality and customer support. I personally believe that those considering the purchase of an expensive filter would like to know that repairs will be unnecessarily costly if manufacturer support or services are required.

I guess I missed the requirement here for me to have my comments and opinions vetted and blessed by the Owner on high.

I do hope my postings are helpful.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

cellgrel, I think the problem with your post was two-fold. First, it had no bearing on the OP's solution for the repair to his/her filter model. Second, I had the same exact opinion that Tiktaalik Owner had regarding your blanket review(s) of Eheim filters.

I have had to replace the primer pump o-ring on my 2028 also and while it was extremely frustrating that the part is not available from Eheim, I was able to find the information available on another forum that addressed the procedure to repair the filter & locate a replacement o-ring.

I found the similar issue with chalky/pasty lube when I performed the repair and found the Eheim suggestion to lube the o-ring with a cotton bud (Qtip) to be impossible to perform. But I have found no issues with the Classic series canisters as they are very simple to maintain.

Seals and o-rings are considered a regular maintenance item. The more often the filter is disassembled for cleaning, the more often they need to be checked for seal wear & deterioration. Proper lubrication of the seals are vital, especially during the reassembly process.

On a side note, silicone plumber's grease made for potable water use can be used for lubing the seals & o-rings with no issues. I also searched the Eheim web-site's FAQ section which also recommends using regular Vaseline as a lubricant if you don't have the Eheim lube or spray available. Here is the link http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index ... h=produkte


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## redstallion02 (Jan 17, 2008)

snorkel2 said:


> Thought I would share this.
> 
> The interesting thing here was the priming button o ring, after I took it out and inspected it, the ring was actually in good shape, the problem was the lube they put on at the factory, it had hardened into a paste/chalk like substance which is what I believe was causing the leaks in the head unit. I am pretty sure if I put that original ring back in with some good silicone grease it would be fine.
> 
> ...


To back this up I had the same issue on my 2028 3 years old pump head was filled with water. Did not want to wait for the o ring so I tested your theory. It will be a week on Tuesday. Just taking it apart, cleaning it and relubing the old o-ring. No leaks so far.

But I had the same situation, dried up silicone and o ring looked to be in good shape still really soft just needed to be cleaned up. The pump head actually primes the filter really easy again as well.


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## snorkel2 (Sep 30, 2005)

redstallion02 said:


> snorkel2 said:
> 
> 
> > Thought I would share this.
> ...


Cool, is it still holding with the re lube?

Mines been fine for over a year since I did the fix.


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## snorkel2 (Sep 30, 2005)

Tiktaalik Owner said:


> This "longtime Eheim fan" reviewed 13 (!) different filters with the exact same review. http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member..._dp_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview
> 
> For cost effective vengeance, wouldn't it be easier to become a super villain like the Penguin or Joker? You could be Bizarro Eheim Fan, vulnerable to blue kryptonite instead of green kryptonite, which is deadly to regular Eheim fans. Wait, cutting & pasting the same review isn't hard. Nevermind.
> 
> Which specific filter did you have a problem with? That some models are better than others isn't exactly a secret.


That's to funny with the Amazon reviews and really un-justified.

You can get the Pro IIs to not leak with some general maintenance. The amazon reviewer even stated the classics leak, and that is not true at all.

Sure I had some minor issues with my Eheim 2026, but it is still one of the best filters I have ever tried. I also have a 2017 classic and it's going on 5 years with no maintenance other than cleaning and lubing the main pump head oring.


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## redstallion02 (Jan 17, 2008)

Still leak free after a month.


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## averagedude (Sep 24, 2010)

I've heard you can use Vaseline to seal that o-ring, my replacements are on the way. just checking so i don't have to take the filter apart again.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Unscented, regular Vaseline is fine to use on the Eheim o-rings and seals, according to Eheim's FAQ section.


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## Ron R. (Oct 21, 2003)

I bought 2 2217 classic eheims via mailorder in 1988 from That Fish Place. They have been running continuously on my 180g tank since them. I've replaced the impellors twice on each filter because I heard a little noise.

My experience has been excellent. I have the same rubber gaskets and don't use silicone when I clean them and put them back together again every 3-5 months.

Sorry to hear you had gasket problems. These filters aren't inexpensive and I would expect to get good service if I ever had a problem.


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