Priming an Eheim classic

[thekarens]

Bought one of these used, love the filter, but hate the priming.  It's a major pain.  After completely taking it apart today to clean it and putting it back together I can't seem to get the sucker primed.  Any tips/suggestions?

Thanks!
Karen

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

hmmm it won't let me post a long post

[thekarens]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

LOL, well feel free to email me: thekarens at sbcglobal.net

I appreciate it.  Love my Eheim, but I hate priming!

Karen

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

I posted over at planted tank, or was it apc.

[SOULJAA]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

You may can used one of those baby nose pumps, which does the exact same thing as an eheim siphon-starting pump. You should be able to get one at a drug store, or an new mother. Otherwise, you will just have to (with all due respect) suck on the hose. I suggest using a clean piece of hose, or putting something over the end of the hose before sucking (i.e. a towel, shirt, etc...).

Both methods work the same way...by removed the head of air from the filter pump.

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

You have to suck the air from the output tube or (I prefer)
fill the input tube with water untill it comes out the output tube.
you can fill it with a hose from the faucet or with a funnel and many glasses of water.

However I usually tear down and rebuild my canasters in the back yard and test them on a 1 gallon jar of water to check for leaks before I power them up in the livingroom.  the nice thing about keeping them in a 5g bucket is that the bucket handle makes it easier to carry them when they are full of water.

[htown]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

You can also blow into the outlet hose, when the tank is full and this will prime it also. I put the hose in my fist and blow into my fist without touching the tube, and sometimes  after i clean the filter i fill it with water, turn it one and turn it upside down to get the flow going.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

yeah this is the worst part of owning Eheim Classic.

The easiest thing is to fill the suction and discharge line with water.  At this point I am hoping ypu have the isolation valves.

Once the lines are in the tank and submerged underwater, open the isolation valves.  This should start a siphon and viola!

Ready to run...

If not..then the only way I have gotten it to work is with my mouth and that can be rather messy in more ways than one....lol

[thekarens]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

Thanks for all the advice.  I eventually did get the thing going.  The problem with filling the inlet hose is it has a long U bend made out of hard plastic that hangs on the back of the tank so it was very difficult to pour water down it.  We do have the isolation valves so we ended up taking the intake off, filling it with water and then reconnecting it to the cannister.  it was a real pain.

Karen

[RonR.]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

Karen, I have 2 2217's on my 180g.  Been running them since 1988.......19 yrs.  I have the quick disconnects on both sides of the filter........on the intake side and on the output/return side.  

Once you prime it the first time, no more priming.  The only way my siphon will break is if my water runs down below my intake inside the tank..........that would be very, very bad!  LOL

I like to prime the filter from the output/return side (on the top side of the filter) because water has to come up the intake, run down the outside tubing, enter at the bottom of the filter, fill the filter and then exit at the top of the filter.  When I suck on the output/return side, all I'm doing is sucking air, not the gunky water!!!! LOL

Just to make sure my filter is totally void of air pockets, I hold an empty pitcher on the output/return side and let the pitcher fill with water........usually there is a steady stream of water running before the pitcher fills fully.  I turn my quick disconnect valve (at the output/return side) off once I get the steady stream of water, connect my quick disconnects and open them back up again.  I plug in my filter then and I'm back in operation.

I use the hard plastic spray jets on my return side and have them about 1 1/2" below the waterline.  If the spray jets cause too much surface current for your liking, you can submerse the tips in some boiling water and reshape them with a vice grip or pliers.  Once I get the right tip shape, I submerse the tip in cold water which hardens the plastic again.  If you mess up, no problem........simply re-submerse the hard plastic tip back in the boiling water and try again.

The only thing I've replaced on these 2217's are the impellors after about 16 years.

[thekarens]

Re: Priming an Eheim classic

The siphon broke because I had to take the filter completely apart and flush out the lines.  I still like my Eheim.  I use one on each of my freshwater tanks, but I have to say the Ecco is much more user friendly!