How to clean external filter

[wlsgmfr123]

Hi, I've gotten a huge external filter from the auction.

It is leaking when it is not running. Except that problem, it works perfectly.

My question is the long tube connecting the tank and the filter is full of

alege or something other things. They don't come out, but I just like to clean

them before I use

I am not sure how I can clean inside of those tubes.

thx

 

[jonclark96]

Get a piece of twine or string. Tie something with some weight, like a nut from a bolt that is small enough to get through the tube. Tie the other end around a piece of a damp rag. The string should be a couple feet longer than the tube. Fish the nut through, then pull the rag through the tube. Should get most of the gunk out if it isn't caked on too bad.

 

[wlsgmfr123]

Get a piece of twine or string. Tie something with some weight, like a nut from a bolt that is small enough to get through the tube. Tie the other end around a piece of a damp rag. The string should be a couple feet longer than the tube. Fish the nut through, then pull the rag through the tube. Should get most of the gunk out if it isn't caked on too bad.

Good Idea ! :sign0191:

I am going to try tmw.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

Set the filter up and get it operational to a five gallon bucket of water. then add a cup of clorox and let it run overnight. Dump out the water and replace with fresh water and declor.
If the lines are not clean, you can repeat. If the level of clorox is maintained it will bleach out all of the junk in the lines, just monitor and add more clorox as needed. Then rinse until there is no odor of clorox.

 

[Andrewtfw]

Set the filter up and get it operational to a five gallon bucket of water. then add a cup of clorox and let it run overnight. Dump out the water and replace with fresh water and declor.
If the lines are not clean, you can repeat. If the level of clorox is maintained it will bleach out all of the junk in the lines, just monitor and add more clorox as needed. Then rinse until there is no odor of clorox.

+1

 

[Avatar]

One of 101 uses for a coat hanger...

...just use it to push or pull a bit of rag or something mildly abrasive through the tube, repeat as necessary. If you instead decide to use bleach recommend that you remove the filter media first otherwise you're going to have a lot of sterile and temporarily useless media on your hands. Bleach is generally used to "sterilize" as opposed to merely "clean" - never use it myself, but if you go that route that, don't forget Franks' admonition to cycle it with a dechlorinator afterwards - lots of it.

 

[Hawkman2000]

All the before mentioned methods seems good to me. However, this is one of the reasons I included a filter brush in one of my orders from bigals last year.