Leaking Eheim 2028....

[tremper]

SO my new 135g came with a nice Eheim 2028. After cleaning I put it onto an exisiting 150g to seed it for a few days. Started up flawlessly and never looked back.

Then I was getting ready to move it to the 135 and unplugged it without shutting the valve.... water began to flow profusely, in rivers, from between the canister and the pump head.

Plugged it back in and it stopped. Seems to be a common occurance on these pumps, due to a failure or fatigue in the main oring / seal. Didn't have one handy, so I coated the seal with vasoline, and now when I seat the pump head and open the ball valve to allow water to flow it desn't seap out, it shoots out in streams.

Right now a new o-ring isnt an option. Anyone have any experience with these pumps and a potential solution?

Lastly, what's the name of the relatively large LFS in deundalk or essex area? The name escapes me.

TIA

Joe

 

[Avatar]

Never heard the like

I have nine of these in various models/sizes and the only leaks I've ever encountered came from old/broken seals - never had one just start streaming unless something wasn't seated correctly. Vaseline or cheap petroleum jelly from CVS often will do the trick but if the seals are old, hard and decrepit sometimes it's not enough.

It's not at all impossible to make your own seal (especially since you have a template), the trick is finding suitable material with which to do so - needs to be soft enough to compress. You could always dry it off, lay a bead of silicone in it and stick it back together to cure if you're in a hurry, but by the time you add another 24 hours to that you could have a new one in your mailbox.

Here's an idea: gently boil the old O-ring for 10-15 minutes in a saucepan of water. Could be it will restore some of the springiness and diameter to the rubber composite so that when you re-coat & re-install it that it works. Also could be that it falls apart (don't think so) but it might just work as these things get compressed over time and the heat will definitely cause it to expand, just don't know if it will be enough to restore it sufficiently.

 

[dogofwar]

O-rings and Vaseline.

It's what for dinner.

Matt

 

[tremper]

Thanks Sam, ordered a replacement this morning but sadly, it wont be here until the 28th! Bummer. I'll give the boil and coat trick a try....

 

[Avatar]

I have one

Checked yesterday and didn't have an extra but now occurs to me that I only recently installed a new one in a 2229 that I'm not using at present. If you want it enough to come to 13th & Euclid NW DC/Columbia Heights I can do without it until yours arrives. It's the same gasket for both models.

 

[tremper]

Generous offer Sam but I'l pass. It's on order and I'm seeding a smaller filter I can use until the new gasket arrives. Thanks again though....

 

[Avatar]

Curious

Do think there's a reasonable chance that the boiling thing might work, do let me know if you try it - like knowing when such spontaneous notions actually have merit.

 

[tremper]

Haven't tried it yet Sam, things are going smoothly thus far and as long as the power doesn't fail until the new seal arrives, I'm leaving things as they are..... That said, the pump is currently sitting in a 55gal garbage can elevated to a point that should there be a power loss, less than 55 gallons are going to seep out before equilibrium is reached.... In 7 years of living in Balto tho, I have never lost power, while friends in the burbs seem to lose power if the wind picks up or shifts.....

 

[karate626]

I had a similar problem with my CPF 2000 pondmaster filter when I set it up...I looked at the diagram and realized I was missing an o-ring. I got a new one and that took care of the leak. They are pretty easy to replace!