Hi all!
It's been years since I posted....all was well until recently, and I'm hoping you can help.
I have a Rena Filstar XP3, which is probably in the real of 6-7 years old, maybe more. I see that the product now seems to be called 'API Filstar L'
When I bought this, it was probably one of the best offerings on the market and many people here had one. I've replaced the hoses and intake/output on it once and obviously the media countless times.
The issue I'm having lately is a weird 'crunch/grind' noise that happens periodically. I came home from a trip to a power outage and this is when the issue first started. I noticed the automatic feeder must have dispensed too much food judging by how much was stuck to the side of the filter intake. I replaced the media and stupidly lost the impeller rod down the sink. I ordered a new impeller altogether and noticed a rubber stop on the new one which I don't remember having on the old one. I couldn't get it to fit so I took it off (I still have it) and put the new rod in the old impeller. I cleaned everything out and still, the problem persists. It happens a few times an hour and lasts between 2-5 seconds or so.
I tried using the new impeller, but as of right now it was working great and after 5 minutes the unit turned off. Not sure why. I'm going to empty it out and re-prime. I don't know if the new impeller solves the issue or not since it hasn't run long enough for me to know. I was thinking my bubble wand might be causing air to get into the filter, so I turned it off but no difference. Is this thing spent? I'll try to get a video of the noise when I can.
If it is spent, I'll be looking for recommendations on a new unit. It's a 46 gallon bow-front tank with a 6" male RES and above-tank basking area. The 175-gallon rated XP3 seemed to hold up well.
Thanks
Adam