# Eheim 2215 air and whistling



## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Ok, I know that there's air getting into my eheim from somewhere... I keep hearing bubbles break against the impellor and it spits out bubbles. It's been doing this for weeks and I haven't been able to figure out why.

There is no CO2 or air equipment on the tank, so I've ruled that out. There are no water leaks anywhere. I have cleaned out all the hoses and reattached them, using hot water to soften the hose and then cold water to get a tight fit around all the the nozzles, etc.

Here's what confuses me... I'm hearing a whistling noise, but it's not coming from the canister or any of the connections. It's coming from my aquarium. It's loud enough that I can sort of hear it from about 5-6 feet away. It's loudest when I put my ear up against the glass or when I open the lid and listen inside the tank. I can also hear it in the plastic intake tube. The noise stops when I turn the disconnect valves to stop the water flow. The noise also changes/reacts whenever air hits the impellor inside the canister. The 2213 I'm running on this tank does not produce this whistling.

One difference I noticed between the 2215 and the 2213 is that when I use the hand pump to try and draw water into the empty cannister through the intake (like priming a brand new filter), the 2215 takes a lot of work to get the water over the bend on the intake to start moving down into the filter.

The o-ring is brand new, I thought it was the cause of the air problem so I bought another. I've used the eheim lubricant on it. 

So now I'm looking at the disconnect valves or the intake that attaches to the canister itself. But how would either of these explain why this filter is making the aquarium whistle, but nothing is audible around the cannister or the disconnect valves?


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

could it be packed too tightly?


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

No, it's not packed tightly at all.


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## miles (Apr 26, 2006)

if you are using a spraybar for your return, it may be the source of the whistling.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

I am, but I keep it submerged and vertical. The spray bar is mounted the same way on the 2213.

EDIT: Ok, on closer inspection I think you might be right about it coming from the spraybar even though it's submerged... Is there any way to silence this?

On another note, I switched the intakes on the 2213 and the 2215... I believe the problem is the connection on the cannister and not the disconnect valves... Still letting it run for awhile just to be sure...


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## miles (Apr 26, 2006)

is that spraybar new? mine whistled after i first set it up. it stopped after a few weeks. funny, though, it seems like only you and i experienced the whistling--i've never seen another post about it. i even posted a query on another board and never got a response. chalk one up for the fluval and filstar pimps.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Actually, I just thoroughly cleaned out all the hoses, tubes, etc. Including the spray bar...

Speaking of which... I believe I found the cause of the air leak and fixed the problem. The makeshift prefilter I was using was obstructing the flow too much. I guess the pressure caused air to get sucked in from somewhere or something. Removed the prefilter, and all seems well for the last 24 hours at least...

Just a little worried about the shrimp now. Should have a proper prefilter tomorrow...


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## joesomeplace (Feb 6, 2015)

I have absolutely confirmed the source of the air leak in the Eheim 2215. I have found it in my original purchase and 2 replacements. Every one had the same defect. It is a manufacturing and/or design defect. The third replacement was a 350 which is the same filter with a different marketing designation.

You can correct the leak. It is in the elbow inlet at the bottom of the filter. It does not seal and allows the pump to suck in air. The fundamental problem is that the inlet side of this filter system should have had a larger diameter. The smaller designed tube is under too much draw pressure. You will note that the tube size on this filter is the same as the 2213, which has a pump with a lower draw pressure

Remove the elbow:
- Remove the o-ring and replace it with one that is the next size larger. 
- Wrap at least 6 wraps of plumbers Teflon tape over threads
- Thread the elbow back in. It will be tight. Do this carefully so as to not crack the plastic.

Eheim "customer service" says they have never heard of this before.


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

Could it be that the elbow just wasn't put on tight enough?


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