Fluval 404 leak HELP!

[ctanke]

:? I went to change the media in my Fluval 404, and upon putting it back together cannot stop it from leaking! The O ring looks OK to me, I tried to reinstall it wet and then with vaseline (per a recommendation) about ten times and still - the leak from the handle area persists! UGH!
My local pet shop said they'd see what kind of ORings they had in the back of the store for me to try (O brother), but as I said, my O ring looks fine (no nicks etc) and I don't feel that I'd be any better off with one of theirs. Any experience with this problem would be greatly appreciated!
Chris

 

[grimlock3000]

First check around for cracks, dents, or blockages that might be causing the leak around the seal. Then try a new O ring. The sealing rings do wear out and needing replacing sometimes.

 

[deli_conker]

I have a Fluval 304 and had what sounds like a similar problem...

Here is the deal with mine. It has an emergency overflow in it. If you have too much water in the base unit (cannister), it spills out from what looks like the handle. Mine came out looking like rain when it tracks down a window. If yours is similar looking, I would suggest making sure that it's not over-full.

 

[deli_conker]

Oh yeah. One way to test all of this is to...

1) unplug power cord
2) shut valve to hose
3) unlock hose coupling
4) take a small glass of aquarium water and pour it into the place where the hoses normally go.

On mine, if you do this, it will eventually trickle out by the handle on the hose side
from above the o-ring.

Some sorta safety feature I guess...