Fluval C4 Not Working

[CanadianWaters]

I've had my Fluval C4 for a number if months now and been great but I woke up today and it's just stopped working. Everything is plugged into the same power strip and everything else is working but the C4? I can feel the impeller part vibrating and it's warm but waters not coming up the intake tube. It's primed and everything. What can I do?

[Brookster123]

Push your finger down on the impeller tube and see if you can nudge it to start spinning, happens to my ac20..

[Paul1792]

Every now and then, I have to take off the intake tube and poke an ice pick down there to get the impeller to turn properly when I turn the unit off for feeding and try to re-start it and nothing happens.

After a few months, you really need to take off the motor and clean the impeller and other surface areas off with a Q-Tip or equivalent just like the instructions say.
This is normal maintenance for both Fluval C and AquaClears .... and frankly, for most HOB's.

[Ian086]

Originally Posted by earlywaters

I've had my Fluval C4 for a number if months now and been great but I woke up today and it's just stopped working. Everything is plugged into the same power strip and everything else is working but the C4? I can feel the impeller part vibrating and it's warm but waters not coming up the intake tube. It's primed and everything. What can I do?

Take the filter out of the tank. Drain it and remove the motor. Give it a good clean, then plug it in briefly and see if it works. Have you got sand substrate??. Could be a tiny particle of sand.....

[CanadianWaters]

Well I gave it a good clean and it's running like new! Thanks! Should I clean it like this every few months then?

[Ian086]

Originally Posted by earlywaters

Well I gave it a good clean and it's running like new! Thanks! Should I clean it like this every few months then?

Yeah it would be no harm. After you give it a good clean, give it a thin coat of vaseline. It will replace the slime coat that naturally occurs over time.....

[anibis]

Yeah whenever my C3 doesn't restart after a PWC I know it's due for a cleaning, usually every 2-3 months. It is noisy at first, but after a day or two it's quiet again.

I've tried using vaseline before, and it ended up at the bottom of the motor in a greasy clump. It smelled bad, and was a pain to clean up. I probably put too much vaseline on (I did it when the filter was new and sounded like a sewing machine), so it was my fault. I've heard of many people using the vaseline trick without issue.

I just wait for the slime to lube it. Once the filter has been running for awhile it doesn't take long to quiet back down.