AC 50 filter suddenly died

[Avocado Man]

Hi all, I had an AquaClear 50 and Marineland Penguin 150 both running on the back of my 40 gallon freshwater tank. Last night, after I did a water change, when I turned the power strip back on, only the Marineland Penguin 150 started running again, and the AC 50 didn't budge. Motor wasn't running at all, and I tried multiple outlets. It looks like it just died - and it's less than 6 months old!

Has anyone had this happen before, to such a new filter? I had heard that the AC 50 was a good filter and so far it had been great until now. I haven't looked into the return policy yet, but I'd like to get a new one or a refund from either Hagen or Amazon. (Another theory is that my power strip is too old and doesn't regulate power well enough...but everything else was fine, so I doubt that's the problem.)

Should I try to get another AC 50 or is there a better HOB out there?

 

[Link119]

Get another motor and see if that works, if not just get another impeller and use it in the new motor. Also make sure that the impeller is free to spin before buying anything

 

[BBradbury]

Hell Av...

It's likely there's a clog in the motor. It happens if the small blades in the motor are clogged. I use a small bottle brush to clean my AC filter motors. Remove the small blade piece and push the bottle brush head into the motor around the metal pin and put it all back together. My guess is, it will start right up.

B

 

[Avocado Man]

Thanks guys, this is great advice. Of course I'd love to save some cash and repair it if at all possible. I'm gonna try these repair tips tonight and let you know how it works out.

 

[Avocado Man]

Success!! After a thorough cleaning, it looks like indeed it was simply clogged up with gunk and the impeller was unable to move. It flows better than before too. Link119 and BBradbury - thanks for saving me the unnecessary expense of a new HOB filter.