Squealing air pump when fitted with an aircheck valve

[DesktopTankDiva]

Hi all,

Today I purchased a new airpump, a Tetra Whisper 40 that I have attached to a 5" bubble bar. I love that the pump is so quiet and that it allows bubble formation throughout the length of the bar, not just the first few inches as my old pump did. It ran perfectly until I attached the aircheck valve. As soon as I attached the airtubing containing the valve the pump made a high pitched squealing sound. I repeated it several times, with the pump working well without the valve, and the squealing commencing as soon as the tubing with the valve was attached. I should also mention that during the squealing, the airflow from the pump was fine and it produced just as many bubbles. In addition to the new pump I purchased new airtubing, the silicone type, and the squealing occurred with use of either the silicone tubing or my former clear vinyl/silicone type.

I am an aquarium newbie so I'm wondering if aircheck valves are specific and not universal? And what's up with the squealing?

Thanks!
DesktopD

[King Fisher]

Does it happen when you try to cut off some of the airflow?

[DesktopTankDiva]

No, if I constrict the airtubing the bubbles cease and the pump makes a low grumble.

However, because it was driving me crazy, I continued trying to solve my valve dilemma. I think it's actually the valve squealing, not the pump. Strange because it's a new valve. I positioned the valve near the pump and it sounded like the squeal originated from the pump. I think.

Let me look into my crystal ball for Kingfisher's answer to my problem.....

"....go buy a new valve for 79 cents....."


Ha!

[King Fisher]

Exactly. Lol. I like you

[Autumnsky]

LOL, tiny piece of stuff mass produced with low quality control. I have had a unsatisfactory number of bad ones too, now I buy them in larger packs or quantities to make sure I can get one which actually works.

[DesktopTankDiva]

It worked. I went and bought a new air valve in the middle of the night from Walmart and it's working like a charm. Cha-ching.

By the way, I'm loving my new air pump. So quiet. I set up decorations and live plants in my tank and had to replace my awesome airstone bar with a rigid tube-like bubble wand to conserve space. The bar produced bubbles galore while the wand is meh. Maybe the next time I have to move stuff around in the tank I'll drill some holes in the wand.

BubblingDesktopD