It's videos like this that give me hope in the internet/humanity. Also, screw Fluval for never fixing what has always been a faulty design. Would be really interested to see their profits from gaskets...
You wonderful young man! I was despairing after my fourth attempt to re-seal my Fluval 206 after a clean. It just wasn't working, and I had to condition another 10 litres of water to replace what I'd lost in leaks. Your elastic band method worked a treat! You've highlighted one of the design flaws in this pump (another is the lack of tightness of the clips, once closed - I've fixed this with a piece of card under the jaws). I'd had the dribble problem a few times previously and tried a new seal, but it's not the O-ring, it's the case design. Many thanks from down under, in Australia. Your clear assessment of the problem and its elegantly simple solution has me grinning. Cheers, Steve
A week ago I thought I would use my old fluval 206 canister filter as an auxiliary water polisher. I loaded it with polishing pads and hooked it up. I couldn't believe how much water was leaking out. I double checked the seal ring and it was clean and so was the track it sits in. After watching your video I put in a rubber band and set it towards the top of the groove as instructed. I noticed a much snugger fit when putting the top part of the canister back on. OMG. Dry as a bone ! Thank you so much for this "hack" solution.
Thank you so much for taking the time to video this. I have a fluval 206 as a backup for emergencies and last night had to get it going after my tank had an ammonia spike. But my 206 hasn't been used for years and was leaking really badly, so was unusable. Jumped on TH-cam to see what I could find and found your video. I tried your suggestion, though only had thinner rubber bands but with two of them, managed to stop the leak after 3 attempts. Good temporary fix whilst I wait for a new replacement seal ring to arrive. My fish and I thank you.
“There’s no way that’s going to work!” was my first thought after watching your video, but with my LFS asking the insane amount of $50 for a replacement gasket/o-ring for my old Eheim pro, my second thought was, “but what have I got to lose?”….. my filter’s a bit bigger, and the gasket’s not merely damaged but in several pieces and totally unusable, so I didn’t think a regular rubber band would have a hope. Then I remembered I had one of those huge rubber bands (we call them lacca bands here in Australia, short for elastic 😉), the kind you see holding a bunch of parcels together at the post office, so I tried that…. And after a couple of false starts causing me to adjust tweak the position of the band, I’m lost for words coz IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!! That was two days ago and not one single drop of water has escaped, THANK-YOU! (and to Eheim, Fluval, etc, you know that customers looking for replacement gaskets are a captive not to mention desperate market. You know they need that gasket, otherwise their tank will get gross and their fish will die, which is why you charge utterly ridiculous amounts for a piece of rubber worth a few cents. Well it turns out a piece of rubber that actually does cost only a few cents does just as well. Here’s hoping everyone finds out!)
This is very useful and I think it'll work. I've previously tried the teflon or plumber's tape fix and it SEEMED to work but then I came home to a small flood a couple of weeks later - thankfully I caught it before it had become catastrophic. Also because these filters have failed before I ALWAYS run a sponge filter as back up in the tank giving you all the time you need to fix the problem and maintain decent water parameters for the fish. Even if your '05 or '06 fluval filter has never leaked, or you think you've fixed the problem, do yourself a favour and put it inside a large bucket so you can quickly see when there's even a small leak and give yourself a little extra time to notice something is wrong. Thanks for the 'hack' - it's refreshing to see someone critique the design and explain why the suggested solution should work.
Omg you absolute genius thankyou so much. I cleaned my 307 filter yesterday for the second time yesterday and could not stop a leak at the front of the filter. After about an hour of trying all sorts I was in despair 😢 I googled to see any tips on how to fix and I'm so glad your video was the first thing to come up. It worked perfectly thankyou so much. Also don't forget everytime you take the top off canister to oil the black seal with either silicone or vegetable oil as this helps the seal too and is also a reccomended step in the instruction manual.
I tried absolutely everything, found your video and it worked!! I have a new seal ordered but wasn’t sure how I would stop the leak until it gets here. Thanks again!!!
Makes total sense. Just tried to use Petroleum Jelly and some plumbers putty. I'll try your fix next. Considering how catastrophic this can be hopefully @fluval can come up with a double sealing system. Great hack thank you
After ten years, three moves, & a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane destroying my house, my 206 *just* finally started leaking. Glad I found your video. Thanks!!!
I have been so annoyed at my leaky filter for so long! And I had thousands of rubber bands in my house the whole time! Thank you for giving me the idea that i couldn't come up with myself! I really appreciate this. Cheers from New Zealand! :)
Please be aware that the seal decays and cracks form in it at that time it will leak so check the seal condition also the aquastop valve can leak into the inside of motor unit and drain into the ridge that runs around the top and collect into the clamp area where it drain and this may look like a top seal that's failing so check for water leaking from the valve area . Hope this helps as I've experienced all these types of failure.
Thank you for posting this. You’re describing my problem completely. I’m waiting for my new Aquavalve replacement and hopefully this will solve the problem. I love the rubber band trick. Will try that as well
Before re-installing the large O ring, one should always add a layer of silicone grease or food grade grease on it. This keeps the O ring from drying out and prolong its life (NEVER use vaseline!) and also helps with the seal. This should be applied EVERY time you dismantle the head of the filter from the rest of the canister. Elastic bands have a tendency to erode quickly and will soon break. I am not sure if adding a light coat of silicone grease to the elastic band will prolong its life or not.
@@Alexander6749 I am sure that the Sun-Sun is still flowing in and out, if so what I have been buying is the food grade sealer that you can find online or if you have a home brewing store in your area that is a great alternative to the Vaseline
Recently returning to fish keeping after over 25 years! A really old temporary fix.... One that I'd actually forgotten about!... Can definitely be of help in a desperate situation.
In any situation , brand new or a used one it's a brilliant safeguard to the gravity fed filter!!! Now I am always looking for the perfect rubber band since all the different manufacturers have a few in the size but I am hoping to find the widest to cover all the gap
Great idea. Also if you switch the long intake tube with the short outflow tube where the outlet is down deep to act as a powerhead blowing across the rock work, and the intake tube would be just below the surface, it will prevent a serious leak. This way if a leak occurred only a few inches off the top would leak rather than half the tank. Putting a bucket under the canister big enough that whatever leaked out would not overflow the bucket. This will change a massive leak into a puddle. Simple fixes are usually the best. Subscribed thumbs up.
This is excellent advice, worked for me.. I would like to add that if you see water coming out at the joint of the top and bottom of your unit, maybe the seal at this place is leaking but it is not 100% sure that is the problem. If yours leaks at the place where the water hoses connects, that water will go down inside to the place where the seal is located and come out there, causing you to get an incorrect idea of what's wrong. It might be worthwhile to lube the rubber band like TheEngineer says to do on the o-ring. Seals need to settle into position to be most effective, and lube helps. It might be worthwhile to do this with a new seal, don't know. I read several reviews that state a new replacement seal still leaks. That might be something else leaking or ????? Generally speaking, if it worked well when new, it will work well now if you make it like it was when new.
Thank you so much!! It worked! After running to different stores and of cause you needed it just before you going on vacation and its out of stock :)) lifesaver hack!
Thanks, this seems to have fixed my problem. I think that I’m still seeing a few minor drops of water 💦 in the tray but overall very pleased that you made this video. I have a fluval 306 and this totally fixed my issue 😉
Aquastop valve you need a spare one, common fault with them, petroleum jelly if it is the seal. The unit handles lose are they? No prussureation why it leaks. Aquastop fixed my two 306 pumps. Great idea through with a band. The fault does happen all of a saddon. Wish you luck
for seals, do not use vaseline... use silicone base grease by fluval... it will not deteriorate the seal. vaseline will deteriorate your seal eventually
for me it was only a temporary solution until I got a new o-ring but still it hold up opening and closing the canister multiple times. The new gasket sealed without any trouble but it might worth a try to just get a thicker o-ring to make it more reliable (but it´s difficult to measure the diameter of the original one..)
Why don't they make them the right way , it seems many different external filters have trouble with leaks...i don't dare go on the external filter train the fear of comming home and 180 liter water all over the place....since they can't figure it out maybe they can put a water alert into it so it shuts of the pump when it start to leak...jezz
you absolute hero! even after 7 years this video is still helping people.
It's videos like this that give me hope in the internet/humanity. Also, screw Fluval for never fixing what has always been a faulty design. Would be really interested to see their profits from gaskets...
Though unfortunately mine still leaks. :-/
You wonderful young man! I was despairing after my fourth attempt to re-seal my Fluval 206 after a clean. It just wasn't working, and I had to condition another 10 litres of water to replace what I'd lost in leaks. Your elastic band method worked a treat! You've highlighted one of the design flaws in this pump (another is the lack of tightness of the clips, once closed - I've fixed this with a piece of card under the jaws). I'd had the dribble problem a few times previously and tried a new seal, but it's not the O-ring, it's the case design. Many thanks from down under, in Australia. Your clear assessment of the problem and its elegantly simple solution has me grinning. Cheers, Steve
A week ago I thought I would use my old fluval 206 canister filter as an auxiliary water polisher. I loaded it with polishing pads and hooked it up. I couldn't believe how much water was leaking out. I double checked the seal ring and it was clean and so was the track it sits in. After watching your video I put in a rubber band and set it towards the top of the groove as instructed. I noticed a much snugger fit when putting the top part of the canister back on. OMG. Dry as a bone ! Thank you so much for this "hack" solution.
Thank you. It is 2am and my filter has been leaking constantly. I was about to give up. You were my beacon of hope.
OMG - This works!!!! I have been plagued by my Fluval 407 leaking. Great Hack!
Thank you so much for taking the time to video this. I have a fluval 206 as a backup for emergencies and last night had to get it going after my tank had an ammonia spike. But my 206 hasn't been used for years and was leaking really badly, so was unusable. Jumped on TH-cam to see what I could find and found your video. I tried your suggestion, though only had thinner rubber bands but with two of them, managed to stop the leak after 3 attempts. Good temporary fix whilst I wait for a new replacement seal ring to arrive. My fish and I thank you.
“There’s no way that’s going to work!” was my first thought after watching your video, but with my LFS asking the insane amount of $50 for a replacement gasket/o-ring for my old Eheim pro, my second thought was, “but what have I got to lose?”….. my filter’s a bit bigger, and the gasket’s not merely damaged but in several pieces and totally unusable, so I didn’t think a regular rubber band would have a hope. Then I remembered I had one of those huge rubber bands (we call them lacca bands here in Australia, short for elastic 😉), the kind you see holding a bunch of parcels together at the post office, so I tried that…. And after a couple of false starts causing me to adjust tweak the position of the band, I’m lost for words coz IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!! That was two days ago and not one single drop of water has escaped, THANK-YOU! (and to Eheim, Fluval, etc, you know that customers looking for replacement gaskets are a captive not to mention desperate market. You know they need that gasket, otherwise their tank will get gross and their fish will die, which is why you charge utterly ridiculous amounts for a piece of rubber worth a few cents. Well it turns out a piece of rubber that actually does cost only a few cents does just as well. Here’s hoping everyone finds out!)
This is very useful and I think it'll work. I've previously tried the teflon or plumber's tape fix and it SEEMED to work but then I came home to a small flood a couple of weeks later - thankfully I caught it before it had become catastrophic. Also because these filters have failed before I ALWAYS run a sponge filter as back up in the tank giving you all the time you need to fix the problem and maintain decent water parameters for the fish.
Even if your '05 or '06 fluval filter has never leaked, or you think you've fixed the problem, do yourself a favour and put it inside a large bucket so you can quickly see when there's even a small leak and give yourself a little extra time to notice something is wrong. Thanks for the 'hack' - it's refreshing to see someone critique the design and explain why the suggested solution should work.
Omg you absolute genius thankyou so much. I cleaned my 307 filter yesterday for the second time yesterday and could not stop a leak at the front of the filter. After about an hour of trying all sorts I was in despair 😢 I googled to see any tips on how to fix and I'm so glad your video was the first thing to come up. It worked perfectly thankyou so much. Also don't forget everytime you take the top off canister to oil the black seal with either silicone or vegetable oil as this helps the seal too and is also a reccomended step in the instruction manual.
Fantastic! My Fluvol 206 has leaked forever. Your fix worked great! Thank you for taking the time to make and share the video!
I tried absolutely everything, found your video and it worked!! I have a new seal ordered but wasn’t sure how I would stop the leak until it gets here. Thanks again!!!
Makes total sense. Just tried to use Petroleum Jelly and some plumbers putty. I'll try your fix next. Considering how catastrophic this can be hopefully @fluval can come up with a double sealing system. Great hack thank you
Thank you!! Did a clean and for the life of me couldn’t get it sealed back up. This did the trick.
After ten years, three moves, & a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane destroying my house, my 206 *just* finally started leaking. Glad I found your video. Thanks!!!
Your rubber band trick worked a treat. Leak fixed. Thank you 👍
I have been so annoyed at my leaky filter for so long! And I had thousands of rubber bands in my house the whole time! Thank you for giving me the idea that i couldn't come up with myself! I really appreciate this. Cheers from New Zealand! :)
Awesome. I do not care how long ago You had posted this. It is brilliant! Thanks.
You are a hero saving a lot of my time, money and brain cell! 👏 👍🤸 Thank You TheEngineer !
Please be aware that the seal decays and cracks form in it at that time it will leak so check the seal condition also the aquastop valve can leak into the inside of motor unit and drain into the ridge that runs around the top and collect into the clamp area where it drain and this may look like a top seal that's failing so check for water leaking from the valve area . Hope this helps as I've experienced all these types of failure.
Thank you for posting this. You’re describing my problem completely. I’m waiting for my new Aquavalve replacement and hopefully this will solve the problem. I love the rubber band trick. Will try that as well
Man, this is brilliant idea! Just fix my Fluval 406 at cost of a rubber band, thank you so much for sharing it !
Couldn't find a rubber band but you got me on the right track and I did find some ptfe tape which has done the job. Nice one
You are a lifesaver, my friend. Thank you from Chicago, USA!!
Thank you SOOOOOO much for this hack! It saved both my sanity and my 407 from going in the trash heap! :) :) :)
Before re-installing the large O ring, one should always add a layer of silicone grease or food grade grease on it. This keeps the O ring from drying out and prolong its life (NEVER use vaseline!) and also helps with the seal. This should be applied EVERY time you dismantle the head of the filter from the rest of the canister. Elastic bands have a tendency to erode quickly and will soon break. I am not sure if adding a light coat of silicone grease to the elastic band will prolong its life or not.
Will Parsons the instruction Manuel for my sun sun canister said to specifically use Vaseline? Any reason I shouldn’t use it?
@@Alexander6749 I am sure that the Sun-Sun is still flowing in and out, if so what I have been buying is the food grade sealer that you can find online or if you have a home brewing store in your area that is a great alternative to the Vaseline
You just saved my fish! Thank you so much for sharing this fix! ❤️
I tried everything else...Finally, this worked!Many thanks...(Danke!)
Recently returning to fish keeping after over 25 years! A really old temporary fix.... One that I'd actually forgotten about!... Can definitely be of help in a desperate situation.
In any situation , brand new or a used one it's a brilliant safeguard to the gravity fed filter!!! Now I am always looking for the perfect rubber band since all the different manufacturers have a few in the size but I am hoping to find the widest to cover all the gap
Great idea. Also if you switch the long intake tube with the short outflow tube where the outlet is down deep to act as a powerhead blowing across the rock work, and the intake tube would be just below the surface, it will prevent a serious leak. This way if a leak occurred only a few inches off the top would leak rather than half the tank. Putting a bucket under the canister big enough that whatever leaked out would not overflow the bucket. This will change a massive leak into a puddle. Simple fixes are usually the best. Subscribed thumbs up.
Awesome idea I must try. Thanks 😊
YES! Thank you!! I have been trying to get 2 - 206's to stop leaking and your rubber band trick did it.
This is excellent advice, worked for me.. I would like to add that if you see water coming out at the joint of the top and bottom of your unit, maybe the seal at this place is leaking but it is not 100% sure that is the problem. If yours leaks at the place where the water hoses connects, that water will go down inside to the place where the seal is located and come out there, causing you to get an incorrect idea of what's wrong.
It might be worthwhile to lube the rubber band like TheEngineer says to do on the o-ring. Seals need to settle into position to be most effective, and lube helps. It might be worthwhile to do this with a new seal, don't know. I read several reviews that state a new replacement seal still leaks. That might be something else leaking or ????? Generally speaking, if it worked well when new, it will work well now if you make it like it was when new.
Me too! I literally tried everything else, but this worked! I was getting so frustrated. Thank you so much
Also ruber bands from vegetables work, i used teflon tape and works also
Thanks for the help it really worked after few tries
Thank you so much!! It worked! After running to different stores and of cause you needed it just before you going on vacation and its out of stock :)) lifesaver hack!
Very smart you just save me from thinking what to do, thank you
Thanks, this seems to have fixed my problem. I think that I’m still seeing a few minor drops of water 💦 in the tray but overall very pleased that you made this video. I have a fluval 306 and this totally fixed my issue 😉
You are genius, theoretically should work, will try it. Thanks.
Aquastop valve you need a spare one, common fault with them, petroleum jelly if it is the seal. The unit handles lose are they? No prussureation why it leaks. Aquastop fixed my two 306 pumps. Great idea through with a band. The fault does happen all of a saddon. Wish you luck
any tips for leaks on aquastop valve?
Also has mentioned in another comment the elastic band will erode over time so check regularly and replace when needed or the leak will return.
I put 3 rubber bands and lubricated with chap stick. So far so good. Lubricating the ring its very important, i realized.
Totally amazing trick thanks 🙂
I would think it would be a common gasket size,,,I'd try a pool place or even a car parts store...but this is definitely an awesome idea in a pinch
for seals, do not use vaseline... use silicone base grease by fluval... it will not deteriorate the seal. vaseline will deteriorate your seal eventually
Sure, although I would think any reasonable brand of silicone grease will do.
Regular vegetable oil works as reccomended in My fluval instruction manual also
Thanks this works but I didn't have an elastic so I used that CUT it to the size of an elastic.
Genius! Thank you 👍🏼
You need a spare aquastop valve if you have a fluval 306,we had the same problem,
You are a genius young man! like ppls said below I try so many thing but this kick the bucket eheheh Thanks
Tank you very much, yo are a genius. 👍👍👍
Genius, love the innovation 🤓
Thanks for the tip. Didn't work for me. I needed to replace the base.
You wonderful person yess mate
Great tip my friend. Many thanks
Thank you. You are very helpful
l
Thanks for the tip, it works
Thank you for this
good idea, you would want to replace the rubber band each time you remove the top..
for me it was only a temporary solution until I got a new o-ring but still it hold up opening and closing the canister multiple times. The new gasket sealed without any trouble but it might worth a try to just get a thicker o-ring to make it more reliable (but it´s difficult to measure the diameter of the original one..)
Why don't they make them the right way , it seems many different external filters have trouble with leaks...i don't dare go on the external filter train the fear of comming home and 180 liter water all over the place....since they can't figure it out maybe they can put a water alert into it so it shuts of the pump when it start to leak...jezz
Ta. Lifesaver!
Than you it working
Thanks!!!!!
5:20
This 'fix' didnt work in the least. The leak continued around the main O ring seal as badly as before trying this rubber band idea.
Your oring must have a nick
I'm not putting up with 10 minutes of you talkin. Show us the fix, end the video.
How rude. This guy has taken his time to record a video for free, you could be a little more greatful.