How to start/prime difficult canister filters - 3 HACKS
If you’ve found your way to this article, I’m guessing you have a canister filter that’s giving you grief. Don’t worry, these three fixes for priming canister filters should resolve just about every situation when it comes to type of filter, filter orientation and intake/outtake types.
Check out the video for to watch me use the tricks!
What is priming and why is it important?
Priming your canister filter, or the pump refers to filling your filter with water. It’s absolutely essential for two reasons. First, the electric pump inside the filter can’t operate without water in it. It can’t pump water without having water inside of it to pump - the same way I couldn’t go for a swim if I didn’t have access to a body of water.
The second reason is that running a water pump dry will cause it to burn out. Water cools the pump while running. So not only is priming your filter essential for it to operate, but it will also prevent it from breaking.
Most canister filters come with a priming pump that pulls water into the filter. Unfortunately these features sometimes don’t work in a number of situations like the following.
Old worn down filter
Lots of horizontal hosing
Canister filter sitting at the same level as your tank, on the floor for example
Cheap crummy filter
Method I - The electric pump AKA powerhead
The easiest way to get a problem filter started is to stick a power head in the intake. The powerhead will pump water into the filter, displacing air and priming your filter.
If you aren’t able to get a snug fit with the pump and intake, you’ll need to use your hand to close the gaps and create a tight seal, as seen in the picture below.
Once air starts to flow out of the outlet, you can stop pumping.
Method II - The hose
This trick is good for tanks that have built in overflows or glass lily pipes, where there is no available inlet to stick a pump into. Also, glass pipes are hard to line a pump with.
For this extremely simple method, all you need is a piece of straight hose. That’s the tube from your gravel vac, just without the vacuum part. Instead of pushing air out of the filter, this time we will pull it out.
Get a siphon started and stick it into the outlet. At first you won’t really notice much cause it’s just siphoning water, but when you start to see air bubbles, you’re in the clear. That’s because water is flowing into the filter, displacing air and priming you filter. At this point you can pull the hose out; the siphon will continue to fill the filter without need for additional action.
Me in the process of pulling air from the canister.
Method III - The hand pump
The last method is a good one if you don’t have an electric pump or powerhead. You’ll need a handheld pump. That’s the kind that is included with a self starting gravel vac.
Filters really should be kept under tanks to allow for gravity to help with priming. Like the previous two methods, all I had to do was start a siphon in the filter and gravity handled the rest.
If your tank is on the floor like mine, it’ll be helpful to fill the filter with as much water as you can before putting the lid back on. Pull off the inlet intake grill, stick the pump in and start pumping. Once air stops coming out of the outlet, you should be ready to turn your filter on!
