My Rena XP3 Impeller will not spin, when I plug the motor in, it tries to spin, but just vibrates. What should I do to fix it?

by Cindy Middleton
(Corpus Christi, TX)

I purchased (From Your Store) $70 worth of replacement parts. I replaced the Impeller cover, Canister O Ring, Disconnect O Rings, all new suction cups, Impeller Cover O Ring, and tubing. But when I plug in the unit, the impeller does not spin. HELP! My tank has not had a filter in 3 days!!

A: First, don't panic. This may take some time to resolve. If you are worried about fish or other livestock just make sure to aerate the tank well and do a 10-20% water change daily while we are trying to figure out the problem. If you don't want to make water changes then you might consider getting an inexpensive backup filter of some kind. It is not a bad idea to do this anyway. See my recommendation at the end of this answer.

Now, if you remove the top of the filter (see the video on changing the rotor impeller), flip it over you can see down to the rotor/impeller. Plug in the motor and see if the rotor/impeller spins. If it does, then you probably having a priming or flow problem. Please contact us again
if we need to troubleshoot flow. Otherwise, you may need to replace the rotor/impeller. If your filter is more than 3-4 years old this might improve the overall flow and the priming/flow problem as well. Remember, you always have 30 days to return unneeded parts for a full refund.

Recommended backup filters:

Internal Power Filters