Equipment Review and Discussion :: Rena XP3: Can't get it started...

[johnney5]

I've set up the Rena XP3 yesterday, following the steps in the manual, until I got to the part where you fill the intake tube with water, and then recap the top, and push the lever down on the unit.

Pushing the lever down was very hard, and I felt like I was going to break it. It eventually pushed all of the water through the tube, but now the water is just sitting in the unit, and it's not pulling water in or pushing water out.

Is it possible that the tank does not have enough water in it? I really don't have it submersed much at all. Here are some pictures:


Notice the lever on the filter is not down... that is as far as I could push it. I tried lifting it all the way back up and then plugging it in, but that doesn't work either.

[steve]

Edit: The tubing doesn't look correct, you can't have it loop around like that. Also, you need to add the locking clips so water does not leak out and air cannot seep in.

After all the cables are connected, this should be the steps taken:

Lever is up. Unscrew the intake cap, add the water in. Screw it back. Push the lever down and the canister should start filling with water. After a few minutes it should be done and you can plug it into the socket.

[johnney5]

Wow, thanks for the quick response, it's working perfectly now! Now I will definitely be buying a bigger tank.

That was too easy. I really like this filter.

[steve]

Make sure you put the clips on... it will leak without them.

[Weirdkid]

I got it to work but I didn't wait a few minutes. Does it really have to? Mines filled up in about 15seconds and has been running since Monday without any leaks.

The hardest part for me was to put the tubes on the plastic intake and the part that release the water back in. Other than that the instructions were pretty simple.

[steve]

It can take awhile for the some of the air to move through some of the media. You'd definitely want to make sure it was fully primed if the setup is not exactly how they describe it in the manual. I usually feel the output nozzle for air... if air is still being pushed out then I wait a bit longer.

[Weirdkid]

Oh okay, I'll go redo it =) Thanks.

[johnney5]

I put the clamps on after you mentioned it, overlooked that on the manual. It runs and then eventually slows down, so tomorrow I'm going to tighten everything, but overall I think it's just a weird setup for a 20 gallon tank.

They really need more room.

[confrontinglife]

are you posting from two different accounts? lol

[johnney5]

Haha! I didn't even notice the pattern, it's just a coincidence. This is my only account, Weirdkid had a similar problem I guess.


Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I want to mention that the XP3 has not let me down since I set it up properly.

[missibsu]

Don't ya love 'em?!

I have only once had a problem with mine, and it was more my fault and my lack of intelligence than a RENA problem.

I have algae collect in the tubing and it drives me nuts, so I took the tubes out and hosed them. After I put them back on I couldn't get it to run right...mostly because I hadn't gotten those clips as tight as my husband did when he put them on. I also forgot to refill the intake tube and had to do some manual priming.

Haven't had a problem since!

[SpotsMama]

I also had difficulty getting my XP3 started after I took the tubes off for cleaning. My husband, who is better with mechanical things, pointed out that I had re-attached the tubes backwards. After I fixed that it started up fine and has never quit.