Rena / API Filstar XP filters how to

This is an email I sent to a member about how to deal with Rena XP filters. His didnt seem to be pumping water. Hopefully this helps someone

Yes I've used rena filstar filters. there are a few reasons your filter may not be pumping water. One would be if the filter is broken. Another is if the impeller has broken fins or is impaired in some way. Another is a bent steel shaft which the impeller sits on. If none of these obvious issues are apparent then try this below.

easy way to see if its pumping water is to use a 5 gallon bucket or near equivalent size and put it on a table.
Have the canister on the floor.
fill canister and bucket with water
make sure the tube system which disconnects from the filter head is disconnected
Fill the input tube with water ( the tube which suctions water from the tank to the filter)
now put the tube in the tank / bucket and the other tube in the tank / bucket
put the hose system on the filter head and secure the latch. at this point air should be escaping the filter via the hose which would normally push water back into the tank/ bucket.. this is priming the filter system to ensure water is in the filter head
now try to turn on the filter by plugging in the power cord.
it should now work. if it doesnt check to make sure the input hose still has water in it and no air in the line
if its still not working you can disconnect the hose system again, when the filter is off, fill the hose, and make sure the hoses are in the tank/ bucket . NOW, instead of putting the hose system back on, use a bottle or small cup to pour some water INTO the top of the filter head where the hose quick disconnect system would go. once you start to see that the water is not going down into the holes, slightly shake the filter to ensure the water goes down. after a few times of this put the hose system back on top of the quick disconnect section of the filter head.
now try to plug in the filter and see if it works.