Magdrive problem

[fishinchick]

So I have a mag5 driving my skimmer and I noticed today it was running awfully slow. I decided it was time to take it out and give it a cleaning to see 'why'. I noticed that on it there is a back cover on the housing and it looks like its comming off. This lets water inside the housing itself. So I removed it and put the other mag5 I have on there. Can I still use this pump as an inline? Or is it still ok as a submersible pump? It was odd because there was no electrical current in the sump when I checked to see what was up.

Any thoughts on that? heh.

[Hawkdl2]

The back cover is only cosmetic and hides the epoxy that forms the water tight seal around the motor. The pump's impeller is very likely in need of an overnight soak in acetic acid. The impeller should spin freely on it's shaft, but after a while calcium carbonate builds up and slows it down or brings it to a complete stop. Buy a gallon of household vinegar from the grocery stores (usually about $2.50 at Vons) and let it soak until it is clean. It might be a good time to do the same to any powerheads you have.


Also, make sure it is not your plumbing that is sowing down the flow of water. They are also prone to build ups (another good reason to use larger diameter plumbing than you think necessary.

Larry