Question - Sedra 5000

[lpsluver]

I have an ASM G3 with a Sedra 5000 and over the last 4-5 months after a power fluctuation (which happens frequently in South Florida) my pump does not restart. It sounds like it is trying to but will continue to try until I intervene by either putting a couple of fingers in front of the volute/intake, interfering with the little bit of flow that is happening, or by blowing into the air tube. Either one of these actions will restart the pump.

I have the standard needle wheel impeller that came with the now 2 year old skimmer.

Is this the beginnings of pump failure or something else?

[mg426]

Mine does the same thing if I dont clean the impeller/ shaft assembly every couple of months.

[twon8]

soak it in vinegar or muriatic acid.

[Tennsquire]

I've had a Euro-Reef with a Sedra for the last 6 years or so, and I've been through a few impellers. It seems that the magnets on these impellers start to "swell" after a few years (2-3); maybe they rust from within, I don't know. I do know that it happens irrespective of the maint. schedule you employ. Have you taken the impeller out and looked at it? It's pretty easy to see any kind of deformity. I keep a spare needle wheel impeller on hand just in case.

[racrumrine]

Tennsquire:

You are dead on.

It seems like the black part of the impeller is some sort of hard rubber or plastic that simply covers a metal cylinder that spins around the ceramic shaft. Until today, I always thought the black part was a solid magnet on all the pumps I own.

When saltwater leaks through this hard rubber or plastic cover, the metal cylinder starts to rust. This causes it to swell and gives the outside covering a swollen look.

I have a Sedra impeller that was left in my sump as a spare. The hard rubber or plastic cover totally burst and you can easily see the metal rusting inside. I was shocked to find a hunk of rusting metal in the sump. I had no idea that could happen.

I'm not so hot with digital camera. Later, I'll try to post a picture.

I did a search on RC to see if anyone else had noticed that impellers rust. You were the only one to have mentioned it.

Best of luck,

Roy

Originally posted by Tennsquire
I've had a Euro-Reef with a Sedra for the last 6 years or so, and I've been through a few impellers. It seems that the magnets on these impellers start to "swell" after a few years (2-3); maybe they rust from within, I don't know. I do know that it happens irrespective of the maint. schedule you employ. Have you taken the impeller out and looked at it? It's pretty easy to see any kind of deformity. I keep a spare needle wheel impeller on hand just in case.

[Tennsquire]

Thanks for the info on this. I talked to ER about it a while back, and they said that it was a "lack of maintenance" issue. I clean my pumps regularly, and have pretty much come to the conclusion that it's a problem with the impellers themselves.

Originally posted by racrumrine
Tennsquire:

You are dead on.

It seems like the black part of the impeller is some sort of hard rubber or plastic that simply covers a metal cylinder that spins around the ceramic shaft. Until today, I always thought the black part was a solid magnet on all the pumps I own.

When saltwater leaks through this hard rubber or plastic cover, the metal cylinder starts to rust. This causes it to swell and gives the outside covering a swollen look.

I have a Sedra impeller that was left in my sump as a spare. The hard rubber or plastic cover totally burst and you can easily see the metal rusting inside. I was shocked to find a hunk of rusting metal in the sump. I had no idea that could happen.

I'm not so hot with digital camera. Later, I'll try to post a picture.

I did a search on RC to see if anyone else had noticed that impellers rust. You were the only one to have mentioned it.

Best of luck,

Roy