Soaking powerheads

[yellowtruck75]

What do I use to soak my Tunze 6100? White vinegar? How long should I soak them for to clean them of coraline and other algea?


Thanks

[Davidb6]

White vineger works great for coraline. The time to soak is based on how covered it is. I have an old toothbrush (new, unused) I use to clean things off.

Soak it, brush it off, soak it more if necessary. Make sure you rinse off the vineger very well before you put the pump back in the tank.

[Pbrown3701]

meh - a little vinegar won't hurt anything...

[CleveYank]

I soak my powerheads in hotwater out of the tap and vinegar when needed. The easiest method is in a bucket running. They come out like brand new and then inspection is a no brainer with all the gunk pumped off and out of them.

Works like a charm.

In between the above method, I dip pumps into very hot tapwater in container over my tank just to zap the algae which seems to help maintain or minimize the growth and keep them cleaner longer.

[yellowtruck75]

So it alright to run the powerhead in the water/vinegar? I think a 6100 might be too powerful to run in a bucket.

[ACBlinky]

What I do is soak my pumps in a 5g salt bucket. I use half hot water, half white vinegar for about half an hour, and then plug them in and run them for a bit. Even a big pump should be okay, providing the nozzle isn't pointed straight up! Once they've run for a while I dismantle them, scrub with a nail brush or toothbrush, then give them a quick rinse. The entire job takes about an hour, and I do it every few months at least -- the more often you clean the pumps, the easier they are to clean.

[yellowtruck75]

Thanks for the advice, I will have to give mine a good cleaning before the new tank is setup.