Octopus Skimmer (DNW-200) pump stopping on me

JRod · #1 10/19/2007, 10:55 AM

Anyone having or had an issue with the impellor stopping.

I have modded out the impellor in my DNW-200 and it had been running almost 6 months with no issue, now having problems.

I disassemble it, clean it out and connect up only to have it stop 6 or so hours later. Have done this 5 times, and is getting to be a pain.

Wondering if the mod is now causing issue or something else.

Any insight is great. Thanks.

Joe

SlowCobra · #2 10/19/2007, 11:02 AM

Was a kill a watt used when you modded it?

JRod · #3 10/19/2007, 11:40 AM

No was not. Issue?

SlowCobra · #4 10/19/2007, 11:52 AM

Yes. Most likely the mesh mod had caused an increase in wattage making the pump work much harder than it needed to, particularly if you used zip ties which can/will cause a wobble of the impeller as it spins due to being out of balance. Not to mention if they rotated the slightest bit or were not positioned properly they can also cause increased drag in turn resulting in elevated wattage.

The OTP pumps are temperamental as it is. You may be able to get away with a new impeller but odds are the pump is actually shot.

JRaquatics · #5 10/19/2007, 12:39 PM

Like slowcobra stated. A killawatt is a must when modding pumps. I always use a Dwyer meter and a Killawatt on all mods.

JRod · #6 10/20/2007, 11:54 PM

I am going to remove the mesh mod and see what happens.

Oh, a dead pump is not what I wanted to hear.

Keeping fingers crossed.

I wonder out of all the mesh mods out there that are occurring or have occurred, how many people actually used a meter to test them. I would have to say it is a very low number, at least in my opinion.

SlowCobra · #7 10/21/2007, 12:30 AM

Removing the mesh mod is not going to solve the problem. The damage is done. And yes the number is low on people that use a meter in turn making the number of premature pump failures high.

JRod · #8 10/21/2007, 08:05 AM

Looks like an Octopus Needle Wheel 3000 runs $70 and the 2000 runs $60.

Any recommendations on if I should use this pump pr another.

Also, any ideas if an eheim can be put on it to remove the current pump.

SlowCobra · #9 10/21/2007, 10:32 AM

2000 is the incorrect pump for the NW200. You will need to replace it with a 3000. Any other pump, that is similar in GPH to the 3000, can work provided you have fabrication skills. Too big of a pump will cause continuous cavitation as the 8" body will not handle the flow.