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

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10984836#post10984836 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11279804#post11279804 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> 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