Did water change last night, pumps failed.

[andro]

I did a water change last night, and after neither of my pumps turned back on, I had to take them apart and spin the impeller by hand until it started to spin on its own. They are both CA1800 pumps. I might have to spend money I don't want to have to spend on 2 new pumps.

-Ian

[foxstop]

Ack!
Sorry to hear that Ian.
I hope they spring back to life.
Do you have a spare you can use?

I had an issue with my MAG 12. When I restarted it my GCFI would pop even though the ground checks good. It seems to be drawing a big load on startup and works fine with no adverse effects off of a regular outlet. (I haven't been electrocuted yet)

Go figure.

Brian

[ADS]

Hi Ian-
All pumps require some type of maintenance-Try soaking impeller in white vinegar overnight.
Adam

[skearse]

Dork engineer's note-all electrical equipment draws the most amperage that it will on start-up (for a few seconds). For a CA 1800, you'll pull very low amps (<1/4A, Id guess), whereas a Mag 12 pulls 1.5 (reefs.org). Just an FYI.

As for startup, like Adam said, soaking the impeller & shaft could help; if the impeller or shaft were 'bogged down' while trying to start the motor would shut itself down due to abnormally high amperage pull. Also check to make sure that the shaft, impeller, and magnet casing (with a flashlight) are not chipped or cracked. If they are, this could also be a cause of trip out.

HTH!

Originally posted by foxstop
Ack!
Sorry to hear that Ian.
I hope they spring back to life.
Do you have a spare you can use?

I had an issue with my MAG 12. When I restarted it my GCFI would pop even though the ground checks good. It seems to be drawing a big load on startup and works fine with no adverse effects off of a regular outlet. (I haven't been electrocuted yet)

Go figure.

Brian

[Tomzpc]

Originally posted by andro
I did a water change last night, and after neither of my pumps turned back on, I had to take them apart and spin the impeller by hand until it started to spin on its own. They are both CA1800 pumps. I might have to spend money I don't want to have to spend on 2 new pumps.

-Ian

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that those pumps are made by the same company that makes Rios because they look very similar. Rios tend to do the same thing as yours, and often times much worse things like leaking current or oil into the tank.

I'd replace them with mags if I were you Ian. I ran a Mag 12 for about 5 years with no issues and took it apart for cleaning at most once a year.

[andro]

I am thinking about a Mag7 for my skimmer and a via aqua 4900 for my return.


I took the 2 pumps apart, and the impeller is clean and nothing is chipped, I think it is something inside the sealed housing that is bad.


-Ian

[masterswimmer]

Ian,
Let me know if you need a loaner pump till you work out your situation. I'm using a Mag 7 in my topoff tub that I'd be more than happy to lend to you.

Let me know,
Russ

[andro]

Thanks for the offer Russ, but I think I will be good for now. At least for the next month. I have my pumps on a battery backup so they will run for a few hours if power fails. I will probably have new pumps by the time I have to power these down again.

-Ian

[masterswimmer]

No problem Ian, the offer stands.......would be my pleasure. Glad it's working out for you though.

Russ

[occb2]

Andro,

Mags have the same problem. I had a mag 9 running my 58 when I had that set up in my living room, and when I would shut it down to clean it, it was a pain in the butt to get it going agian. I would take apart the units, and clean them with a pipe cleaner that can get into the magnetic spinning area, and give it a good cleaning. they should start right up. Rio's are not made by the same company, but are very similar in the way they are built. The big difference is that the Rio's are not grounded, unless you go for the new power series. Later,
Robert

[foxstop]

Well, I'm running a MAG 12 as my main return pump and a MAG 9.5 on my skimmer. Sounds like I should be a bit worried.
Hopefully I won't have too much trouble. I need to use submersible pumps in my setup and I was thinking the MAGs were the best of the lot. I've hear that EHEIM pumps are good too, but I didn't see a wide variety of them.

Thanks for the info Rob.

Take care.

Brian

[occb2]

Hay Brian long time no hear. The mags are good pumps, and I would have to say that your right. The Ehiem and the mags are the two best. I an Ehiem running my Cal. reactor. I think its a 1250. Runs like a champ. What I like about the ehiem is that it runs with no hum or vibration. Costly but worth it. As far as the Mag. I also have one of them to new in a box sitting as a back up for the Ehiem. Mags are very good pumps and the only problem I had was that the plastic back would come off and then I would be scared of stray current coming into my tank, and that will cause LL on angels and Hole in head on Tangs. Also when I had the Mag 9 on my 58 gal. it would alway hum and when I would do a cleaning it would stop running until I cleaned the grim from inside the magnetic drive. But it ran for 3 years and it went with the tank. So they do last. I've never use it as an ext. pump. THe Ehiem I do and like I said not a sound or hum. Well I hope I gave you some insite. Good luck.
Rob

[Tomzpc]

Originally posted by foxstop
Well, I'm running a MAG 12 as my main return pump and a MAG 9.5 on my skimmer. Sounds like I should be a bit worried.
Hopefully I won't have too much trouble. I need to use submersible pumps in my setup and I was thinking the MAGs were the best of the lot. I've hear that EHEIM pumps are good too, but I didn't see a wide variety of them.

Thanks for the info Rob.

Take care.

Brian

Mags are very reliable as far as submersible pumps go Brian. My guess is that you'll get years of trouble free use out of them so no need to worry. Eheims are good but are way overpriced in my opinion, not just by a little. If you were comparing an Eheim to a Rio or similar pumps then I'd say that the price diff. would be worth it, but Mags have been around for a long long time and have an excellent reputation.

[foxstop]

I agree Tom. I went with the MAGS after doing much research. Jeff at Lifereef offers the MAGS for an additional cost over the RIOS. Well worth the cost. the Mag 12 I'm using seems like the correct size for my tank and the 9.5 really does great on my skimmer..

Hopefully they run until I decide to replace them!:D

Thanks!

Brian