Driver and Battery Question?

[ReefWaters]

Two quick questions:

1. I have the old driver and have been running it for well over a year now. I just started getting a solid red AND a solid green light on the driver when power is applied to it. I have two Vortech pumps. I switched the power sources and get the same thing on the same driver. So it does not appear to be the power source. Is my driver shot or is it something else? Obviously, if it is the driver, I will just buy the wireless driver. I just want to be sure that the wireless driver will fix this problem before I buy it. The wet side does not seem to be binding.

2. I purchased a battery back up several months ago and still haven't plugged it in. (long story) Does it need to be plugged in now, whether it is attached to a pump or not?

 

[EcoTech Marine]

Without seeing the pump in hand it is difficult to say for sure that it is the driver. However, if the wet side is not bound, the motor is not bound, and you have confirmed that the power supply is good, then I would say you have a reasonable assumption that the driver has gone.

The battery won't need any special treatment prior to installing it. Just plug it in and go.

-Tim

 

[ReefWaters]

Thanks Tim,

So is there a fairly easy way I can figure out if the motor is bound? Or would I have to open the two drivers and switch the line going to the pump(s)?

thanks,

Ross

 

[EcoTech Marine]

If you have two drivers available you should definitely swap them to confirm that the problem follows the driver. It's really simple to do, just unscrew the four black screws and gently remove the motor connector by pulling on the connector itself. Do not pull on the wires.

-Tim

 

[ReefWaters]

Will do and I'll let you know what happens.

 

[ReefWaters]

So I'm going to go ahead and say its the driver. I was able to run both pumps off of the good driver and I got both pumps to fail on the bad driver. Both power sources were good. So I guess I'll go ahead and order my new drivers.

One more thing on the battery. I don't plan on plugging it into my pump any time soon. If its just going to be sitting there for a few more months do I need to plug it in? Also, if I'm going to stop using one that has been plugged in for a while, do I need to leave it plugged in or does it matter if I unplug it? I just remember reading about these batteries having a life span. I just want to make sure I maximize that life as best I can.

Thanks again for all the help.

Ross

 

[EcoTech Marine]

Your best bet is to open the battery and allow it to sit on it's float charger.

-Tim