driver stuck

[africangrey]

Roger
I have one of the two 6100 stuck on me every month, and tonight when I tried to take out the driver after it stoped on me it won't budge at all. But no matter what I do, I couldn't get it to come out, just seems like the magnet in the bottom is fused to the housing but the unit can be rotated without any problem. I am soaking it in vineger for 2 days to see what happen, but in the event it still doesn't come out what should I do. Should I sent it back to you for necessary adjustment. I have had the unit since April of last year and the problem is always they stop once every month.
Thanks for your help.
Spencer

 

[rvitko]

The driver is the blue box, what is seized is the drive unit. It will likely have to be drilled out. Send it to me at

Tunze USA
1107 N Bend Dr
Austin TX 78758

 

[africangrey]

Does the whole thing need to be moisted while in transit, if so how will I do that.
-A

 

[rvitko]

I only need the actual motor block. So, you can keep the driver and the transformer, they all unplug, you will have to open the driver to unplug the pump- 2 screws on each side. Put the pump in a ziplock bag- moist only- no extra water. Leave the cord and especially the plug outside the bag and ideally inside a seperate bag to keep it from getting wet.

 

[africangrey]

thanks Roger! Would there be any charge associate with this special service and what exactly are you going to be doing, drilling a hole to pull the thing out? I hope not.
-A

 

[rvitko]

No charge, as on the old ones the drive unit was prone to this, but in the future this does fall under neglect of maintanence but I will cover this one. Lower your KH and Calcium a tad and clean them every month until you get to 380-400 and 12. They should go 3-6 months at these levels.

Basically I will stair step in 1/32" increments and rill out the magnet until it is so thin it collapses and then I remove the remains. I rehone the interior and install a new drive unit and test it out.

 

[RedEyeReef]

Hey Roger,

I socked my 6100 & 7400 last night in vinegar for about 1 1/2 hours to clean them. I took the tooth brush (retired from my teeth) to them to get all the Ca deposits off and both looked clean inside, put them back in my reef, plugged them in and the drive unit is still chirping? What else can I do to clean them to get them to stop? Is there an internal part that needs special attention for cleaning? The chirping is making me what to throw my head through the wall.

Do the internal parts for the power head ever need to be replaced, and if so, how do I know (what do I look for)? I bought the 7400 from you about 4 years ago, the 6100 is about 2 years old.

Sorry if I hijacked your thread, I didn't want to start a new one.

 

[rvitko]

They would need to be replaced if cracked but the number one cause is the lower bushing which has a red oring on the bottom being cemented to the magnet. These should be two seperate pieces and rotate freely on each other. The 4 year old model may have a different style that is flat with no oring and a dimple in the middle. One part has to move on the other so they have to be clean. Outside of this the brakes need to ratchet smoothly in and out and not be broken. The top ring has to be firmly in place on the pump with no debris on it or behind it. Lastly the center duct is where water enters to cool and lubricate the parts- make sure the hole in the center of the magnetic rotor is clean. You can always send them to me to be cleaned. Labor is $15 each and the 7400 drive is about $23 and the 6100 is about $28. Assuming it is a simple parts replacement with no stuck parts I'll drop the labor fee.

 

[RedEyeReef]

Thanks Roger for getting back so quick.

On that red o-ring, I noticed that in the bottom of the power head, now that I think about it, on the bottom of the magnet/propeller assembly it did look to have another piece attached at the bottom? I will pull it apart again tonight to look again, but is that red o-ring supposes to be at the very bottom or is suppose to be between the magnet and bushing? (I think mine are froze together, I thought it was one piece)

Thanks again Roger, you are a huge help.

 

[rvitko]

The red oring goes at the very bottom. It is a vibration dampner, the little track/bearing piece goes on that and then the magnet engages on that.

 

[rvitko]

BTW- Spencer, your pump is going back to you today. It came apart real easy, no drill required. I suspect the heat from being on a tarmack during shipping softened up the lime because I just yanked it out.

 

[RedEyeReef]

Thanks again, where would we and Tunze be without you?

 

[rvitko]

Thanks!

 

[africangrey]

Roger,
Thank you very much for fixing it! Did you replace the whole drive so the frequency of the whole pump being stuck is lot less now.
I have to agree with the previous message that your customer service is top notch, and Tunze are very lucky to have you reprsenting them in the U.S.
Spencer

 

[rvitko]

I like my job and being an oddball I don't have many options I replaced all the components except the lower bushing- collar thing, the shaft and the propeller blades. These are the same on the newest models so essentially it is exactly like a new one.

 

[RedEyeReef]

Ok Roger, now what do I try? I pulled apart my 6100 last night, pulled off that bottom bearing (you where right, it was froze) and soaked it for 5 hour in vingar. It was spotless when I re-assembled it and it is still chirping? Any other ideas? Can the drive unit be the problem?

 

[rvitko]

Is it cracked? If it is cracked it won't work- a broken magnet is two magnets and won't work. Outside of that and making sure all the parts move freely on each other, you would have to send it in.

 

[RedEyeReef]

The magnet is not cracked. I will pull it apart again to make sure I didn't miss something. If it keeps up I will mail it to you.

Thanks Roger.

 

[rvitko]

Make sure the hole in the magnet is clear and try putting water in the pump cavity before you start it.

Is it just one pump or both?

 

[RedEyeReef]

Just the 6100, the 7400 is working great.