drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
- Start date
drummereef
Team RC
Yes they are. Great couple of guys.
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks garrettm85. Hopefully the pump issues will be over this week when I get the pump and I can move on to something fun.
drummereef
Team RC
Someone just had "a case of the mondays" on the phone. Didn't make for a pleasant conversation to say the least. But in any even they are taking care of it so I can't complain.
drummereef
Team RC
:lol: Have you posted in the EcoTech Forum yet about your problem? What's going on with your Vortech?
drummereef
Team RC
New pump comes today. :dance: I'll post some pics of the old one when I retire it and put the new one on. Keep our fingers crossed this one will get the job done.
drummereef
Team RC
Thank you adddo! I think you are the first to post in my thread from Sweden.
Glad to have you here. I'd love to be able to explore your country some day. That would be awesome.
drummereef
Team RC
I'll get some updated pics tomorrow of the new pump. It's installed and running... finally.
I'll also post some pics of the retired Dart too. It's a rusty old thing, I'll tell you that much.woohoo pg 27! :rollface:
drummereef
Team RC
Working on it... hang tight.
drummereef
Team RC
:lol: I wish I was that computer savvy. I can hardly find the button to turn the thing on sometimes.
:rollface: I'm just excited you guys have held on as long as you have with my incredibly sloooooow build. I promise I'll get some fish in there soon.
drummereef
Team RC
OK guys I need your help. 
I installed the new pump last night and all seemed well until this morning I saw it was leaking just like my original Baldor Dart. I am out of ideas why this could possibly be happening. I spoke with Jeff from Marine Solutions today about the issue and he said it wasn't anything to do with my plumbing. He said nothing in regards to plumbing could "cause" failure of the seals. If I was starving the pump it would cavitate, not leak. There is no cavitation that I can tell. The suction side plumbing is 2" as recommended by Reeflo. I also had the sweep 90 design reviewed and OK'd by Chris at Reeflo to make sure that wasn't going to be an issue before plumbing the system. The pump motor seems to be running fine, smooth and quiet. I"m running the pump at about 75% open. I have the recirc line 90% open so there's little to no backpressure on the pump as I see it. There's no microbubbles on the output either. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THESE PUMPS CONTINUE TO LEAK AROUND THE SHAFT.
Water has to be getting between the seals and leaking down on the shaft but how? Is there anything in my plumbing you can see that would possibly be of concern?
The only thing that is different with the new pump is it leaks clear water, not rust colored water like the pics below will show.
Here's the original shot of the plumbing
And the pump manifold
Here's my original Dart and the evidence.
I installed the new pump last night and all seemed well until this morning I saw it was leaking just like my original Baldor Dart. I am out of ideas why this could possibly be happening. I spoke with Jeff from Marine Solutions today about the issue and he said it wasn't anything to do with my plumbing. He said nothing in regards to plumbing could "cause" failure of the seals. If I was starving the pump it would cavitate, not leak. There is no cavitation that I can tell. The suction side plumbing is 2" as recommended by Reeflo. I also had the sweep 90 design reviewed and OK'd by Chris at Reeflo to make sure that wasn't going to be an issue before plumbing the system. The pump motor seems to be running fine, smooth and quiet. I"m running the pump at about 75% open. I have the recirc line 90% open so there's little to no backpressure on the pump as I see it. There's no microbubbles on the output either. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THESE PUMPS CONTINUE TO LEAK AROUND THE SHAFT.
Water has to be getting between the seals and leaking down on the shaft but how? Is there anything in my plumbing you can see that would possibly be of concern?
The only thing that is different with the new pump is it leaks clear water, not rust colored water like the pics below will show.
Here's the original shot of the plumbing
And the pump manifold
Here's my original Dart and the evidence.
Last edited by a moderator:
melev
Well-known member
Brett, how much water is leaking? A few drips? A small puddle? A growing lake? Maybe it just needs a little time to settle in. I'd give it a few days running non-stop and see what happens.
You'd think this particular pump would have been tested prior to shipping to make absolutely sure you'd be happy.
You'd think this particular pump would have been tested prior to shipping to make absolutely sure you'd be happy.
drummereef
Team RC
That's what I would have thought. It was tested at some point because it was wet on the inside and smelled like they had tested it. Don't ask me why I smelled it. :lol: Right now it's probably leaking a couple teaspoons every few hours. It bubbles up right at the shaft and puddles down on the front foot under the volute. I'll definitely keep it running and see how it goes. I'm just losing faith in the company so many people speak highly of.
One other side note, This pump didn't sit flat like the others. The front foot is a good 1/8" lower than the motor plate. Right now I moved my "horse mat" back so only the motor is resting on it. There is no support under the volute at the moment. I originally had a temporary rubber shim under the volute but removed it to see if it would help. Any thoughts on this?
melev
Well-known member
You can put something under the volute to support it. I'd do that if I felt the plumbing might be a tad heavy.
Another thing you can do is test the pump by making a closed loop. Pipe going from the OUT leading back to the IN. You'd need a spot to pour water in first. Then turn it on. If it leaks even with a simple loop, you can absolutely rule out your plumbing.
I'm sorry you're having to go through this, but like someone posted on the last page, at least it is happening now rather than when you have a full-blown reef attached. That's far more nerve-wracking.
Another thing you can do is test the pump by making a closed loop. Pipe going from the OUT leading back to the IN. You'd need a spot to pour water in first. Then turn it on. If it leaks even with a simple loop, you can absolutely rule out your plumbing.
I'm sorry you're having to go through this, but like someone posted on the last page, at least it is happening now rather than when you have a full-blown reef attached. That's far more nerve-wracking.
drummereef
Team RC
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15453656#post15453656 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
You can put something under the volute to support it. I'd do that if I felt the plumbing might be a tad heavy.
Another thing you can do is test the pump by making a closed loop. Pipe going from the OUT leading back to the IN. You'd need a spot to pour water in first. Then turn it on. If it leaks even with a simple loop, you can absolutely rule out your plumbing.
I'm sorry you're having to go through this, but like someone posted on the last page, at least it is happening now rather than when you have a full-blown reef attached. That's far more nerve-wracking.
Thanks Marc. That's a good idea about the closed loop. I might rig something up to test the original pump too.
