EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40 Release Information

One of mine is broken :(

seems like I have a lot of play between the bearing and driveshaft, tried to tighten the (plastic)hex nut some to see if the problem would go away but I think the thread is fubared as i cant seem to make it tighter.

Also on the wet side magnet, i have a chip on the outside edge and also a qouge/missing bit about 10mm from the center.

How do I but new parts ?
 
That sucks andy,

The wet part of mine refuses to stay put. No matter what I've tried it will eventually spin. I've tried switching the 2 rubber washers, letting it sit aligned for 24 hours and then turn it on and still spins. Now I've siliconed the wet gasket to the glass and the wet half still spins really slowly. My glass is clean if thats what your thinken. I got no idea why it will not stay.
 
I came home today and one of my pumps had come "un-stuck."
The propeller casing had fallen to the bottom of the tank and the motor was hanging from the cord.

What could have caused this?
Does this indicate a problem with the pump or an incorrect installation on my part?
 
So far, I am loving mine. I run it at 1/2 speed in my 75g and it's excellent! Will be upgrading to a 120g this month. I'll really get to crank it up in there :)

... now that the big production runs are out we'll see how customer service is. S*7%t will happen, but I am hoping it's as good as the product seems so far.
 
I love mine, and I am sure that it will be sorted ASAP, its one of the reasons I bought the two pumps, If I had a bigger tank, I'd have more pumps !
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7687311#post7687311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by subzero420
That sucks andy,

The wet part of mine refuses to stay put. No matter what I've tried it will eventually spin. I've tried switching the 2 rubber washers, letting it sit aligned for 24 hours and then turn it on and still spins. Now I've siliconed the wet gasket to the glass and the wet half still spins really slowly. My glass is clean if thats what your thinken. I got no idea why it will not stay.
Click to expand...
I took this from the VorTech FAQs. Hope it helps.

Why is the wet side of my pump spinning?
Sometimes when the VorTech is first installed, the wet side of the pump will spin slowly in place. This is frequently a sign that the glass needs to be cleaned more effectively on the inside of the aquarium where the pump is mounted. In the event that cleaning the glass does not solve this problem, the problem goes away by itself if left alone for a day or so. In the most extreme cases where this problem does not go away after several days, change the pin spacer setting to one size thicker aquarium. For example, if you have a 3/8ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ thick aquarium and are experiencing this problem, change the pin spacer setting to that for a Ã"šÃ‚½Ã¢â"šÂ¬Ã‚ thick aquarium.
 
Alright so since I have 1/2" thick glass, totally remove the pin spacer? Will this cause it run hotter or wear faster?

I scrubbed clean glass, did nothing.

The problem will not go away by itself, Ive tried leaving it several times and thought it was going to stay but about 18 hours later it started moving again. Most of the time though it moves in the first hour.

Thanks beaver
 
one of mine would spin just barely when first installed. it always stopped spinning if i dropped the speed down all the way for a few minutes, then slowly bumped it up, then it was fine till i moved it again. also doublecheck the alignment, if it's throbbing slightly it might be more likely to break free and spin.
 
ReefWaters-
Many reasons why a pump could become unstuck, including alignment, worn bearing (usually caused by alignment) or as simple as a big snail walking across the top of the pump. Tell me some more details such as length of time you've been running the pump, on/off interval, speed and the thickness of your aquarium. These are important criteria for diagnosing any situation.

Subzero420-
Slow spinning won't damage anything. The better aligned the pump is the better it will work. One of the downsides with the new, black, sound dampening pad is that it does tend to spin a little more prevalently than the older style gaskets, but it doesn't pose a serious problem, especially when it spins slowly.

If you hold the pump stationary for a few moments after turning it on, it will usually stay put. Also, the more often a pump is moved the more likely it will be to spin in the new setting when first installed. The better aligned the less likely to start spinning.

Regarding customer support as larger quantities of these pumps ship out... I don't think anyone will be disappointed. We've made a commitment to our customers and will always be working to take feedback from them to improve both our product and our customer support.

-Tim
 
Well I removed the pin spacer and it helped a lot. The problem with it spining is not that it poses a problem but it becomes un-aligned and noisy. I have absolutely no problem aligning it anymore. I tried having it on full blast without the pin spacer but it moved about 90 degrees in 3 hours. I re-aligned it and now and its been running 4 hours without moving at about 75% power. So hopefully it stays.
 
Subzero420-
Understood. FWIW, 90deg in four hours won't misalign the pump considerably enough in my experience to cause many problems, but your mileage may vary.

Best,

Tim
 
Are there many people having problems with there pumps not staying alligned or in one place? Are you guys talking about the inner piece spinning or the outer piece?

I really want to get a full understanding of how these must be installed so I can avoid these problems if possible. Is there an updated set of instructions available online?
 
Hmmm. So I guess clean glass is one issue to contend with? If there is any kind of film algae that would encourage the unit to spin right?

What other advice do you have to keep this from happening? In my case I have 3/4" acrylic so I would not be using any spacers right? Perhaps then mine would have a lower probability of spinning.

What is the negative of having the wet side spin? Does that change the way it draws water in? I had the impression that the wet side could be in any orientation as long as it is aligned with the dry side.
 
There is very little negative to the wet side spinning. the best way to prevent the wetside from spinning is to just not move it after you install it. It will remain in place. It will not cause scratches if it spins as the material that is spinning is VERY soft, and made from rubber.

A few customers have had this happen, most of the time it stops on its own, tightening the pin spacer setting stops it. Either way we're also always trying to improve thus we're testing new materials as well.

-Tim
 
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