First Impression Vortech MP40wES - thumbs down?

[sirreal63]

Most of the people who complain about vortech pump don't own them and can't afford them so they make up excuses about how there to loud to justify why they don't have one. All the top notch tanks I see here on RC have vortechs.

Wow...it just keeps getting better. Some of us did the research in person on other people's tanks, in person, and decided that the Vortech was not a good "sound" investment, too noisy and the QC or MFG discrepancies are more than enough to keep me away from them. Some are more quiet than others, right out of the box. As for all of the top notch tanks using Vortech, BS! You may want to go look at the previous TOTM's and count how many are running Vortech's, you may change that statement after doing so.

There is no question that they move water wonderfully and have some advantages, but they also have some disadvantages. Each person will have to figure out if they can live with it, many can and many cannot. There is no perfect solution and no piece of equipment is right in every system.

 

[karsseboom]

Mine are fine not loud at all. The overflow is the loud part. If the pumps were 150.00 bucks vs 480.00 are they were loud and did the same thing EVERYBODY WOULD OWN THEM.

 

[ganjero]

Mine are fine not loud at all. The overflow is the loud part. If the pumps were 150.00 bucks vs 480.00 are they were loud and did the same thing EVERYBODY WOULD OWN THEM.

...but they would still make noise.:spin1:
You make absolutely no sense, the price of the pump doesn't have anything to do with noise they make. I have to agree that this is very inconsistent among the vortechs, all that I have owned have had different noise levels but none of them were quite unless I was running them at really low speeds.
BTW I do not mind their noise, and I love the flow they produce.

 

[sirreal63]

If they were 150 bucks, it would make more sense, given the amount of noise and lack of QC. My Tunze's were not cheap and are silent, they have required nothing more than a bi annual cleaning and are going on 5 years old. It isn't about price as nothing in this hobby is cheap, it is about value and value is as individual as anything else. What is a good value to one person isn't to another. It is that way with everything.

Karsseboom, if your overflow is noisy, start a thread and let's figure out why and correct it.

 

[karsseboom]

...but they would still make noise.:spin1:
You make absolutely no sense, the price of the pump doesn't have anything to do with noise they make. I have to agree that this is very inconsistent among the vortechs, all that I have owned have had different noise levels but none of them were quite unless I was running them at really low speeds.
BTW I do not mind their noise, and I love the flow they produce.

Since there loud people use that as a way to justify not buying them. Since they already couldn't afford to pay 1000 dollars in pumps to begin with now there just gonna bash them cause they can't have them.

 

[karsseboom]

If they were 150 bucks, it would make more sense, given the amount of noise and lack of QC. My Tunze's were not cheap and are silent, they have required nothing more than a bi annual cleaning and are going on 5 years old. It isn't about price as nothing in this hobby is cheap, it is about value and value is as individual as anything else. What is a good value to one person isn't to another. It is that way with everything.

Karsseboom, if your overflow is noisy, start a thread and let's figure out why and correct it.

good luck I have been messing with that thing the whole year. Time to get a new tank with a different style overflow.

 

[sirreal63]

good luck I have been messing with that thing the whole year. Time to get a new tank with a different style overflow.

Send me a pic of the setup, PM or email, it can be helped. I have a glass-holes and it was brutally noisy but after the baggie trick it is silent now.

 

[Jcohen9999]

Wow. Hot topic. I would say if the noise is unnatural (metal on metal etc) then somethings wrong and replacement is necessary. Otherwise aren't we talking about vibrations?

I have MP10 and while I wouldn't call it silent I will say that the only sounds that emanate from it are the vibrations of the unit as the blades push water (especially as it spools up to the max on reef crest mode).

I don't think I got lucky because I've seen/heard the larger ones at LFS and they seem to sound the same.

Kind of like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6uHLq3A00c&noredirect=1

Jeff

 

[rhwimmers]

For those of you that have "very quiet"/can't be heard from 3 or 4' away - if you run them dry side only, does it sound the same? Mine is INCREDIBLY quiet running dry side only, then you add the wet side and then it sounds like a VCR rewinding again...

 

[tkeracer619]

For those of you that have "very quiet"/can't be heard from 3 or 4' away - if you run them dry side only, does it sound the same? Mine is INCREDIBLY quiet running dry side only, then you add the wet side and then it sounds like a VCR rewinding again...

How old is it? Odds are the spacer was ran on the wrong setting and or the bearings have worn. As the magnetic force is applied to the dry side if the bearings are worn it will make more noise.

 

[rhwimmers]

Its pretty much brand new, hasn't been run for more then a month - manufactured 01-11

 

[nematode]

I had one that really whined and had to return it for a new wet side which helped alot (though I still won't run it at more that 60% because it becomes too loud for my taste).
The dry side alone noise does change pitch. Adding the wet side led to a significant level noise that got louder and changed pitch as one would go from 20% effort to 100% effort.
What convinced me mine had a problem was finding someone else locally who had another MP10 and comparing the noise. I actually went over to their place and we did the my dry side their wet side, their dry side my wet side, and it was clear that my wet side was the majority of the problem.

 

[nematode]

I had one that really whined and had to return it for a new wet side which helped alot (though I still won't run it at more that 60% because it becomes too loud for my taste).
The dry side alone noise does change pitch. Adding the wet side led to a significant level noise that got louder and changed pitch as one would go from 20% effort to 100% effort.
What convinced me mine had a problem was finding someone else locally who had another MP10 and comparing the noise. I actually went over to their place and we did the my dry side their wet side, their dry side my wet side, and it was clear that my wet side was the majority of the problem.

 

[Jcohen9999]

Darn. I should never have posted to this thread. Now my MP 10 is whining like crazy. The other night the controller just went into stall mode and then when I restarted the whole thing the wet side was noisy as can be.

 

[Eurobeaner]

Maybe you should clean it

 

[Jcohen9999]

oops. I thought I had posted a rebuttal to my own post already. Anyway, I did clean it after I found the votech PDF online about how to clean the wetside and it's much better but I think I need a new ceramic axle and washer as they both look worn. I am going to check in with Ecotech on the availability of these parts. I know I can buy a new wetside for ~ $63 but fixing stuff is more fun.

The timing of this was just too weird after having the MP10 basically running non-stop since I got it when it first came out.

Jeff

 

[James77]

If the pumps were 150.00 bucks vs 480.00 are they were loud and did the same thing EVERYBODY WOULD OWN THEM.

Nope. If they were $5, and made the same amount of noise they make now, they would not be on my tank. I would pay double their cost to get the same amount of flow out of a pump but have it silent. Luckily I do not have to, as Tunzes are cheaper than them, although I do have to tolerate one of their cons...the larger footprint in the tank.

One of the cons of the Vortech is that it makes noise, no matter how much the pump costs. Can you hear it, or does it bother you? No? Great, then enjoy your pump! Some people can hear them, either from variations in pumps, ambient noise, or hearing sensitivity. They all make noise though, Ecotech will even say this.

Just because quite a few people have an issue with the noise does not automatically mean it is because of the price of the pump. They are expensive pumps, yes. So are all the skimmers I have had, ballasts, pumps, etc. Would I own the Vortech without the noise? Maybe. The flow is too gentle for my liking, but overall they are a great pump. No person is denying that.

 

[lighthouze08]

over the last 2 year i owned 2 mp40w es and a mp10w es. i started selling them off one by one b/c of the noise. now i have none left. My thought is any pump that is located inside the tank, the water just dampening the noise so it's not loud, on the other hand, vortech is outside of the tank spinning the giant magnet inside, unless it's perfectly balanced and is using top of the line bearing, you'll still hear it, more so in the wave mode ramping up and down