How do you clean a Blueline / Panworld pump?

[cardiffgiant]

I've had my blueline 55 going for about a year without cleaning it. How often should I clean it, and how do I clean it?

 

[Capt_Cully]

I've taken the face plate off, removed the impeller and cleaned it of mineral deposits in the past. It was pretty simple. Is that what you mean?

 

[cardiffgiant]

That is exactly what I mean. Just unscrew the black face plate in front of the impeller?

Is 1 year too soon, too late, just right? I remember going to a lot of trouble (because of the tight quarters of my under tank sump) to clean my old eheim 1262 after 1 year of operation only to find that it didn't need it.

 

[acdraindrps]

I used to love my blueline 55 because it always came apart and cleaned up so easily. Yearly cleaning is a good schedule.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It really depends very strongly on your tank's conditions (i.e. are you dosing a little too high and causing lots of precipitate?)

After a year, I'd take it apart and clean it, and base your next cleaning on how bad it looks this time. Magnetic drive pumps are pretty straightforward in this area and almost impossible to mess up, so have at it!

 

[Capt_Cully]

I will say go easy on the screws. Depending on the model, there should be maybe 2 or 4 of the screws that are very long. You should be able to see evidence of which ones are longer in the casting of the body (the yellow part). I think I broke one or snapped off the head. It went back together just fine but there was a momentary panic. Perhaps hand loosen them before switching to a power driver/drill. The tactile advantage of the screw driver may give you an indication of anything going awry.