Let's Count the Broken RIOs

Rio 600 - 3yrs, no problems.
Rio 400 - 2yrs, must 'bang' to start sometimes.

AquaClear 300 - 6yrs or more, no problems.
Hagen 301 - 6yrs or more, no problems (two of these).

I have to 'bang' that Rio 400 even 5 minutes after it has been thoroughly cleaned.

I know it's a separate thread, but since we are talking about being shocked I'll never buy a heater other than Ebo-Jaeger again. I tried a Visi-Therm heater once that leaked and shocked the crap out of my arm. I was wearing hiking boots, so I was insulated from the ground but my hand was in the water and my elbow touched something metal. Zap!

Now I have a ground probe in addition to the GFCI.
 
Here's my shot at counts from this thread by Rio model number:

90, 3 of 7 failed.
180, 0 of 4 failed.
400, 0 of 2 failed.
600, 6 of 13 failed.
800, 4 of 9 failed.
1100, 0 of 1 failed.
1400, 2 of 2 failed.
1700, 7 of 11 failed & 1 shocked or polluted.
2100, 24 of 28 failed & 7 shocked or polluted.
2500, 12 of 16 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
2800, 1 of 1 failed.
3100, 4 of 8 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
3200, 0 of 1 failed.
3800, 0 of 3 failed.

"Big models", 4 of 4 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
"Unspecified models", 81 of 123 failed & 7 shocked or polluted.
 
rio 5 ... 3 in one year.
AQUA globe 5.
Mag5 had 1 fail, damn back end blew off....
little giant 1, froze up.
Remember tho I have been doing this for around 15 years. Pump fail over time... But rio's are horrible.......
 
Thanks for the informative thread!!!

I just changed my order with LifeReef to MagDrives from the original RIO that came with the setup. Glad to save some time and headaches up front.
 
Add a 1400 to the list of dead RIOs. Came with my Remora Pro. Lasted 6 months. I thought it was supposed to be the new, improved UL listed type. Replaced it with an Iwaki 20.

BTW, I have 2 Hagen 802 pumps that I bought in '93 and they are running fine. To be fair, I bought 3, but one impeller broke in '95 and never went back in service.
 
I thought I would put up some defense for the Rios so here goes....

I, Jeff, at Lifereef have been using the Rio 2500, Rio 3100, Rio 4100, and Rio 180 now for as long as each pump has been around.

In these years (at least 8 I think) I have had to replace less than a dozen, and only two last year due to a mechanical problem and probably caused in shipping, Rio does not pack the pumps very well.

I will replace any Rio pump if it fails in the first year. Reason, Rio will replace the defective pump for me as they will do for anyone.

Believe me, I would never select a product to go along with a Lifereef product that had a history of problems. The Rio pumps I use are reliable, dependable, and what I use in my 200 gallon reef on a Red Sea Wavemaster.

For those that absolutely do not want to use a Rio they can opt for a MagDrive. But then there are those that hate the MagDrive pumps too.

Guess the saying is true that you can't satisfy everyone.

JT
 
I still have my original 1700s (2) from 1995 and they still work for water changes. (They ran nonstop for 4 years) Because of all of the bad press about these pumps around 1999 I switched too using only Mags and Sens. (I will never buy another Sen) I have abused 4 Rio 1700s and an 800 and they still work, but obviously I don't use them daily any more. Where do I stand? First hand experience tells me they are fine for the price, but I can't ignore all of the bad experiences of others and the Mags really do put out without a complaint.
 
It's not the failing part of the RIO that bothers me but the aftermath of what could happen. Dead fish, dead corals, tingling sensation of the handler, and I had a fire with a RIO that cooked my powerstrip.
 
Rio 2100:eek: Exploded in my reef. Lucky I was home to witness the meltdown & prevent it from destroying my whole system.

Happy with Mag Drive.
 
Are you seeing a trend here?

Rio 1700's and Rio 2100's are the bad pumps, not the others such as the Rio 2500, 3100, and 4100 series.

Too bad that just because a pump had a problem that you bash the entire companys product line.

In fact in the lpast 30 years I have been in the hobby, and then business, I have not had a pump that has not shocked, burned, fried, or just plain wore out including Rio, Sen, Eheim, Penguins, and others that I cannot recall. And with a company that sells 1000's of pumps there are bound to be defects.

JT
 
Rio: owned 2 , BOTH failed -- trashed
Mag Drives: own 3, never failed, getting another one

BTW, I had 2 out of 4 Azoo powerheads fail within 3 weeks of operation -- will never by that cheap junk again . Got what I paid for.
 
I have or had the following

2 x 0800 = 2 OK
2 x 1100 = 2 OK
2 x 1400 = 2 OK
2 x 1700 = 1 OK, 1 Not
3 x 2100 = 2 OK, 1 Not
2 x 2500 = 0 OK, 2 Not
 
I've had 2 Rio's (2100 I think) melt down. The second melt down killed almost 75% of tank.
Other pumps have frozen, but not with the dire consequences likt the Rio's. I would avoid them at all costs.
 
I found myself getting shocked whenever I reached into my tank. One of the 2 Rio 2100s had shorted/died - in my sump!
 
It seems this thread is a little misleading.

When you say a rio has failed, does that mean that it merely has siezed or that it melted down and leaked toxins into tank.

For me, it was always the former. I have never had a meltdown (but that's not to say it won't happen).

My take on this Rio bashing is this: ALL PUMPS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SIEZE TO DO CALCIUM CARBONATE BUILD-UP.

Rios may be more prone to this then others but all pumps are succeptible. I've had a MAG 24, a CA pump and a maji-jet sieze due to calcium carbonate.

On Rios, what happens is that the calcium carbonate forms around the porcelan stem of the impeller. Over time, this buildup causes too much friction and then ultimately causes impellar to sieze. (If this condition is left unnattended, it causes heat to build-up and then this can lead to the melting of the housing and ultimately toxin release into tank).

SOLUTION: Vinegar, Vinegar and then more Vinegar.

I had about seven or eight pumps that this happened to (various brands but mostly Rio). I took the propellar assembly out, soaked everything in 100% vinegar solution over night. Scraped off the carbonate from the impellar stem, put it back together and then ran the pumps in 100% vinegar over night. All my pumps that I thought were garbage now work fine.

The lesson: Run all pumps (Rios more often) in 100% vinegar overnight about once every 3 to four months.

Try above and let me know if it works.

oz
 
I had a Rio 2100 for my return from sump to tank. After reading all the posts on Rio pumps I ordered a MAG5. It came the day we had a brief power interruption. The 2100 never restarted. I got that Mag in there as fast as I could; everything was OK. I did an autopsy on the pump; no deposits whatsoever in/on the impeller or shaft.

Thanks to the advice on this board, I was able to save my tank!

Oh, and count another failed 2100 in the survey

Walt
 
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