DivingTheWorld
Active member
Yeah, that's how I noticed it with mine. I would turn it on and it would rattle off. I popped it open and noticed the crack/rusting. Contact Ecotech support, they were super helpful in replacing mine.
MP40QD magnet flaw?
- Thread starter drclifton
- Start date
I went through the exact same thing you guys did. All sps, LPS died. Some of my sps colonies are 20" long. Lots of them are with me for 4 years. Some fish died too. EcoTech was nice enough to replace the wet side for me. Problem is it took me a long time to figure out what really went wrong. I kept changing water but wasn't really helpful. Just wish someone can post this as a sticker. Hopefully can help people here.
mitch91175
Premium Member
I had the exact same thing happens to me. Had stuff dying in my tanks as well with no idea and finally saw that my MP40qd wetside magnet was rusted. Don't know which is worse, having electrical cable in the water or rusted magnets sitting in the tank for a while before you actually realize that there has been rust circulating in you system for who knows how long. Unfortunately if you do not realize that prior to the warranty passing, your screwed. BTW, when I was using Tunzes this never occurred. Not saying that it won't happen on Tunze as well, but my experience with them for over 7 years of use was phenomenal. Wish I had keep those just in case.
mcrist
Premium Member
I am curious how the wetside stay attached when the magnet expanded as much as it did. When one of my magnet’s casing cracked, it stopped working immediately.
I have both Tunze and Vortech in my tank and they are completely different technologies. I am not surprised that this this never occurred on the Tunze. I have never had a magnet on an impeller fail on any pump. Shaft breaking, yes, but not the magnet.
I have both Tunze and Vortech in my tank and they are completely different technologies. I am not surprised that this this never occurred on the Tunze. I have never had a magnet on an impeller fail on any pump. Shaft breaking, yes, but not the magnet.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
this is a manufacturer issue, the goal of these very strong magnets are to accept the torque from the dry side while in a salt water environment. if for any reason the plastic mold in which the magnet is sealed allows salt water to penetrate, it's only a matter of time thst the magnets will swell up and fail. I've had my fair share of these swell up and had to replace them.
none of us are privy to what ecotech is doing to correct this. perhaps the number of failures are below the need to address the issue, or perhaps they cant find a manufacturer that can meet the needs of sealing this magnet from the salty environment. I can be certain that if there was an easy fix they would have done it already.
we can all chime in with our ideas of how to fix it, but each viable solution presents it's own set of problems in which the ecotech team has to solve.
I've personally come to the conclusion that this is the price of owning these pumps. perhaps one day we will live in a world that wet side magnets don't get destroyed by salt water. however we're not quite there yet.
none of us are privy to what ecotech is doing to correct this. perhaps the number of failures are below the need to address the issue, or perhaps they cant find a manufacturer that can meet the needs of sealing this magnet from the salty environment. I can be certain that if there was an easy fix they would have done it already.
we can all chime in with our ideas of how to fix it, but each viable solution presents it's own set of problems in which the ecotech team has to solve.
I've personally come to the conclusion that this is the price of owning these pumps. perhaps one day we will live in a world that wet side magnets don't get destroyed by salt water. however we're not quite there yet.
Larz_1
New member
I agree.
We should be able to buy just the parts needed for repair and not have to buy a whole new wet side for $75 or dry side for $200 ......
dangros
New member
I had a defective mp40QD which began to hum. Luckily it was under warranty and promptly replaced. However, while removing the defective power head, I inadvertently knocked my other mp40 off the glass and it crashed to the floor. Sure enough, it now hums!!! As much as I love these powerheads, I'm having a rough time trying to justify paying another 200 to replace it.
On thing I noticed in all this is that I have 1/4" glass. That means I could use either the medium or thick spacer. In hindsight, I would now recommend only using the medium one so the magnetic bond is stronger. I don't think the thicker spacer is appropriate as it doesn't stay up as well.
On thing I noticed in all this is that I have 1/4" glass. That means I could use either the medium or thick spacer. In hindsight, I would now recommend only using the medium one so the magnetic bond is stronger. I don't think the thicker spacer is appropriate as it doesn't stay up as well.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
They used to just sell the magnet, however there were balance issues, much like you would have the tires on your car balanced, these wetsides have to be paired and balanced
correctly.
That's a toss up, when you use the thinner spacers, the magnetic couple is stronger which holds it tighter to the glass, but puts more pressure and wear on the bearings and bushings. If it were me I would choose the thicker spacer to prolong the life of the unit and utilize the mounting kit to hold the dry side on the glass.
mynorrodas
New member
Agree with all your comments... I have 4 mp40s and all the pumps have the magnets like that... The wet and dry side Very unhappy with the long term life of the pumps.
