delor
New member
I almost had a huge problem today. After getting out of the shower this morning, I walked by my tank and noticed that it was quite a bit quieter than normal (no overflow noise). I looked more closely and realized that the main return pump (mag 9.5) wasn't running. First thought : something must have tripped a fuse. Nope, everything else on that powerstrip was working fine. Next thought: blocked return line. Closer inspection showed that water in the return lines drained back into the sump (like normal when I cut the pump).
hmmm.. good thing I got up early.
Time to inspect the pump. Maybe the impeller is jammed. I removed the pump and took it to the sink. After unscrewing the impeller cover, visual inspection looked fine (little bit of calcium build up, but I could still move everything by hand). I thought maybe it got hot and tripped itself. I started to run cool water over it and headed to my basement to my "spare parts" area. This point it was getting close to time for me to go to work. I grabbed 2 extra powerheads and took them upstairs.
Retry the pump. Nothing. I can feel the body vibrate, but it won't turn the impeller. I filled the impeller cavity with distilled vinegar and let it set while I dropped the extra powerheads into my tank to create some extra circulation. Back to the pump (now I am LATE for work, but who cares, this is my baby I am talking about).
After soaking for about 10 minutes in vinegar, I retired the pump. The impeller wiggled, but wouldn't rotate. At least we were making progress. I realized that it wasn't the motor, it was the impeller that was causing problems. I was finally able to free the impeller from its center shaft so that it rotated easier. That did it. The impeller spun rapidly (spraying me and the kitchen with water). Time to re-install. I got everything back together and it seemed to be fine, but just to be safe, I left the extra powerheads in the tank while at work today incase it cuts out again. Looks like I will be buying a new/extra impeller today.
If the pump would have cut off 20 minutes later, I would have been gone and who know what could have happened.
At least now I have a "real" reason to tell my wife why I am going to the LFS tonight!
Hope your day started better than mine.
hmmm.. good thing I got up early.
Time to inspect the pump. Maybe the impeller is jammed. I removed the pump and took it to the sink. After unscrewing the impeller cover, visual inspection looked fine (little bit of calcium build up, but I could still move everything by hand). I thought maybe it got hot and tripped itself. I started to run cool water over it and headed to my basement to my "spare parts" area. This point it was getting close to time for me to go to work. I grabbed 2 extra powerheads and took them upstairs.
Retry the pump. Nothing. I can feel the body vibrate, but it won't turn the impeller. I filled the impeller cavity with distilled vinegar and let it set while I dropped the extra powerheads into my tank to create some extra circulation. Back to the pump (now I am LATE for work, but who cares, this is my baby I am talking about).
After soaking for about 10 minutes in vinegar, I retired the pump. The impeller wiggled, but wouldn't rotate. At least we were making progress. I realized that it wasn't the motor, it was the impeller that was causing problems. I was finally able to free the impeller from its center shaft so that it rotated easier. That did it. The impeller spun rapidly (spraying me and the kitchen with water). Time to re-install. I got everything back together and it seemed to be fine, but just to be safe, I left the extra powerheads in the tank while at work today incase it cuts out again. Looks like I will be buying a new/extra impeller today.
If the pump would have cut off 20 minutes later, I would have been gone and who know what could have happened.
At least now I have a "real" reason to tell my wife why I am going to the LFS tonight!
Hope your day started better than mine.
