problems with turbelle 240.04 pump...

[Acropooper]

Hi,
I picked up a used 240/3 skimmer to put on my new reef tank I'm setting up but I'm having some difficulties. Before I tried setting up the skimmer, I tested the turbelle to make sure it was working. It immediately locked and the alarm sounded, so I figured it needed a cleaning. I disassembled it according to the manual and gave it a pretty good cleaning. It really wasn't dirty at all and there were no calcium deposits. I tested the pump again and it ran for about 30 seconds and then locked again and the alarm went off, but every time the pump tried to start itself every ten seconds, it works and pumps water for about a second before seizing up again. I tried cleaning the pump extremely thoroughly, soaking it in warm water and vinegar and clean, and it still works the same. I carefully inspected all the pieces and saw no wear or damage, and I also opened the driver and and checked for any water damage. Everything about the pump really seems fine, but If i push the impeller with my finger it will occasionally get stuck and if I just gently turn the impeller the opposite direction it immediately becomes unstuck. I'm assuming that something is wrong with the break shoes, but when I inspect them, they move in and out without any problems, nothing is blocking them. Any ideas?
Thanks.

 

[Acropooper]

update:

I tried running the pump without cover over the impeller to see what exactly was happening and it was running fine. I put the cover on and let the pump run for 2 hours without a hitch. I then set up the whole skimmer, and the pump was working fine and started making foam right away, but 20 minutes later I came down and found the pump off, but the driver is not alarming. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in a couple of times, but nothing is happening. I have no idea what's wrong because the pump seemed to be operating fine but now I have no clue whats wrong because it's not running but the alarm isn't going off.

 

[rvitko]

It sounds like you probably just need a new drive unit. If you want you can order part 3000.60 and do it yourself or you can send it to me and I can check everything over. In general it is hard to store pumps dry for long periods and not have some problems, I suspect either a plastic part is swollen- possibly was cleaned with a strong acid or the magnet or some part is fused or has a small crack. Let me know how yopu want to procede- the kit runs about $24 and in most cases will solve the problem. I don't know why the alarm stopped but sometimes if you line everything up right it stops, it could also be that the driver is bad. Drivers aren't exactly cheap, about $75 but I do have them and sometimes they can be repaired.