Return pump used in copper system question

[MiaCoral]

i have a return pump ( manta ray) that was used in a copper system. It hasn't been used in a while and still works. Is this able to be safely used in a large coral system or will it leach copper back and kill my stuff?

 

[mcgyvr]

Probably ok..

Probably not a bad idea to run a polyfilter when you set the tank up and see what happens there..

 

[MiaCoral]

going to be for my 800 gallon system

 

[mcgyvr]

Our of curiosity.. Whats a "copper system"?
Used as a sprinkler pump or something?

 

[karimwassef]

put a metal sponge just in case but copper doesn't survive in equipment IME

 

[brownsps]

Could always soak it in vinegar for 24hrs and i'm sure it would be clean as can be. I would not worry after that.

 

[slief]

Could always soak it in vinegar for 24hrs and i'm sure it would be clean as can be. I would not worry after that.

It is never a good idea to soak pumps in vinegar for long periods of time. People do it all the time but that doesn't make it right. 10-15 minutes is all I would suggest. Vinegar is used in the marine/boating industry to breakdown/cleanup epoxy. Many pumps have epoxy in them to seal or fill the bodies and prolonged exporusure to vinegar can breakdown the epoxy and cause long term issues within the pump such as voltage leaks. Also, vinegar damages rubber seals such as the o-rings used in pumps. As I said, for normal cleaning, disassembling the pump follow by a 10-15 minute soak in vinegar followed by a good scrub and rinse is all it takes to clean a pump and make it look like new inside and out. Whether vinegar will remove copper, I have no idea but avoid prolonged vinegar soaks with any pumps.