Trouble-shooting a Mag-Drive pump?

[vol_reefer]

This evening I was sitting in the living room and I noticed my skimmer sounded a little different. A little checking and I find out that the pump I use to supply water from my sump to my chiller and my skimmer has stopped working. It's a Mag-Drive Supreme 12 (1200 GPH) submersible pump.

I took it out of the sump and tried just running it in a sink full of water - nothing happens when I plug it in.

Looking at the pump, it's hard to see if there's any trouble-shooting a user could do with it. It's not like your typical Maxijet where you can tear the thing apart and clean it up to try to get it working again. It has external screws on it, but they don't really look like they're intended to be removed by the user.

Does anybody have any experience to suggest things I could try to get this pump working again? I need to either fix it or find a replacement ASAP because I can't run my lights without the chiller working. I don't know if either of the LFSs would have a pump like this - it's a somewhat heavy-duty pump. I guess I could always temporarily substitute in one of my spare Taam Rio pumps, although I don't think it provides the GPH I really need. If the GPH are too low, there's a danger of the chiller freezing up. In fact - yikes - I hope that didn't happen when the old pump failed. That would not be a nice surprise for after I install the replacement pump.

Anyway, if anyone has any tricks to get the old pump running again, let me know.

Thanks,
Jeff (vol_reefer)

 

[cee]

The volute will come off, but I hate these pumps because you often ruin the mating threads when you do so. Don't overtorque them when reassembling (it's easy to do). Then you have to go out a find a longer screw to make them work. Can you just soak the whole thing in pure vinegar overnight? I suspect the pump's heat has caused calcium carbonate to precipitate out deep inside the pump at the base of the impeller magnet. However, can you reach inside the volute a give the impeller a little "jump start" once it is plugged in? I've aslo had these leak water into the motor windings before.

 

[fishdoc11]

I agree, the screws can be removed, When I have had problems with them in the past it has been calcium buildup or a broken impeller.

Chris

 

[Fishboy42]

I've taken these apart before for cleaning; it doesn't seem to hurt them, but like Dave said, be careful when reassembling. A good cleaning and soaking the impeller in warm water or vinegar if there are deposits seems to get them going again.

CR does have one if it comes to that...

 

[Runner]

I just tossed one I got from Mel a couple years ago. She was going to toss it because it stopped working. I managed to get it going briefly just to have it die again. And again. And finally again for good. No buildup. Nice looking pump (like it just came out of the box). I suspect the internal overload tripped off and would not reset. Best tool to use at that point is a hammer.

I did save the cord, though. I have a box full of cords. I have so many now that I only add more for the shear annoyance factor it provokes in my wife. Well, that and it was a really nice cord.

 

[Runner]

BTW, I do have an old Mag 12 that rattles and pumps poorly, but would work okay with a new impeller (the older Type A, not the newer Type B they put out) -- but only submersed (stripped screws would leak externally). I'd be happy to trade it for a few frags if you need it. Or loan it until you get another pump if you want to try your impeller in it (again, must be older style impeller). Aquarium caries Mag impellers, but only the old style. I had to mail-order my last replacement.

 

[seased]

I have a Mag 7 and have had it seize up due to calcium deposits. I just soak mine in vinegar and water for an hour or so. I have had to completely disassemble the impeller - down to the ceramic shaft - to completely remove all of the calcium. hth

 

[Runner]

Aquarium caries Mag impellers, but only the old style

Oops. Meant to say only the new style. Duh...

 

[vol_reefer]

Thanks for the good advice Dave, Chris, Matt, and Scott. When I opened up the pump, the source of the problem was obvious - the ceramic shaft on the impeller was broken. So CR took good care of me and hooked me up with a new one. It's installed in the tank and everything is up and running well now. I may contact the manufacturer to see if I can get a replacement shaft - then the old one can be my backup.

Out of curiosity, what's the difference between the A and B models? The new one I got today is a B model. The old one didn't have a label saying which type it was, but it's about five years old - I suspect an A model.

Scott - if there's any particular frags you're looking for, shoot me a PM and maybe I can help.

Thanks again.

Jeff (vol_reefer)

 

[Runner]

I think the main difference between A and B models is length of the shaft. If the label doesn't say Model B, I would suspect A.

As for frags, I was planning on adding a few LPS after I find a home for my maroons (still pending). Right now I just have the green-tip frogspawn threatening to take over my tank. Amazing how fast that thing grows.

 

[vol_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14590216#post14590216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Runner
As for frags, I was planning on adding a few LPS after I find a home for my maroons (still pending). Right now I just have the green-tip frogspawn threatening to take over my tank. Amazing how fast that thing grows.

Hmm... For LPS, I don't have much I can offer - softies and LPS all seem to fade in my tank. I have a Jendub acan. echinata, but it is encrusted to a pieces of live rock - I've got no way to frag it. I have an orange crush acan echinata (or subechinata - not sure), but it honestly isn't all that impressive looking right now. If you're interested in duncans, I should be able to help you in a couple months - I got some from DFS a couple months ago, and my three-headed frag has sprouted about 10 baby heads so far. They're too small to cut right now, but they seem to be growing quickly. They have nice neon green stems.

Jeff (vol_reefer)

 

[Runner]

Duncans would be cool. I should have a home for my maroons by the time they are ready, too. Send me a message when they are ready to frag and we'll work something out.

 

[zt444a]

If you think it is worth it, the pond shops in my area (St.Louis, MO.) sell impellers for about $20. That can be a frequent problem. The magnets can actually swell over time and with calcium build up it can generate a bit of extra heat causing the swellling. Personally I'd try an impeller before I toss it. If it doesn't work, then I'd keep the impeller as a spare.