Tunze 6055 stops spinning

[Myka]

Hi Roger,

I just received a used Tunze 6055 as a trade with someone. I put it in my tank and notice it's not working on the 7095 controller. I disconnect the other pumps from the controller, and see the controller is still lit up so the new pump is giving the controller power. I disconnected the new pump from the controller, then unplug it, and plug it back it. It spins for about half a second, like one turn and stops. What's going on?

Cheers,
Mindy

 

[rvitko]

Does this 6055 have the built in 7090 controller or is it the older version with the little black box?

 

[Myka]

Little black box.

 

[rvitko]

If I understand correctly, you tried it with no controller connected (important, this means no controller cable plugged into the pump connector) and it still just pulsed rapidly? That would indicate something wrong with the pump.

 

[moosehead]

I just had this pump on my system and worked flawlessly very quite ramp up and down with my controller with no issues. I know it is not the pump is there any other reasons this could be happening?

 

[rvitko]

If we totally remove the controller from the equation, the only possibilities are a bad motor, a water damaged connector, a seized or partially seized propeller or a bad power supply. I would need to have a lot more info such as output voltage of the power supply, verify the pump is clean, and inspect the connection box to give a definite answer.

 

[Myka]

If I understand correctly, you tried it with no controller connected (important, this means no controller cable plugged into the pump connector) and it still just pulsed rapidly? That would indicate something wrong with the pump.

No, not quite, it is not pulsing. It literally spins around for less than 1 second, stops, and does nothing. It does the same thing with the controller connected or with no controller connected, and also does the same thing with a different power source (that is operating other 6055 fine).

The power supply is one where you slide the toggle to choose the voltage. I've tried all the settings, and that doesn't make a difference. The pump is clean, the propeller spins freely by hand.

Here is a video (give me a sec to upload). EDIT: Nevermind, Tapatalk won't let me upload an 8 sec video...oi.

Here's a pic of the inside of the black box...let me know if here is something you can't see. Apparently I wiggled...
http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/57f8035da5076/20161007_141713.jpg?

 

[rvitko]

Everything looks correct, barring water damage or a broken connection in the box, I think we can rule that out.

 

[Myka]

EDIT: See below instead...

 

[Myka]

Everything looks correct, barring water damage or a broken connection in the box, I think we can rule that out.

Good morning Roger,

Ok, I thought it looked good in there too. I didn't see any broken wires or signs of water damage.

I just had an idea...

I removed the powerhead from the power bar and plugged it directly into the wall. It appears to work fine on 12V-20V, but as soon as I go to 22V or 24V it stops spinning. I swapped the changeable power supply for one of my fixed power supply's that has the exchangeable pins. It has a 24V pin in it, and the powerhead does not work on that power supply.

What would cause the powerhead to only work at 20V and lower?

 

[rvitko]

That would point to the pump not really being clean, the power supply being faulty or the shaft in the pump is loose. Basically as you get into higher voltage, you are exceeding the 30W limit of the power supply so it is shutting down. This is most commonly caused by calcium build up on the metal shaft the impeller magnet spins on and that is also the most common issue with a pump that was used and stored as it dried and left deposits. The power supply could also be failing and the safety is malfunctioning so it detects an overheat at a far lower level, that can be a shipping related issue as the thermal sensor is just glued in the case and can break free and move.

Shipping would not cause the pump to fail, but it is not unheard of for a pump that is some years old to die when it is taken down. When it was running, it could stay running, once it stopped, cooled down a contact breaks. DC pumps have a circuit board inside that doesn't last indefinitely, usually 7-8 years is the maximum given the components used life span.

 

[Myka]

Ok thanks Roger. I don't see any calcium on the shaft and the blue rubber bushing and black/grey attenuation disk look in very good condition. I will soak in vinegar and see if this helps. I don't think it's the power supply since the pump does the same thing on my other power supply's.

 

[rvitko]

Try soaking the impeller assembly as well.

 

[Myka]

Try soaking the impeller assembly as well.

Will do, thank you.

Your amazing customer service is why I've been buying Tunze products for 15 years (when I was old enough to finally afford one haha). :bounce3:

 

[rvitko]

Thank you!

 

[Myka]

No dice. I soaked in vinegar overnight and no improvement. At this point the seller is going to send me a different one. Hopefully this one continues to work for him on 20v or less for a long time.

 

[rvitko]

Hmm, I think the motor must be starting to fail based on what we have discussed, worst case, the motors are not terribly expensive and new ones are updated with the controller and thinner cable.

 

[Myka]

Ok, thanks for all your help Roger.