Sedra meltdown!

[Ewan]

My GFCI tripped for the first time ever today, and it turns out that a sedra pump on a protein skimmer was the culprit. I'm also holding it responsible for giving my urchin the blues over the last week or so (hasn't been cruising around much, just sulking)... This is just speculation, but I'm very angry about this pump.

Basically, the hard exoxy turned to a soft, crumbling mass. The pump looked ok visually on the outside (I keep my pumps very clean, but I do not immerse them in harsh fluids) I went over the outside casing for quite a while with a flashlight, and saw nothing. It wasn't until I took the back piece off that I saw the damage. The inside of the impeller housing was very hot to the touch.

Check out these pics!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/192sedra5.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/192sedra4.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/192sedra3.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/192sedra2.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/192sedra1.jpg

Next time you're performing maintenance on your skimmer pump, pull the back plate off and look at the epoxy.

-rf

[Tang Salad]

Wow, good thing your GFCI caught that!

What kind of skimmer did that come with?

[DMK]

euroreef? that sucks. how old? i have the same pump, a 5000? i'll check next time i give it a vinegar/water rinse. contact your dealer.

[Satori]

Dude that sucks. I have the same pump. I showed my wife these pics and she said "Get a better one." :lol:

[DMK]

i thought it was...

[Ewan]

Yes, it's from a euroreef skimmer. The pump is a sedra KSP3500, 2 (maybe 3) years old.

It seems like every time I turn around I'm replacing a pump. I had to shell out $100 about 6 months ago because the ehiem on my reactor started leaking like crazy. Just before a move too.

If anything, I'm glad the GFCI did it's job.

-rf

[Navyblue]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9278762#post9278762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MSM
Dude that sucks. I have the same pump. I showed my wife these pics and she said "Get a better one." :lol:

Great trick ;)

[Ewan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9278762#post9278762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MSM
Dude that sucks. I have the same pump. I showed my wife these pics and she said "Get a better one." :lol:

Then is was worth my time to get the camera, change the batteries, and take the pics.

:D

I'm kinda miffed about being skimmerless now... I moved back to Canada last October, and I'm starting to feel the pinch of equipment availability. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for a replacement.

[hyperfocal]

Gen-X/Sedra pumps are, imo, cheap junk. I won't use them. Check out Eheim or Aqua-Medic Oceanrunner (needlewheel impeller) pumps, they're much better quality.