Cleaning External Pump

[phoenix001]

I posted this in another forum, but I thought I would post here as well.

I have a closed loop powered by a sequence dart and its been running non-stop for almost 1.5 years. I'm just wondering if I should be taking it out and cleaning it or performing any other maintenance? If the answer is yes, then how do I go about cleaning it. Getting it out of the stand would not be the easiest task, but its a good pump and I want it to function at its peak. I also have an OM 4-way attached to it - should I be cleaning that?

Hopefully these aren't dumb questions

Thanks
Tom

[billdogg]

if you have it connect via true unions/ball valves, then yes - take it out of line and clean it - a toothbrush (not your own?) and some vinegar should take care of any mineral deposits. same for the 4way - gunk tends to build up on the inside of stuff like that

[supervdl]

I have the plumbing set up for my main pump to be able to take it out quickly. For cleaning or - it happened - when the pump died on me and I had to replace quickly.

[phoenix001]

But you can't really soak an external pump in vinegar, so do you just sit the pump on the counter and dip the toothbrush in vinegar and scrub the inside? What else do you do?

[drstupid]

take an extra 2" male threaded fitting and a plug (or even an elbow pointed upwards), add vinegar, let it sit.