return pumps keep dying

[chris1292]

my first return pump would randomly stop pumping out of no where after 8 months. so i went to LFS and they returned it for same exact pump brand new. 2 months later is randomly stops pumping again? does anyone know why this might be happening? (my dad whos tank is in the same room as mine has the same pump and has not had any problems, he uses the same water chemicals, etc.)

[shifty51008]

What brand pump and how often do you pull out the impeller to clean it?

[Rookieofsalt]

What brand pump and how often do you pull out the impeller to clean it?

+1..

and bad outlet?

[chris1292]

What brand pump and how often do you pull out the impeller to clean it?

its a supreme classic mag-drive 12, i clean the impeller maybe every couple of months, im going to pull it out today and soak it in vinigar, how often is it supposed to be cleaned?

[chris1292]

+1..

and bad outlet?

i have it on a power strip, could one outlet be the problem? or would they all be bad because only the pump goes out.

[Rookieofsalt]

From my experience. I had one extra outlet on the power strip and I was using for the reactor. However, all three maxi jet went out on the same day. Everything else on the strip was find and the indicator said protected. I left that outlet alone and everything is fine now.

[sweedish15]

after you soak/clean the impeller make sure it spins freely on the shaft. I dose two part and I know I get good bit of calcium build up on the shaft. If you dont take it apart and clean it, it will have start up issues and eventually make it too difficult to spin. The good news is if you have locked up impellers after you clean them you'll have a few extra like new pumps.

[OregonReefer2]

Mag 12s are total workhorse pumps with a great reputation (other than they are not very electricity efficient, a little noisy and produce a fair amount of heat) The kind of failure you're talking about is not common. I've been running mine 24/7 for a year now without ever cleaning it and it performs as well as it did on day one

I'd be inclined to suspect your power-strip. However another possibility is the pump intake... If it's restricted at all it will significantly reduce the life of the pump

[tkeracer619]

Mag pump shouldn't crap put like that. As long as you don't have the intake restricted. He might have gotten a bad batch. If its clean and won't restart then this would be my first guess. 2 months? Not normal.

[tkeracer619]

Mags run hot so if its got build up on it consider dosing the tank instead of the sump. You might be precipitating calcium onto the shaft.

[chris1292]

just an update, i unplugged the pump today to do some work on the tank, when i plugged it back in i heard a very quiet noise coming from the pump, not water movement or any thing else. luckily i knew what to do because the last pump did the same thing, to get it back pumping i have to take a hose, push it into the mesh guard on the pump and blow air into it. that jump starts it. also i dont dose anything through the sump, i put all chemicals into the tank, only thing i add to sump is freshwater, i dont think that would affect it right?