Actual wattage of my skimmer pump 3x the advertised value?

[jdamon]

So, I did a little math, and according to my apex, my skimmer pump is ~110 watts. The advertised value is 35? What gives? It's an airstar pump from ATB, which is an askol block. I was under the impression that this was a high end quality pump. Anyone else notice this with their pump?

To be complete, here is the math I used:

Watts = VA
W= 120 (.9)= 108watts.
Amps were taken from apex (turning off pump and turning it back on, taking the difference in amp display)

Does this mean I have a junk pump? Or is this normal? Thanks in advance for your help!

[ksed]

Is this running on which skimmer?
Is it possible that your pump is calcified in which is adding resistance to the motor block and causing the spike?
I have an Apex and the amp readings on the controller are off a bit, that being said when you have a pinwheel on a pump it become a different story. I had an ATB with a airstar 1500 and got a measured 32 watts.
I highly recommend one of these to test for W,V,I,and PF. Well worth the investment for any pump.

http://www.p3international.com/products/p4400.html

[alton]

You are not the first aquarist to have a pump say one thing and use something else. My mag 7 when it got old it started using three times the amount of power. I had a jeabeo that used 4 times the amount that it was suppose to and heated my tank four degrees above normal until I removed it to the trash can.

[jdamon]

Is this running on which skimmer?
Is it possible that your pump is calcified in which is adding resistance to the motor block and causing the spike?
I have an Apex and the amp readings on the controller are off a bit, that being said when you have a pinwheel on a pump it become a different story. I had an ATB with a airstar 1500 and got a measured 32 watts.
I highly recommend one of these to test for W,V,I,and PF. Well worth the investment for any pump.

http://www.p3international.com/products/p4400.html

I got one of those "kill a watt" meters, and according to that, my apex is right on. And that means my airstar pump is using 3 times the power as it is rated! I just cleaned it, so I am confident that there is no calcium build up on the impeller or anywhere else. My 10 year old eheim 1262 is consuming 80watts, slightly less than its rating. I love eheim :)

You are not the first aquarist to have a pump say one thing and use something else. My mag 7 when it got old it started using three times the amount of power. I had a jeabeo that used 4 times the amount that it was suppose to and heated my tank four degrees above normal until I removed it to the trash can.

I am pretty bummed, I thought this ATB airstar was a quality pump... It certainly cost a pretty penny.