WTH happened to my spare MP40 wet side?

[fatoldsun]

I keep (kept, I guess now) a spare wetside for my MP40. It’s a nonQD (the dry side bearing went and I failed in my attempt to repair so I got a spare out of it). Just swapped this one out about a month ago. Wish I had been there to hear what this small explosion must have sounded like. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180802/6b831c0ceadab5e7c3696b36179c5054.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180802/0520539edcd4521c916b99736beb7ee9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180802/204ee4814429e918f577f32cbbf5b736.jpg

[Tyler.L]

Holy hell thats insane....maybe some salt creep of some sort and it just started to rust whatever metal components were inside and blew the back off? Thats insane though

[fatoldsun]

A post in my Local NJ club suggested that vinegar bath (to clean it) can compromise the seal on the magnet. I think we all know what happens when iron mingles with saltwater.....

[ca1ore]

I doubt vinegar would affect the magnet coating. That wetside looks ancient. They don't last forever and once the magnet coating cracks it's a gonner.

[fatoldsun]

I doubt vinegar would affect the magnet coating. That wetside looks ancient. They don't last forever and once the magnet coating cracks it's a gonner.



Guess that depends on your definition of ancient. It’s 5-6 years old and for what it cost new I would expect it to last longer than it did. And obviously it looked less old when it was in one piece. Nonetheless something happened and I’ve had a couple people support the vinegar issue so I’ll be cleaning my wetsides differently going forward.

[Tyler.L]

damn thats insane try contacting ecotech regarding the issue and see what they have to say. Even though its a few years old theres no way it should explode that way

[peder]

Jebao next time!

[dave540]

That’s what happens to the wet sides when they age. I’ve replaced mine 2 times over the years. Once the coating on the magnet wears down the salt water oxidizes the magnet. It expands when it rust and burst open. I have gotten 3 maybe 4 years out of my wet sides before needing replacement.


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[Larz_1]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2673372

[ca1ore]

Make sure you're using the proper spacer. Using the wrong one can prematurely age the wetside. Either way, getting 5 years out of one seems more than acceptable to me. I recently replaced my last old-design MP40 wetside - not because the magnet split but because it had developed an un correctable wobble.

[saveafish]

Post on this has been around for years. Funny thing they always seem to vanish like ETM has the sponsorship power and has the threads erased.. I use to own the 40's and they blew their butts out too. 2 out of the 3 I had. They said it had to do with how or what I was using to clean them with. Vinegar or lower than normal PH in my tank.

[Jay Ellul]

I always see vortechs failing after only a few years.

I have had jebao WP40s running 4-5 years without a hitch.


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[rvareef]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2621134

[fatoldsun]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2621134



Thanks for looping this thread in ...and wow. So, they’re like time bombs. Great to know that we’re overpaying for the privilege of tank anxiety...

[Mr. Brooks]

Every MP40 wet side I've ever owned has done this, save for one. It's still running in my tank right now. I need to replace it before it breaks open. The latest one opened up this week. MP40 wet sides have a definite shelf life. They do not last forever.

[ca1ore]

I always see vortechs failing after only a few years.

I have had jebao WP40s running 4-5 years without a hitch.

Always :lol: ......

I've 10 across multiple tanks; I proactively replace the wetsides after 4 years (sometimes 5) and have yet to have any magnet problems. All of the Jebao pumps I have bought save one failed within 2 years. There won't be any more.

As a general observation, it should always be part of regular maintenance to check all magnets. I've had them split on me in various brands of powerheads and also on my veggie feeder.

[Mr. Brooks]

Every MP40 wet side I've ever owned has done this, save for one. It's still running in my tank right now. I need to replace it before it breaks open. The latest one opened up this week. MP40 wet sides have a definite shelf life. They do not last forever.

I should clarify, I said every MP40 I've owned save for one. I'm referring to my original sets of MP40's. I recently purchased a set of new MP40's that I use for a specific purpose (upflow). I do frequent maintenance on these to be sure that none are rusting.

[markaren]

I am embarrassed I just started a thread regarding my 6 year old wet side (MP40). I had no idea that a device made for a salt system would do this.
I do want to say how ever the system is AWESOME!!! I have no issue with staying with it. The over all quality and programing is amazing.

[ca1ore]

Salt water is a highly corrosive environment that is most unforgiving to metals. That you got 6 years out of a wetside is outstanding. I believe ETM recommends replacing them every 2 years. Now, that strikes me as excessive; with proper maintenance I generally find them to last 4-5 years. BTW, magnets splitting and rusting is hardly unique to the vortech. I have replaced many impeller assemblies over the years. You should be inspecting all magnets for the beginnings of magnet coating cracks.

[lpsouth1978]

This thread has helped to confirm that I have made the right choice in wave makers for many years. I have used Both MP40's and MP10's, but was not overly impressed by either of them. Don't get me wrong, the Vortecs are great... If you don't mind a GIANT dry side sticking off the side of your tank, having your pump point in only 1 direction, paying ridiculous amounts of money to purchase them in the first place, and replacing the wet side every couple of years. :lmao:

I have been using Jebao wave makers for some time and have never had a problem with them. They move water perfectly well, have all of the controllability I need (or ever used on the Vortecs) and cost only about as much as a new wet side for the MP40, many cost less. IF or when one fails on me, I will just purchase another. For the price of 1 MP40 I can have 6 Jebaos, so even if they only last 2 years each I can still get 12+ years for the same investment as 1 MP40, not counting the wet side replacements every few years.

Sounds like those who constantly say "the Vortec's will save you money in the long run" may have it wrong after all. It could take nearly 20 years for that statement to become reality.

Disclaimer - The opinions and statements in this post are only my opinion and should be regarded as such. Opinions may vary and sometimes change, but they are never wrong. You are welcome to disagree and form your own opinion. This is the beauty of opinions. :rollface:

[ca1ore]

Sounds like those who constantly say "the Vortec's will save you money in the long run" may have it wrong after all. It could take nearly 20 years for that statement to become reality.

I get the desire for each of us to 'justify' our purchases, but I don't think I can recall anyone actually saying that. Perhaps you can provide examples .... should be easy since people are constantly saying it :lol:. My view has always been that folks who buy cheap powerheads aren't actually saving as much as they think ....... not the same thing. Particularly if you account for potential collateral damage from failures. I'm not even saying that vortechs are the best choice. If value is what you crave then Tunze is probably a better option; if you can stomach the GIANT pump,inside the tank :).

BTW, I do feel that buying a quality return pump WILL actually save you money in the long run .....

[andyman]

To the OP of this thread. Ignore what most people say about how great vortech is or about this being normal and u just need to clean, and how other impellers rust too.

First there are many pumps that use non rusting magnets. Look at royal exclusive, ehiem, iwaki, tunze, etc. There are a lot of pumps that simply use better magnets designed to work in salt water without the need for saltwater protection. Companies that need to plastic coat the magnets are simply trying to cut cost and improve margins.

Vortechs are a real gamble. I currently have 1 mp60 from 10/25/2010 running 24/7. Had to only replace the power supply once, and cleaned it only a few times. Installed QD controller a year ago. Still going strong. The other MP60 I have (which was bought at the same time and running with my other mp60) wet side rusted out.. Been leaking rust in my tank for a while and I didn't even notice it until I lost a few colonies.

The only other pump I've had rust on me is the aquabee 2000/1 skimmer pump. Now ignoring all other aspects of how great the equipment is and how well it works while maintained, why should I have risk failure and inspect regularly to ensure I don't have rust leak into my tank? Spending this amount of money on my tank, I shouldn't have to worry about the livestock. What if the doctors installed a device in your body to keep you alive and told you that you needed to inspect it regularly to ensure it doesn't rust and kill you. Would that be acceptible?

I'm still running the MP60 right now but I am planning to replace it in the next month with a pump that doesn't rust. Ordered a set of Jebao to server as a temporary pump, then a set of Tunze coming as soon as I figure out the combo of apex controller and the actual Tunze I am going to buy.

At the end of the day, when a pump fails , i would just like it to stop spinning. Not kill my tank with rust, or electricty (I've heard some pump wires split open and leak electricty).


So at the end of the day, most reviews I've read don't talk about this. Flow is important but there are a lot of other things more important then flow and turbulence. For the price of a vortech, I expect it not to kill my corals when it does fail. Remember corals are not covered under warranty (and at the end of the day, your tank is for corals, not for the pumps).

[nikon187]

dont know if the magnet is removable on the quiet drives but simple to remove the magnet from the wet side BEFORE soaking in vinegar on the older wet sides. bought 1 on day 7 of them being a pump and hasnt skipped a beat. Power supplies have been the only thing replaced in over 9 yrs. there have been other quality brand pumps out there that have rusted out before, just not as common