First return pump failure

[Thornbreaker]

So I got up this morning, went to check on the tank, and after noticing the low water line, sure enough my return pump had stopped working.

I've got a jaebo dc12000. It's been running about 6 months on 40%, so it was due for a cleaning. I've got it soaking in a vinegar bath after taking it apart.

DT has both heaters in now and powerheads are working. Presuming I can't get the return pump to work again, will the DT be fine for about 36 hours? I've ordered a new pump, and it will be overnighted.

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[nereefpat]

With heaters and powerheads, the tank will be fine for a long time.

Hopefully you can get the old one working again, so you can have a spare.

[Rover88]

You are golden, don't worry about the DT. Just pretend you don't have sump anymore :D


The issue would be is the sump-water is 'stagnant'. And if its anything like my sump, its probably dirty as sin.

You might want to do a water change of whats in the sump out, or at least dilute it, before recirculating it up into the tank again. Unless you also have powerheads in the sump or something keeping it moving.

[Thornbreaker]

You are golden, don't worry about the DT. Just pretend you don't have sump anymore :D


The issue would be is the sump-water is 'stagnant'. And if its anything like my sump, its probably dirty as sin.

You might want to do a water change of whats in the sump out, or at least dilute it, before recirculating it up into the tank again. Unless you also have powerheads in the sump or something keeping it moving.

Thank y'all for the reassurance. I'll make sure I keep the tank topped off with fresh water so the salinity holds.

Yeah, my sump isn't terrible being 6 months old...other than of course the skimmer flooded and I did have some cyano I've been trying to rid it of.

Fortunately, I checked it all this morning. Both heaters were originally in the sump and temp had dropped to 75 degrees in the DT. I may keep one in the DT from now on in case this ever happens again.

I'll definitely use the time to clean the sump as well, esp if the soak doesn't help after 8 hours. I'll need to make sure it's reheated and close in salinity before recirculating. May just do a water change on it as you suggest so I can clean it out some. I do have a small powerhead in it that's running to keep it from being stagnant and to keep a little flow on the cheato.

This will also be a good time to hardline my return. I ordered a DCP13000 which has pvc union/fitting compatibility (supposedly their newer model, which also prevents motor burn out due to blockage...supposedly). I've been using a 1" vinyl tube which is due for replacement thanks to the fact it doesn't block light:) Started with that because I wasn't sure how much else I'd want to add later, so the new hardline will have at least 1 T on it and a couple of unions so it's future proof. Was planning to do this all this weekend, but Murphy decided to crop up last night instead.

[Thornbreaker]

Update, after soaking for about 8 hours, it's not turning back on. Controller is dead it seems. I did brush it out everywhere I could see.
Is there a reset for the controller?


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[Brieninsac]

Unplug and plug back in for starters

[Thornbreaker]

Yeah...I did that...

[outssider]

are you sure the power supply is working properly ??

[shua71]

I had the same pump with the same problem after 2 months. If you take out the impeller and brush everything it should work. The only issue is this will be a constant problem. I suggest you get a new pump of a different brand it’s not worth the risk

[Thornbreaker]

are you sure the power supply is working properly ??

That's part of the question at this point. No lights on plug in. I'm wondering if a good clog causes it to trip/fail, but there's little info on a possible reset. I've tried plugging it in over and over.

I had the same pump with the same problem after 2 months. If you take out the impeller and brush everything it should work. The only issue is this will be a constant problem. I suggest you get a new pump of a different brand it’s not worth the risk

I did take out the impeller, brushed down everything. Is it possible to take it apart further, including the shaft?

New pump comes in today. I may see if I can find a controller on Ebay or something just to see if the broken pump will restart on a new one.

It honestly didn't look that dirty on the inside when I pulled it all apart. Soaked in all in vinegar bath for over 8 hours.

[AlSimmons]

How long did you have the pump for? I apologize for not reading through the entire thread. Maybe it's time to spend some money? It happens sometimes... GL

[Thornbreaker]

About 6 months. Should have cleaned it a couple weeks ago.

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[shua71]

My power supply would blink with just one light on where it shows the strength. Maybe I had a different issue but I just decided to spend money and went with a sicee just for a piece of mind

[Thornbreaker]

New pump is installed along with a hard return line now. Probably went a bit overboard, but got the jaebo dcp13000...it looks way bigger than the dc12000.

While plumbing the new hardline, I screwed up and forgot to put the union nut on before I put an elbow on. So basically had to cut that elbow off, with left just enough 1" pvc for me to reglue with a new elbow, this time with the union nut. So far though everything is running smooth again.

I gave my skimmer a good cleaning, including the pump, cycling it in a vinegar bath as well. It's having to rebreak in though it seems as adjusting the air flow valve is not raising the water level much. Bubbles form fine, but it's not reaching the cup yet consistently. May be a seal problem?