Mike.P
Well-Known Member
I could use some advice, please. ;Woot
Sorry for the super long post, I've just never used Vortechs before, and don't know a whole lot about them. I found a killer deal on a nice UV sterilizer on Craigslist a couple of days ago and, despite it being an hour and a half to, and then up, a canyon, I went and picked it up. While I was there, he also showed me pile of equipment that one of his friends left him from a giant tank, which he didn't take with him when he moved out of state. Among the piles, were two MP60 W's. I asked him how much, and he told me I can just have them. I double checked to make sure he knows that they're quite expensive, and that I wasn't looking to fleece him, but he said he knows, and it's fine. He said it's my gift for driving up the mountain, in the middle of a crazy May blizzard. lol
Anyway, both of their wet sides were so calcified and encrusted with algae, that at first I couldn't even turn the props by hand; after a 24 hour vinegar soak, and a lot of scrubbing, they look good as new. However, there are some issues that I'm seeing, so I could use some help as to what I need to do, and if it's worth it.
#1 Both of the wet sides were stuck to the dry sides, magnetically and with the spacer pads. Rock solid. I basically had to keep driving plastic wedges between them, until they finally separated. This destroyed both the dry side spacer pads, and the wet side glass protector (I assume) pads. The dry side spacers I see online, the wet side pads I can't seem to find. Here's a picture of one of them, the other one is even worse.
#2 One of the wet side props has a few dings on it.
#3 In one of the wet side bases, the little ceramic square around the base of the prop shaft broke apart when I was cleaning it. I have all of the pieces. Can it be cemented? Also, is there some kind of lubricant that I should put on the shafts?
#4 The rubberized coating around one the dry sides is pretty chewed up, I'm guessing it was banging around in a box or something. That's probably strictly an aesthetic thing, but I was thinking of taping everything off, and coating it with a rubber spray.
#5 When I powered them up I could hear some rattles, and maybe a bit of a grinding sound from the dry sides; it doesn't sound like the bearings (hopefully), maybe just dirt and schmekis inside of the housing. The rotors did look pretty dirty, in looking through the vents. Should I just blow them out with air? Or is it safe to use an electric cleaner aerosol spray on them as well? I just don't know if the bearings are sealed in there, in which case it should be fine, or if they're exposed, in which case the cleaner would blow the grease out of them. Can the dry sides be disassembled fairly easily? One of them has screws on its face, the other does not.
#6 They were manufactured in 2012, so they have some years on them. I know I should probably upgrade the drivers to the QD versions. Maybe that'll take care of some of my noise issues?
#7 Finally, when I fired them up, one of the wet sides makes a soft, almost helicopter-like "whump whump whump" sound when it's running; this happens if I switch it to the other dry side as well. My tank isn't filled yet, so maybe it's just because I'm running them in the air, with a folded up towel separating them?
So yeah, I'm trying to figure out what all it will take to make these run properly, and if it's worth the investment... At the very least I need the new QD drivers, then possibly at least one new wet side, and spacers, pads, etc. These are probably overkill for my tank anyway, I have a Red Sea XXL 625, and I was leaning toward getting the new Gyres for it; however, if these can be put in order for a reasonable amount of money, and will dial down low enough not to throw water out of the tank, then I don't see a reason not to use them. Or maybe I can just fix them up and sell them, that may be worth it too.
Thanks in advance, I appreciate any help and advice!
Sorry for the super long post, I've just never used Vortechs before, and don't know a whole lot about them. I found a killer deal on a nice UV sterilizer on Craigslist a couple of days ago and, despite it being an hour and a half to, and then up, a canyon, I went and picked it up. While I was there, he also showed me pile of equipment that one of his friends left him from a giant tank, which he didn't take with him when he moved out of state. Among the piles, were two MP60 W's. I asked him how much, and he told me I can just have them. I double checked to make sure he knows that they're quite expensive, and that I wasn't looking to fleece him, but he said he knows, and it's fine. He said it's my gift for driving up the mountain, in the middle of a crazy May blizzard. lol
Anyway, both of their wet sides were so calcified and encrusted with algae, that at first I couldn't even turn the props by hand; after a 24 hour vinegar soak, and a lot of scrubbing, they look good as new. However, there are some issues that I'm seeing, so I could use some help as to what I need to do, and if it's worth it.
#1 Both of the wet sides were stuck to the dry sides, magnetically and with the spacer pads. Rock solid. I basically had to keep driving plastic wedges between them, until they finally separated. This destroyed both the dry side spacer pads, and the wet side glass protector (I assume) pads. The dry side spacers I see online, the wet side pads I can't seem to find. Here's a picture of one of them, the other one is even worse.
#2 One of the wet side props has a few dings on it.
#3 In one of the wet side bases, the little ceramic square around the base of the prop shaft broke apart when I was cleaning it. I have all of the pieces. Can it be cemented? Also, is there some kind of lubricant that I should put on the shafts?
#4 The rubberized coating around one the dry sides is pretty chewed up, I'm guessing it was banging around in a box or something. That's probably strictly an aesthetic thing, but I was thinking of taping everything off, and coating it with a rubber spray.
#5 When I powered them up I could hear some rattles, and maybe a bit of a grinding sound from the dry sides; it doesn't sound like the bearings (hopefully), maybe just dirt and schmekis inside of the housing. The rotors did look pretty dirty, in looking through the vents. Should I just blow them out with air? Or is it safe to use an electric cleaner aerosol spray on them as well? I just don't know if the bearings are sealed in there, in which case it should be fine, or if they're exposed, in which case the cleaner would blow the grease out of them. Can the dry sides be disassembled fairly easily? One of them has screws on its face, the other does not.
#6 They were manufactured in 2012, so they have some years on them. I know I should probably upgrade the drivers to the QD versions. Maybe that'll take care of some of my noise issues?
#7 Finally, when I fired them up, one of the wet sides makes a soft, almost helicopter-like "whump whump whump" sound when it's running; this happens if I switch it to the other dry side as well. My tank isn't filled yet, so maybe it's just because I'm running them in the air, with a folded up towel separating them?
So yeah, I'm trying to figure out what all it will take to make these run properly, and if it's worth the investment... At the very least I need the new QD drivers, then possibly at least one new wet side, and spacers, pads, etc. These are probably overkill for my tank anyway, I have a Red Sea XXL 625, and I was leaning toward getting the new Gyres for it; however, if these can be put in order for a reasonable amount of money, and will dial down low enough not to throw water out of the tank, then I don't see a reason not to use them. Or maybe I can just fix them up and sell them, that may be worth it too.
Thanks in advance, I appreciate any help and advice!
