Clean Your Pumps People

[mcarroll]

It seems like vinegar is generally less harsh on materials than HCl. The "excellent" list is much longer for vinegar, for one thing.

The materials that are suspect for vinegar (like PVC) also seem to be listed as suspect for HCl.

 

[mcarroll]

Huh....Silicone is on the "avoid" list for HCl.

If that's the same "silicone" as in "silicone rubber" then that's gonna make some pumps BETTER to clean in vinegar.

Sound insulators and even cable insulation (other things?) are sometimes made from silicone.

 

[mcarroll]

I think soaking ones pumps is maybe the thing to avoid.

Minimize contact time to the amount that's sufficient to do the job.

It'll help if we don't use soaking as a placeholder for elbow grease. Elbow grease first, then soak. Repeat.

An avoid bleach IMO.....it's another placeholder for elbow grease, and is a poor choice of cleaner. (It's most properly a disinfectant.)

Here's the "Excellent compatibility" list for low-concentration bleach:

Interestingly the PVC wire insulation and Ceramic magnets are safe, but Epoxy and ABS plastics are not.

I suspect bleach is hurting more pumps than vinegar.

 

[Forsaken77]

I have not. :D ;)

I don't recall where, but I've heard folks mention that vinegar was bad for pumps before. But I asked around a little when I first heard it and got "pfft, vinegar is fine" so it seemed like YAHM. (Yet Another Hobby Myth)

Still curious for any particulars if you remember where you saw it.

I found it for you :). It was actually an older thread but recently updated... Read the whole thread, you'll see the pictures, and the last few posts of info. Seems like it varies from pump to pump. Works for some folks, yet others have problems. I wonder what the differences are that's causing the issues. I've used vinegar, while always removing rubber gaskets, and never had a problem.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/vinegar-will-damage-pumps.125744/#post-4925815

 

[Forsaken77]

I think soaking ones pumps is maybe the thing to avoid.

Minimize contact time to the amount that's sufficient to do the job.

It'll help if we don't use soaking as a placeholder for elbow grease. Elbow grease first, then soak. Repeat.

An avoid bleach IMO.....it's another placeholder for elbow grease, and is a poor choice of cleaner. (It's most properly a disinfectant.)

Here's the "Excellent compatibility" list for low-concentration bleach:


Interestingly the PVC wire insulation and Ceramic magnets are safe, but Epoxy and ABS plastics are not.

I suspect bleach is hurting more pumps than vinegar.

I think you nailed it... Leaving the pumps for too long. Or perhaps the vinegar concentration is too strong? Any time I had pumps in a vinegar bath, I always have the pumps running to "flush" out the pump.

 

[tigé21v]

Now here's my pump cleaning experience.

When I ran a MAG 9.5 as a return pump, that rarely got cleaned....it just ran and ran and ran. I switched to a Waveline DC6000 and now that has to be cleaned frequently. If I don't clean it, it just stops running around 8 - 9 months. I don't know if there's a torque difference, or if that monster impeller is the cause, or if for some reason the DC pump attracts pump snot faster, but it just gunks up pretty fast with that pump snot and stops running. I have it on a 6 month cleaning schedule. Is this a DC issue with other DC pumps? I only have experience with Waveline.

I've noticed in general especially the Jebaos are affected by not being cleaned. I have to clean mine at least every month or flow slows waaaayyy down. Return I clean every 1-2 months.

I take mine apart, soak them in vinegar water for an hour, scrub them off with a toothbrush and give them a good rinse and put them back in. I don't like messing with bleach, and imo vinegar does better at dissolving hard water stuff then bleach.

I believe DC pumps are made (have to be made) with closer tolerances between the impeller magnet and the motor. So less room for things to build up.

 

[ca1ore]

Now here's my pump cleaning experience.

When I ran a MAG 9.5 as a return pump, that rarely got cleaned....it just ran and ran and ran. I switched to a Waveline DC6000 and now that has to be cleaned frequently. If I don't clean it, it just stops running around 8 - 9 months. I don't know if there's a torque difference, or if that monster impeller is the cause, or if for some reason the DC pump attracts pump snot faster, but it just gunks up pretty fast with that pump snot and stops running. I have it on a 6 month cleaning schedule. Is this a DC issue with other DC pumps? I only have experience with Waveline.

I ran an Iwaki continuously for 20 years. The only times I cleaned it was when a moved house - thus thrice! Not all that much better with my current PanWorld pumps, though I do see a gradual decline in gph.

 

[bobbyM]

My return pump and skimmer pump are due to be cleaned next month.

 

[jda]

Muratic Acid is for sale at Home Depot or Lowes for about $8 for 2 gallons. I have seen it at the grocery store during pool season... kinda like you see driveway melt in the wintertime.

I use Muratic for most of my cleaning. I also take the impeller out, wipe it down and use a soft nylon brush up near the magnets. All of this being said, I have not cleaned my Lagunas or Fluvals in years.

I never use bleach. I would rather just use straight RO and spend some time manually cleaning.

When I have to clean my Tunze pumps, it is usually because the coralline has stopped the intake through the outer shell... vinegar would not even make a dent at this, but Muratic Acid takes care of it no problem.

 

[mrtian97]

How much to dilute the Muriatic Acid with water?

 

[jda]

The "right" dilution is probably better left to Randy... I am sure that he is happy to answer. I will use a couple of ounces per gallon... a bit more if I have a lot of coralline to melt.

 

[Neil82]

SO I can take out the magnet and then use vinegar? I need to clean my Reef Octopus and Jabo power head.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This should be a monthly reminder. So many that overlook this and upon pump failure blame the manufacturer.

 

[jda]

The manufactures do not need to get off scott free here... Iwaki, AmpMaster, Danner, Laguna, Sicce, Ehiem all rarely need cleaning, if ever. It is possible to make a pump that is reliable that can hold up to some gunking. It is also totally reasonable to clean your stuff every once in a while.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

The manufactures do not need to get off scott free here... Iwaki, AmpMaster, Danner, Laguna, Sicce, Ehiem all rarely need cleaning, if ever. It is possible to make a pump that is reliable that can hold up to some gunking.

I think it is especially submerged pumps in areas illuminated taht need cleaning the most due to coralline algae build up.
I had coralline even growing on the propeller, & this would have added weight as well as friction to anotherwise smooth surface.

 

[Art2249]

Not an aquarium expert here but i was a machinist mate in the navy and a nuclear pipe fitter. In .my opinion the best thing you can do for your dc pump is to not reduce the discharge pipe size at all. Not even with a nozzle at the end. Your pump will hardly have to work at all and love you for it

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Not an aquarium expert here but i was a machinist mate in the navy and a nuclear pipe fitter. In .my opinion the best thing you can do for your dc pump is to not reduce the discharge pipe size at all. Not even with a nozzle at the end. Your pump will hardly have to work at all and love you for it

Yes, I found out when I started using it how much of an effect that can have.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I never had to clean my Rio, Cap and Danner Mag Drive pumps. They just kept going no matter what. Koralia power heads seem to not need cleaned too often either. My Jeboa rebranded DC pump seems to have some reduced flow after 2 months of use. Thinking n of cleaning it soon to seemig the flow is being reduced.

 

[sghera64]

I use diluted HCl to clean my Jebao wave pumps. Probably do it 3-4 times per year.

 

[mcarroll]

I found it for you :).

Sweet!

It appears that it was just that Eden pump and it was the epoxy that was apparently in question.

Epoxy is known to be vinegar safe and they pointed a finger at bad epoxy in that thread.

Literally tons of folks jumped in to say they'd never had issues w/vinegar.

I still think this is nearly 100% anecdote and cleaning w/vinegar as most folks seem to do is fine. ;)