I hadn't seen a thread depicting the improvements that Ecotech has made to this sweet pump, so I decided to make one. It doesn't seem to be generally known that there have been improvements in the last several months.
I have been a longtime user of the Ecotech Vectra L1 pump (run externally), here is the history:
1. The pump did not have an effective manner to circulate new cool water around the spinning impeller shaft.
2. The pump material used around the impeller shaft was not robust enough to handle the heat generated in that area, without a constant supply of cool water.
Here are pictures of a failed pump:
The impeller that had been dragging against the housing:
The inside of the housing shaft (the rough surfaces you see are the plastic bubbled up and now hitting the impeller):
Before you panic, I am fairly certain that the pump knows when it is getting too hot and it turns itself down. So that is one of the easiest ways to know if you are impacted. Your return pump will go fast initially when cool (has been off for a bit) and then it will slow down. I run a herbie drain so this was super evident because it would get really loud after being initially fine tuned.
Here is the second one, same failure:
And now for the good news! Some companies might sit back and just wait a decade to come out with a new pump, but Ecotech seems to have acted and improved their pump significantly.
Here are the differences:
New on left, old on right.
1. New one has a new, more robust material (it feels like am much tougher polymer) as the pump shaft walls (it is black, sorry, bad pic).
2. Notice that little hole in the new pump housing on the lower left? That is a vent hole! It flows water to the back of the impeller shaft! (I blew into it to test).
Here's a better pic:
New on bottom old on top:
See those vent holes? Those are to allow water to make it to that recirculation loop. I think initially they thought those holes around the shaft would flow enough water, but they did not, especially if any biofouling had taken place.
Anyhow, it has only been running for a few months but no issues so far.
Anyhow, I am in the product development business as well, and it was comical because I told my wife what I would change after the first pump failed, and then when the second pump was replaced, those changes had been made (i need to check my house for bugs! ;Nailbiting)
With the issue solved, in my opinion, the Vectra L1 is the best controllable DC pump for the money by a long shot.
I have been a longtime user of the Ecotech Vectra L1 pump (run externally), here is the history:
- I bought the first version when it was new to the market. A year later, it melted itself (plastic bubbled on pump impeller shaft wall, no water circulated around impeller shaft, pump slowed and failed).
- Ecotech overnighted me a new one, same pump (great customer service!).
- The replacement pump also lasted a little under a year, then failed in exact same fashion. It was so hot that when I removed it from the system and opened it, steam was pouring out of the impeller cavity in the pump.
- Ecotech shipped me a replacement, expedited, and when I said "I don't really want to keep replacing this thing" they mentioned that there had been a fix...
- I got the new pump and there are significant changes which I believe should fix the issues, time will tell!
1. The pump did not have an effective manner to circulate new cool water around the spinning impeller shaft.
2. The pump material used around the impeller shaft was not robust enough to handle the heat generated in that area, without a constant supply of cool water.
Here are pictures of a failed pump:
The impeller that had been dragging against the housing:
The inside of the housing shaft (the rough surfaces you see are the plastic bubbled up and now hitting the impeller):
Before you panic, I am fairly certain that the pump knows when it is getting too hot and it turns itself down. So that is one of the easiest ways to know if you are impacted. Your return pump will go fast initially when cool (has been off for a bit) and then it will slow down. I run a herbie drain so this was super evident because it would get really loud after being initially fine tuned.
Here is the second one, same failure:
And now for the good news! Some companies might sit back and just wait a decade to come out with a new pump, but Ecotech seems to have acted and improved their pump significantly.
Here are the differences:
New on left, old on right.
1. New one has a new, more robust material (it feels like am much tougher polymer) as the pump shaft walls (it is black, sorry, bad pic).
2. Notice that little hole in the new pump housing on the lower left? That is a vent hole! It flows water to the back of the impeller shaft! (I blew into it to test).
Here's a better pic:
New on bottom old on top:
See those vent holes? Those are to allow water to make it to that recirculation loop. I think initially they thought those holes around the shaft would flow enough water, but they did not, especially if any biofouling had taken place.
Anyhow, it has only been running for a few months but no issues so far.
Anyhow, I am in the product development business as well, and it was comical because I told my wife what I would change after the first pump failed, and then when the second pump was replaced, those changes had been made (i need to check my house for bugs! ;Nailbiting)
With the issue solved, in my opinion, the Vectra L1 is the best controllable DC pump for the money by a long shot.
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