Failing pumps or something else?

RabidDragon · Jul 14, 2024

I have a:

220 water box.
a Apex controler with 2 COR-15 return pumps that are now ~3.6 years old.

I observed that when new, the pumps would run at ~3500 RPM when at 100%
The RPMs have slowly decreased over the 3.6 years to ~2100 RPM when at 100%

Last weekend I woke up to these pumps cycling on and off, off for about 10 secs and on again for about 3 seconds continuusly. I've seen this in the past with power poweroutages when the power returns. I resolved it by turning everything on, one at a time to avoid any power spikes. This did not resolve it this past weekend.

What I found was that if i could only turn one pump on without them cycling on/off. I can run either pump... but not at the same time, even at 50%. Cleaning the pumps/impeller didn't help.

I can't find within the APEX app where it would indicate if it was turning off the pumps due to a power overload. I even tried moving other equipment to a different powerstrip in an attempt to lower the total power running through the APEX.

I suspect these pumps have nearly reached their lifespan.... OR is there another issue that I"m not aware of. I'm nearly ready to "pull the trigger" on purchasing a SICCE Syncra SDC 9.0.... seems to simular to the CORs in abiltlity but with a 5 year warrantee....

Thoughts? Thanks.

Timfish · Jul 15, 2024

Have you tried bypassing the apex and run the pumps off a wall outlet?

DanyL · Jul 15, 2024

I’m not an Apex user, however if the pumps are supplied directly with DC through the Apex (not through 110/220V) then it’s possible there is a hardware overcurrent protection kicking in and shutting it down.

My hunch is that there might be something physically blocking the pumps, forcing them apply more pressure and thus lower the RPMs while also drawing a lot more current than they should, which in turn triggers the overcurrent protection.

As a test - try to disconnect the pumps, disassemble them to clean the impellers and all internal parts, then after reassembling it back leave the pipes disconnected and try to turn them on and see if it has improved or fixed the problem.

Edit: Missed the part where you wrote cleaning didn’t help. Try to simply turn them on with the pipes disconnected - blocked pipes can build pressure and make it harder for the pumps to push through.