tunze 6095 noise

[PaulK]

Hi Roger,

I have two Tunze 6095 in my reef. Both are about 6 months old. One of them is completely silent, but the other has begun to make a somewhat loud humming noise. It's not terribly loud but it is annoying. Any idea what would cause this? I've tried cleaning it, soaking it in vinegar, etc., but it makes no difference. Both of the 6095's are on the same setting: about 80% intensity for 10 seconds, then about 30% for 10 seconds. With these settings, I get 10 seconds of silence then 10 seconds of a loud humming (when the loud 6095 is on 80%).

 

[Breadman03]

I found that one of the wires on mine was vibrating against my tank rim. A very slight repositioning of the cable and it was silent again.

 

[PaulK]

I found that one of the wires on mine was vibrating against my tank rim. A very slight repositioning of the cable and it was silent again.

Thanks, I just gave this a try but it didn’t have any effect. The noise seems to be coming from the pump itself.

 

[rvitko]

The only moving part is the drive unit, they can become out of balance from propeller damage, calcium deposits or wear (the hole in the middle can be ground by sand and become elliptical so they wobble). Otherwise the disk at the bottom 6055.740 can wear and become compressed. They also tend to be noisier near a corner from the water causing a reverberation against the side wall. I would first check physical causes, like the cord, loose mount, moving it slightly, rings are on the magnets, etc. Then I would try swapping the drive units between pumps, if it falls the drive unit, that is the cause.

 

[PaulK]

Thanks, Roger. I just tried swapping the drive units but it had no effect: the loud pump was still loud and the silent one was still silent. Moving the pumps around (away from corners, etc.), swapping the magnet mounts, and moving the cords didn't have any effect either. I actually noticed that the loud pump seems to shake a bit in its mount when its running at high speeds. Any ideas about what the problem could be? This pump is only six months old--I bought it in September--and physically it looks fine--there are no calcium deposits, etc.

 

[JS_racer]

The only moving part is the drive unit, they can become out of balance from propeller damage, calcium deposits or wear (the hole in the middle can be ground by sand and become elliptical so they wobble). Otherwise the disk at the bottom 6055.740 can wear and become compressed. They also tend to be noisier near a corner from the water causing a reverberation against the side wall. I would first check physical causes, like the cord, loose mount, moving it slightly, rings are on the magnets, etc. Then I would try swapping the drive units between pumps, if it falls the drive unit, that is the cause.

Say Roger, what does the disc at the bottom, if it becomes compressed, cause for issues ??
i have a pair of 6095, both with the controller, but magnets, cords, things like that are different. both purchased 12/2016
one cord, with blue magnets is thicker, the other is thinner, with thicker black magnets. (seems 3/15 was the change ??)

i just cleaned them both yesterday, and now i hear one whirling not super loud, but it can be heard in a quieter room,
brushed them off, carefully disassembled, cleaned impeller, small brush in the motor block, then had my finger on the shaft tipping them over to rinse in a bucket. also ran them at like 50% in a bucket of citric acid for about 30 minutes. They flow like crazy now, lol but has a bit of noise.
i tried moving the cables, that seemed to help, i also have glass top pieces over the overflows to keep jumpers out. tank is a dual overflow, and i have both high in the back corners, under the return loc line
thoughts or opinions here ??

i also have a 3 foot 58 gallon, im looking at 2x 6055 to replace the 6045 in there now. would you think they should be ok, or should i toss the wider cover on them, ??
(i'm between these, octo2, debating mp10 but they get crazy expensive with apex control)

 

[X-37B]

I found that one of the wires on mine was vibrating against my tank rim. A very slight repositioning of the cable and it was silent again.

I had the same issue. The wire was touching the eggcrate top. Moved wire no issue. Mine are fairly encrusted after 6 months. Tank and pumps are same age. I just clean mine in a bucket of salt water with a tooth brush. Will have to eventually soak them to get the coralline off one day.

 

[rvitko]

A compressed or torn disk causes noise, that is all, typically a clicking if the pump is rapidly cycled off and on. Often after cleaning there can be some air trapped inside and some scratches on parts that were filled over by calcium become exposed again, I wouldn't worry about that too much, those noises will diminish, the main thing is to get everything clean, remove the drive unit before soaking the parts, metal shaft should never be removed.

I used to have a 58 and while at the time the 6055 was brand new, I found 2 6055's were perfect, I started with 2 6045's and they were not enough. At the time I kept acanths and rose bubbles so it was a fairly low flow need.

 

[Softhammer]

I have those issues sporadically too. Occasionally it’s air in the motor block if it’s at a downward angle But a good cleaning usually fixes it. Id be looking into a new impeller if it continues. I run a ton of Tunze stuff, and have been loyal for over 15 years, and more and more I’m getting fed up with them and the criminally expensive parts. The latest is a 6105 that due to recoil from the water likes to continually tip itself up and blow water out of the tank or power wash corals. A new magnet mount is rediculous. I’m about to make the switch away from Tunze, they are way too expensive to be doing this.

 

[rvitko]

I can say with certainty, no competitor will cost you less over time, most don't last very long at all. Very few would even offer the spare parts that you could complain about the pricing on.

 

[JS_racer]

Thanks Roger for the information on the disks, I have 1 of my 6095 click turning on. Should I have 2 sets on hand? I might try swapping impellers, 1 is definitely a bit louder than the other. If the noise switches, that would be my answer.

How would I go about ordering or getting the replacement disks ??
Thanks again for your time, happy holidays

 

[rvitko]

At this time you can order the parts on Tunze.com, next year this will close for the US and we will sell spare parts on Amazon and through dealers only. It is not terribly common to need these disks unless a pump is at least a few years old. Part 6055.740 is the disk, 6095.700 is the impeller, I would try swapping the impeller. You are welcome to email me photos of the parts and I may be able to diagnose in more detail from that.

 

[Valhalla Reefer]

At this time you can order the parts on Tunze.com, next year this will close for the US and we will sell spare parts on Amazon and through dealers only. It is not terribly common to need these disks unless a pump is at least a few years old. Part 6055.740 is the disk, 6095.700 is the impeller, I would try swapping the impeller. You are welcome to email me photos of the parts and I may be able to diagnose in more detail from that.

Hi Roger,
I just bought a brand new Tunze 6095 to pair along with one Ive had for nearly 8yrs now. After placing new pump in tank on opposite side in exact mirror position of my other Tunze 6095 and turning on..it’s making a very noticeable and loud hum.
I notice small design changes compared to my older model which is fine I suppose ... but my old one has been silent from day one. And the sound coming from this new one can be heard from several feet away. It’s now the loudest thing of my system.
What’s best way for me to know if this is a manufacturing flaw? Or what’s to expect from the newer models of 6095? ..in either case, I’m extremely disappointed in my purchase...Especially considering it’s cost and that I chose to stay with Tunze after considering other options strictly based on my great experience with performance of my older 6095.

Considering it’s brand new, I’m really hoping that somehow i simply received a defect..and this isn’t the new ‘quality standards’ of the newer models.
Do I reach out to Tunze or the vendor I purchase it from to work this out?

 

[Clownfishy]

Hi Roger,
I just bought a brand new Tunze 6095 to pair along with one Ive had for nearly 8yrs now. After placing new pump in tank on opposite side in exact mirror position of my other Tunze 6095 and turning on..it’s making a very noticeable and loud hum.
I notice small design changes compared to my older model which is fine I suppose ... but my old one has been silent from day one. And the sound coming from this new one can be heard from several feet away. It’s now the loudest thing of my system.
What’s best way for me to know if this is a manufacturing flaw? Or what’s to expect from the newer models of 6095? ..in either case, I’m extremely disappointed in my purchase...Especially considering it’s cost and that I chose to stay with Tunze after considering other options strictly based on my great experience with performance of my older 6095.

Considering it’s brand new, I’m really hoping that somehow i simply received a defect..and this isn’t the new ‘quality standards’ of the newer models.
Do I reach out to Tunze or the vendor I purchase it from to work this out?

I also have 2 Tunze 6095 which are about 8-9 years old and they are deadly silent and just amazing pumps. I purchased another 6095 3 years ago and it was not only noisy, the knob on the controller snapped off after 8 months and worse, the cable started to split and started to expose the bare wires. I ended up throwing it on the trash which is a real shame as Tunze pride themselves on build quality but they are clearly taking some short cuts.
As my pumps are so old, I have been looking to replace them and although I want to stay with Tunze, I am afraid I lost confidence in their build quality.

 

[rvitko]

I also have 2 Tunze 6095 which are about 8-9 years old and they are deadly silent and just amazing pumps. I purchased another 6095 3 years ago and it was not only noisy, the knob on the controller snapped off after 8 months and worse, the cable started to split and started to expose the bare wires. I ended up throwing it on the trash which is a real shame as Tunze pride themselves on build quality but they are clearly taking some short cuts.
As my pumps are so old, I have been looking to replace them and although I want to stay with Tunze, I am afraid I lost confidence in their build quality.

The cable issue was a defect from late 2016- early 2017, if you would have contacted Tunze UK and still had the pump, it would have been replaced at no charge. The knob is designed deliberately to shear off to protect the circuit board from damage if turned too hard or impacted, it is easily replaced, if you have ever had experience with older pH controllers that used a potentiometer that you turned with a screwdriver to calibrate and turned too far and ruined the unit, this design would make sense to you. Noise issues are almost always a simple mechanical problem that can be resolved by replacing an impeller. Next time, consider asking for help instead of waiting for an opportunity to complain.

 

[rvitko]

Hi Roger,
I just bought a brand new Tunze 6095 to pair along with one Ive had for nearly 8yrs now. After placing new pump in tank on opposite side in exact mirror position of my other Tunze 6095 and turning on..it’s making a very noticeable and loud hum.
I notice small design changes compared to my older model which is fine I suppose ... but my old one has been silent from day one. And the sound coming from this new one can be heard from several feet away. It’s now the loudest thing of my system.
What’s best way for me to know if this is a manufacturing flaw? Or what’s to expect from the newer models of 6095? ..in either case, I’m extremely disappointed in my purchase...Especially considering it’s cost and that I chose to stay with Tunze after considering other options strictly based on my great experience with performance of my older 6095.

Considering it’s brand new, I’m really hoping that somehow i simply received a defect..and this isn’t the new ‘quality standards’ of the newer models.
Do I reach out to Tunze or the vendor I purchase it from to work this out?

Since you are in Canada, support is through Xenia North America, www.xeniainc.com. Noise on a new pump can be normal, these parts are hand fitted and there is some wear in that most occur for parts to fully seat, in most cases, noise reduces over 2 weeks of operation and reach the optimal level after 6 weeks, the ideal during break in is a constant 80% speed, this optimizes the speed the parts seat and reduces noise during break in. Air in the pump will be a cause of much greater noise levels for the first few days. The cable is more rigid and reinforced than in former times, the cables are now a German made polyurethane cable and this solves issues of cable defects and damage from UV over time. It can transfer vibrational noise to any surface it contacts, any surface that it can move or resonate against will cause noise, avoid contact with reflectors, canopies, arms, screen tops, etc. If the noise persists and there is no hard surface contact, the impeller cover is not loose, etc, the most likely issue is an impeller defect and this can simply be replaced under warranty.

 

[Clownfishy]

The cable issue was a defect from late 2016- early 2017, if you would have contacted Tunze UK and still had the pump, it would have been replaced at no charge. The knob is designed deliberately to shear off to protect the circuit board from damage if turned too hard or impacted, it is easily replaced, if you have ever had experience with older pH controllers that used a potentiometer that you turned with a screwdriver to calibrate and turned too far and ruined the unit, this design would make sense to you. Noise issues are almost always a simple mechanical problem that can be resolved by replacing an impeller. Next time, consider asking for help instead of waiting for an opportunity to complain.

Wow, so you think it is acceptable for a product to have all three of those issues and just brush it under the carpet! Well, I don't especially letting stray voltage into water. If Tunze knew about the issue on a cable, why did they not do a factory recall as other suppliers do?
I am just sharing my experience with a product and it appears I am not alone. In the past, I have been a huge fan of Tunze and have had good experience with a skimmer and as I have said, their old 6095. I am sorry but the 6095 I purchased was inferior and poor quality. Unfortunately, I have lost confidence in their products because of it.

 

[Valhalla Reefer]

Ok. Thanks Roger - I don’t recall experiencing this with my first Tunze pumps..but I’ll give the break-in advice a go for 2weeks. Appreciate your quick response. Cheers

 

[Valhalla Reefer]

Ok. Thanks Roger - I don’t recall experiencing this with my first Tunze pumps..but I’ll give the break-in advice a go for 2weeks. Appreciate your quick response. Cheers

I must say...I do t understand why Tunze would make changes to the design of the 6095’s when the older design worked so well. I hate when company’s do that. I know you’re a rep and have little influence...just venting. But if sales start to drop off. You’ll have clue why.

 

[rvitko]

Nope, I am saying that if you would have contacted Tunze UK and notified them of the issue, you would have had a new pump, notice that even though the warranty expired, we would have still replaced it because this is a defect we would remedy. My issue specifically with you is that rather that do something constructive and solve a problem, you would prefer to throw it away and whine about it later.