Tunze 6105 ORCA Initial Review

[robbous]

A 6105 and a 6255 are the same pump, one is running on 12V , one is 24V, when you buy a 6255 most of what you are paying for is the super strong magnets for 1" glass which are useless with the ORCA so you buy the 6105.501 and replace the power supply with 6101.240.

I'm want to replace my power supply with 24v where can I find this model that yo u mention? thank you

 

[rvitko]

24 VDC power supply unit | 6101.240

Power supply unit for the pumps 6105.000, 1073.050, 5005.000, 6150.000, 6114.00 and 9430.001 from year of constructon 2015. Can also be used as a replacement for power supply unit 6105.240.

shop.tunze.com

 

[dwest]

I installed the orca with the 6105 yesterday. The flow is awesome. But, unfortunately it’s too loud. It sounds like a refrigerator hum when the powerhead goes to 100%. Since I use 10% flow in a couple spots and 100% flow everywhere else, I hear this hum several times on and off every oscillation.

The spouse unhappiness factor is getting dangerously high. My tank is in my living room.

My tank is an old school rimmed tank if that matters.

Where do I go from here?
@rvitko

 

[zheka757]

I agree, they are loud! Way to loud compare to same strength different brand pumps.

 

[dwest]

I agree, they are loud! Way to loud compare to same strength different brand pumps.

Thanks for the response. I think they are supposed to be silent. I’m interested in hearing what others say about this.

 

[areefer01]

Thanks for the response. I think they are supposed to be silent. I’m interested in hearing what others say about this.

I have a pair of 6105's and there is no hum. I hear some return pump noise. Fan noise. Dosing pumps. The 6105's I don't. I also have 1 ORCA that has a 6105 on it and what I noted above is the same. I don't hear the ORCA motor nor the 6105.

The 6105 blade is very sharp and formed for maximum flow and low power. When mine is dirty I notice flow fall off but not noise. The only noise I will hear is if I am in short pulse mode (not on the ORCA, but the stand alone pumps) I will hear the unit rock a bit as mine are installed on the EURO brace. The 6105's at a short pulse, .25 - .50 MS response time, generate some serious torque. So there is that.

I do not run mine at 100% other than when I'm in feed mode. Then it is with .25 - .50 ms pulse and it is more water movement I hear and not the pump. The rest of the day it will run at various speeds up to around 80%.

Note 1: my ears are probably not the best being around fighter aircraft so I am not the best judge
Note 2: if you are hearing a hum at varying speeds try to isolate it at what level you hear it and how it is mounted. If on the ORCA how deep is the shaft going. Any vibrations. Those types of things. And is does it happen when clean vs say a month of use.

 

[X-37B]

Give them a few weeks to get coated and they should quiet down.
I run 2 6255's in my ext 170 and they are quiet. They have been running this way for 2 years. If I turn up to 100% they are still quiet.

 

[dwest]

Give them a few weeks to get coated and they should quiet down.
I run 2 6255's in my ext 170 and they are quiet. They have been running this way for 2 years. If I turn up to 100% they are still quiet.

Thanks. I had read somewhere that it might quiet down. Fingers crossed.

 

[dwest]

I have a pair of 6105's and there is no hum. I hear some return pump noise. Fan noise. Dosing pumps. The 6105's I don't. I also have 1 ORCA that has a 6105 on it and what I noted above is the same. I don't hear the ORCA motor nor the 6105.

The 6105 blade is very sharp and formed for maximum flow and low power. When mine is dirty I notice flow fall off but not noise. The only noise I will hear is if I am in short pulse mode (not on the ORCA, but the stand alone pumps) I will hear the unit rock a bit as mine are installed on the EURO brace. The 6105's at a short pulse, .25 - .50 MS response time, generate some serious torque. So there is that.

I do not run mine at 100% other than when I'm in feed mode. Then it is with .25 - .50 ms pulse and it is more water movement I hear and not the pump. The rest of the day it will run at various speeds up to around 80%.

Note 1: my ears are probably not the best being around fighter aircraft so I am not the best judge
Note 2: if you are hearing a hum at varying speeds try to isolate it at what level you hear it and how it is mounted. If on the ORCA how deep is the shaft going. Any vibrations. Those types of things. And is does it happen when clean vs say a month of use.

Thank you.

At 50% on my 6105 orca, the sound is much less. I hear water trickling and my dirty mp40’s over the 6105’s. At 100% the 6105’s are the predominant sound. I’ll see if I can do anything with the mounting.

 

[rvitko]

What part hums? They should be very quiet, usually noise indicates something is wrong but isolating whether the noise is the pump or the ORCA will be an important step. If it is the pump, a loose front cover, hard surface contact, cable vibrating against something are going to be your main culprits. If it is the ORCA, usually it is a squeak noise and that means the pipe is forced up and rubbing on the bushing.

 

[dwest]

What part hums? They should be very quiet, usually noise indicates something is wrong but isolating whether the noise is the pump or the ORCA will be an important step. If it is the pump, a loose front cover, hard surface contact, cable vibrating against something are going to be your main culprits. If it is the ORCA, usually it is a squeak noise and that means the pipe is forced up and rubbing on the bushing.

Thank you for getting back to me.

The part that hums is the pump. It sounds like a refrigerator hum. I don’t hear it at low speeds. But when it pulses from 10% to 100%, I hear it. The ORCA is quiet.

I removed the orca, removed the pump, cover, and the impeller. Everything looked good as I was disassembling. I put it all back together and I hear the same noise.

There is no contact between the pump and the tank nor are the cables vibrating against anything.

As you may be able to see in the pic, the tank is rimmed.

If I should PM to not derail this thread, I’d be happy to.

Thanks again.

 

[zheka757]

Thank you for getting back to me.

The part that hums is the pump. It sounds like a refrigerator hum. I don’t hear it at low speeds. But when it pulses from 10% to 100%, I hear it. The ORCA is quiet.

I removed the orca, removed the pump, cover, and the impeller. Everything looked good as I was disassembling. I put it all back together and I hear the same noise.

There is no contact between the pump and the tank nor are the cables vibrating against anything.

As you may be able to see in the pic, the tank is rimmed.

If I should PM to not derail this thread, I’d be happy to.

Thanks again.

I know exactly what you saying, everyone that saying theirs is quiet, I'd love to listen to theirs with my own ears. As Orca with tune 6205 is the only pump I ha e ever own

 

[rvitko]

A 6255 will have some noise, it is spinning considerably faster and db is not the issue with the pumps, it is pitch or frequency. The db is at or below normal living room background volume, the higher the speed the higher the frequency, the more annoying the noise even though the volume is not changed.

To dwest:

1) Make sure the front cover is secure, the gap is even on all sides. I have seen pumps that were crushed slightly, then the housing is a real struggle to get on besides just the cable grommet, the prop can then rub the housing as it is elliptical from shipping damage. Make sure the propeller is undamaged, a chip or worn end results in imbalance and a lot of noise.

2) The pumps do wear in and seat, we generally advise that noise is reduced 50% after 4 weeks and a further 50% in another 4 weeks. After 8 weeks you should have 25% of the noise when you started. This is because in running the surfaces are polished and seat together. The first few days can be the noisiest from air trapped in the pump, this can be solved immediately by assembling the pump under water, install the drive unit in water. The sweet spot is 60-80% speed, this tends to get a faster wear in, with a lower noise frequency.

3) If there is no improvement, we want to test the pump held in hand to rule out any vibration transmitting through the mounts or cables, the only moving part is the propeller assembly (drive unit) a replacement may be needed to solve it if it has some inherent imbalance.

 

[dwest]

A 6255 will have some noise, it is spinning considerably faster and db is not the issue with the pumps, it is pitch or frequency. The db is at or below normal living room background volume, the higher the speed the higher the frequency, the more annoying the noise even though the volume is not changed.

To dwest:

1) Make sure the front cover is secure, the gap is even on all sides. I have seen pumps that were crushed slightly, then the housing is a real struggle to get on besides just the cable grommet, the prop can then rub the housing as it is elliptical from shipping damage. Make sure the propeller is undamaged, a chip or worn end results in imbalance and a lot of noise.

2) The pumps do wear in and seat, we generally advise that noise is reduced 50% after 4 weeks and a further 50% in another 4 weeks. After 8 weeks you should have 25% of the noise when you started. This is because in running the surfaces are polished and seat together. The first few days can be the noisiest from air trapped in the pump, this can be solved immediately by assembling the pump under water, install the drive unit in water. The sweet spot is 60-80% speed, this tends to get a faster wear in, with a lower noise frequency.

3) If there is no improvement, we want to test the pump held in hand to rule out any vibration transmitting through the mounts or cables, the only moving part is the propeller assembly (drive unit) a replacement may be needed to solve it if it has some inherent imbalance.

@rvitko

Thanks for the help. I was able to do more troubleshooting today. I’ll refer to your points above.

1. I don’t see any issues with the front cover or any damage to the cover or propeller.

2. I think the noise reduction has started to occur. It’s still a bit loud for the living room, but may be getting better. It’s been running less than a week so I’m hoping for this to resolve on its own.

3. This appears to be significant! I held the pump in my hand and my wife could not hear the hum anymore. So, it appears the problem is the pump vibrating the rim of the tank (it’s an old style aqueon/marineland tank) that’s vibrating the canopy or tank or stand. So I’m wondering a couple things.
A) is there some sort of vibration dampener that I can put in between the orca mount and the rim OR
B) maybe I should notch out the rim edge enough so that I can mount the orca to the glass.

Any thoughts from anyone?

Thanks again.

 

[exnisstech]

maybe I should notch out the rim edge enough so that I can mount the orca to the glass.

i was thinking of suggesting that. I've cut part of the inside lip on rimmed tanks to mount lights with no negative effect. Might be worth a try.

 

[rvitko]

What I would do is isolate the clamp with some rubber, auto parts stores sell sheets of red rubber for DIY gaskets, Walmart is inconsistent but used to have it as well, an old mousepad can also work. It likely is vibrating the trim but I would hesitate to cut it.