Vortech MP40 - Customer Service & Maintenance Tip

[slingfox]

In recently bought two Ecotech Marine MP40MQD Pumps - w/Mobius. Both had apparently been running fine since I up my tank in early August. Late last night one of the MP40s starting shooting water radially out of the side of its body rather than straightforward. I took the wet side out and disassembled it and found that one of the circular plastic parts has broken into three pieces (see picture). There was also black plastic shavings inside which I assume are parts of the wet side getting gouged while running.

I emailed Ecotech customer service last night and they responded this morning that they would send a replacement wetside. I could not be happier with the responsiveness.

Out of paranoia I opened up all three MP40 wet sides I have (I purchased an extra one for swap out purposes). I noticed that the unit that broke had almost no gel lubrication around the magnet and bottom of the impeller. In contrast, the brand new unused wet side had a thick amount slathered around. I took some Molykote and generously lubricated the two working MP40 wet sides. The working wetside that had been in my tank ran with a slight rattling sound which I could not figure out how to get rid off. After the fresh coating of Molykote, that wetside runs completely silent now.

Key takeaways:
- Ecotech customer service was great here
- As part of periodic maintenance, put on Molykote or some other hydrophobic lubricant to keep the wetside running well. Doing this completely eliminated the excess wetside noise for one the wetsides I had in my tank.

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for passing this on. Hopefully "out the side" didn't translate into "out of the tank and onto the floor"!

 

[slingfox]

Thanks for passing this on. Hopefully "out the side" didn't translate into "out of the tank and onto the floor"!

Thankfully not much water got outside of the tank The sand at the bottom of the glass got blown all around. Easy to fix later.

The two freshly lubricated MP40s are still running silent. I will likely use Molykote to lubricate the pumps in my tank as well whenever their time to be cleaned comes.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Thanks for the tip, this is the second time I’ve heard about lubricating MP40s in molykote. I’m going to do it tomorrow. Did they cover the whole thing including the entire magnet in molykote?

 

[slingfox]

Thanks for the tip, this is the second time I’ve heard about lubricating MP40s in molykote. I’m going to do it tomorrow. Did they cover the whole thing including the entire magnet in molykote?

Yes, when I opened up the brand new wetside there was gel lubricant (very similar to Molycote) spread on the entire surface area including the magnet. This lubricant was on the impeller side as well as the part that sits against the glass---presumably to minimize friction between the two so that the impeller can spin freely.

 

[Coolcasino]

I've never heard of Molykote. I've always lubed my mp40s with plumbers silicone grease.

 

[slingfox]

I've never heard of Molykote. I've always lubed my mp40s with plumbers silicone grease.

I heard about Molykote via some of the tank build videos on YouTube. I looked it up and Molykote is silicon grease plus silica fillers so I assume acts similarly to other silicon grease. One reason why Mokykote is great for reef usage is because it is "NSF 51 and NSF 61 certified for use in food and beverage applications, as well as uses involving potable water". Primary usage in aquariums seems to be spreading on o-rings to prolong the life of the o-rings and helping ensure a water tight seal, and lubricating moving parts like impellers. In my case lubricating the impeller eliminated a small rattling sound while one of the wetsides was running.

 

[Coolcasino]

Will have to pick up a tube. Never thought about if what I use is food safe but it doesn't say toxic anywhere on the packaging. Greasing these pumps make a world of a difference.

 

[Coolcasino]

Which Molykote? There's different models and grades. I assume the one that lubricates o rings and such. Not the sealing ones.

 

[Cameron Martinez]

These things don’t last for what we pay for them. Exotech could give a dang if they are out of warranty. I never used vinegar on mine and both same issue. Time to move on to another wave maker.

 

[slingfox]

Which Molykote? There's different models and grades. I assume the one that lubricates o rings and such. Not the sealing ones.

I believe there was another thread where someone said Vortech confirmed they use Molykote 111.

 

[slingfox]

These things don’t last for what we pay for them. Exotech could give a dang if they are out of warranty. I never used vinegar on mine and both same issue. Time to move on to another wave maker.

Oh man, nasty picture. I hope mine last longer than 2 years. If not then an alternative will be needed.

 

[Coolcasino]

Good to know I got the right one. I always used plumber's silicone grease. I like this new stuff as it was a much firmer application. Can't say it's quieter as mine after 3 years are still silent.

 

[Coolcasino]

Oh man, nasty picture. I hope mine last longer than 2 years. If not then an alternative will be needed.

I believe as long as you keep up with your maintenance they should last a long time. I have also heard of people that maintained them and weren't so lucky. I guess it's just luck of the draw.

 

[HMpops]

VorTech Wetside Grease Pack

VorTech Wetside Grease 3-Pack.

store2.ecotechmarine.com

DuPont Molykote 111 - O-Ring Lubricant

Why does BRS recommend this? Have you ever had a canister get stuck and not want to come off when you are replacing filters on your RODI system? The secret is putting a slight amount of Molykote 111 lubricant on the O-ring every time you replace the filters. DuPont Molykote 111 O-ring...

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