Rio 2100 pump sometime failed to restart, any tips?

[ronkhoo]

I use my Rio2100 as a sump return pump for a 65G tank. It pushes a height of 5 foot from sump to tank. This pump has been great for the pass 4 years.

Recentlly, it refuse to start everytime I turn it off to do my water changes. I will need to give it a good shake or sometime has to take it out of water then put it back in to make i start again. It realy bugs me.

For the many Rio user out there, any tips?

 

[Desolas]

Pull it apart and clean it to start, look at the impellar shaft, most likely at that age the impellar shaft has worn into the impellar and the impellar is no longer tight. So when your pump shuts off, the impellar is kind of off-center which makes it semi-stuck and harder to restart.

Mine did this before I replaced it, and it was only 2 years old, so I would assume yours is more worn overall.

 

[tazdevil]

Shoot it.

Look up any thread on rio pumps, your gonna see some definitive problems with them. An LFS that I used to flame on here had some new management, and one of the first things they did was take out all rio's and replace them with dolphins and mag-drives. From an employee that worked under the old and new management "'bout time they got rid of those damn things, we couldn't keep 'em running well after a year, and more than one tank had been poisoned from them cooking off."

 

[Reefguide]

I too have heard horror stroies about them... I run those piece of craps... I hope I'm not yet another tragedy... :?

 

[caecosystems]

I've used Rio pumps for around 8 years or more. What you describe is painfully common. Rio pumps just can't hang with Mag-drives or Sedra or the likes.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll toss in my anti-plug for RIOs. Last one I ran exploded and killed a $400 golden guinea fowl puffer and a $150 show size queen trigger. I cried like a baby, had that puffer for years and raised him since he was 4 inches long (he was over a foot when the RIO killed him). Finally tracked down a phone number for RIO and called to talk to them about it. Actually talked to the owner of the company and he was unbelievably rude to me. Threatened to sue me if I told anyone about it, etc. That was a couple years ago, and haven't run a RIO since.

-John

 

[caecosystems]

That is a horror story!!!!!! 8O

 

[Marrowbone]

Look to upgrade it to at least a nice safe Mag Drive. If you get a power failure while you are away and the RIO doesnt restart, it could melt down pretty far before it trips a circuit.

My first return pump was a RIO, and since I rarely turned it off it lasted about 3 years, but started to stick a bit on restart. At one point I made the mistake of trying to use a RIO on a timer as a PH and it melted down after 3 months. Luckily I was at home in the same room when the lights went out and smoke came pouring out of my tank! ouch! Luckily my tank was already a mess It's doing much better now! Thanks to RdO 8)

 

[ReefMon]

any tips?

Yea, throw it away!

This is what happens when a RIO won't restart....

...they explode into flames

HTH
Glenn R

 

[Anonymous]

And yet the owner of TAAM (RIO's parent company) claims that it's impossible for a RIO to explode or leach any kinds of chemicals into a tank. 8O Yeah, tell that to the Big Lebowski (my dead puffer). :?

 

[Marrowbone]

Surely billowing caustic smoke from plastic burning underwater couldn't be considered leaching? ROFL ... tick tick tick ...

 

[Joey French]

throw it away now...take it from me....