Mag Pumps, WTF!!??

[Anonymous]

I don't know what's going on here but in the last couple weeks I have lost 4 mag pumps for no reason I can see. Two were 9.5's and each running a filtration system on cannisters. One was a 5 model and running on another canister filter and now I just lot a 3 running on a AquaC Skimmer.

They just start chattering. It's looks as though the impeller is bouncing around inside the chamber rather than spinning squarely in the middle. All of them. I have no idea why they are doing this out of the blue. A couple won't even restart on their own unless I have the casing pried open a tiny bit and "jumpstart" the impeller (which of course makes a huge mess while I try to seal it back up).

Anyone have any ideas about these? I am starting to think that rio's aren't such a bad way to go since I think their problems seem to be more common because there's that many more out there than any other pump. All these mags are only a few months old and they've all failed already!

I am sooooo frustrated.

 

[SnowManSnow]

mag has a MUCH better track record than rio... im not sure what your issue is.. but i would think it is on your end since youve had several develop the same issue.

i would also think they should be under some sort of warrenty... i would defi contact the seller on these.

b

 

[Anonymous]

With four different pumps on four different systems, in four different environments, with four different models I hardly suspect it could be something on this end.

There are far too many variables. The lowest common denominator is the manufacturer of the pump.

 

[SnowManSnow]

odd..

maybe something went wrong with that run or somthing..

mags have a good name.. i've had mine a year or so and have had absolutely NO problem..

I work on an aquarium at a school nearby that has 2 in the system.. been in there for at least 2 years...no problem.

b

 

[Anonymous]

It seems the more I use their pump in my systems the more and more I get disappointed. I can't count how many in the past I've had to replace because they won't restart after power has been cut to them.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have any pics of how you have them set up? Mags have been workhorses for me in all my systems with hardly a problem.

Also, I wouldn't mess with the casing. If you one that wont start, go in through the plumbing openings rather than the sides.

 

[mr_X]

my mag7 just took a crap on me. it keeps blowing fuses when i plug it in. it is 2 years old. i also bought a mag 9.5 from someone on reefs a while back and it lasted 2 days. supposedly that was a young pump too. :?

 

[Anonymous]

Bad batch o' Mags..?? This is the worst reporting I've heard of these pumps, usually fairly reliable.

 

[mr_X]

i have a mag24 for return now...*gulp*

also, on another forum a guy was complaining about his Taam Rio breaking after 8 years of off and on use. i thought that was amazing for a cheapo pump like that.

actually, what he was complaining about was the fact that oil had leaked out of the broken pump into his salt/water mixing tub, which wasn't a good thing, especially if it was a return pump :?

.....but still...8 years from a Rio.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have any pics of how you have them set up? Mags have been workhorses for me in all my systems with hardly a problem.

Also, I wouldn't mess with the casing. If you one that wont start, go in through the plumbing openings rather than the sides.

All but on were used submerged. One was the pump for an AquaC skimmer. No out of the ordinary hookups or plumbing.

Also to kick start the impeller I would have to open the pump face cover and help the impeller along with a flat head screw driver much in the way they had to jump start props on airplanes back in the day. CONTACT! Opening the pump face is what you would do to service the impeller anyway for routine cleaning so I can't see it being a detriment to the pump.

 

[Anonymous]

I still have many of my original rios in use today. I've have more maxi jets and mag pumps knock out on me than rios and the rio pumps far out number the others.

I've lost plenty of mag pumps in the past to not restarting. It's just very frustrating now because in just a couple of weeks I have lost four different pumps. Even when I called my supplier about the one mag 9.5 that acted up he too said they have lots of problems with the pumps not restarting.

The final straw was tonight when the mag3 in my skimmer on the tank at work just started chattering and pushing just a tiny amount of flow. The impeller is just bouncing around inside, it's not spinning. That was the fourth.

 

[mr_X]

the mag 9.5 i had would spit out black pieces of what looked like plastic gasket material, and it would only run for about 20 seconds at a time, then blow a fuse. my mag 9.5, 7, and 24 are all submerged.

btw, our rio 2500 was much quieter than the mag7, though, i only used it for about 6 months, then broke the tank down, and sold the extra pump

 

[Ben1]

I have used mags in many size ranges and have never had issues. Keep them clean and mine always start, and do there job.

 

[mr_X]

i always opened them up and never seen any dirt. maybe a tiny bit of slime...but otherwise, what dirt do you see?

 

[cmm1970austin]

I have been running 2 Mag 11 pumps and a Mag 9 for many years now. I have found that the ceramic shaft that the impeller rides on will calcify. Doing a water change the other night, my Mag 11 would not start back up. It seemed frozen even though it was running just minutes before. I took the unit apart, cleaned the shaft with 400 grit sand paper and vinegar to get all of the deposits off and the unit now works like new. Yes, I was VERY, VERY careful with the sandpaper and the shaft. They are fragile. Anyway, if you are running high calcium levels like we all want, the shafts will fowl more frequently. That seems to be the only weakness with these units.

 

[Anonymous]

Like I said, the pumps were only a few months old. Every single one of them. There wasn't much time to foul up with calcium or garbage. Naturally each one that stopped working was taken apart and the impeller pulled to see if there were any problems. If there was something that could be seen I would have cleaned it, put it back together and expected it to work.

The ones that won't start back up without prompting the impeller...nothing I can say about those. There's no obvious reason. The others the impeller is bouncing around inside the cavity meant for it. Instead of sitting squarely in the middle it's banging all around the edges of hole. Like there's something wrong with the magnet outside of the hole.

I just put another mag3 on this skimmer. I had been using this pump for minutes at a time to flow top off water for a year and a half or so with no problems. If I have another mag pump fail in the near future for no good reason I am going to stop using the pumps altogether.