Ecotech MP40 on the fritz...?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=70374
Printed Date: July 26 2026 at 3:59pm
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Topic: Ecotech MP40 on the fritz...?
Posted By: rfoote
Subject: Ecotech MP40 on the fritz...?
Date Posted: March 18 2014 at 6:12pm
| I have had this MP40 for a little over a year now. A couple of weeks ago, it started doing the following; it will run just fun for awhile, then I will notice it isn't running. when I look at the controller, it is blinking between red, white, green, and then back through the same cycle and won't start up. I unplug it for a bit, and it works for awhile and then does the same thing again. Any thoughts? |
Replies:
Posted By: badfinger
Date Posted: March 18 2014 at 6:34pm
| Take the wet side apart and soak in vinegar till most of the coraline and build up is removed. This worked for me a few years ago anyways |
Posted By: laynframe
Date Posted: March 18 2014 at 8:17pm
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Bearings could be out too, changed the bearings in my mp10 and problem solved. When it's doing the blinking is the dry side hot? ------------- The time we enjoy wasting isn't wasted time!!!! |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 18 2014 at 9:15pm
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I'd change bearings as well. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Bryce
Date Posted: March 19 2014 at 11:25am
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I find that with my MP's that they are pretty high maintenance (frequency not effort) and I have to disassemble and clean in vinegar at least every two months, whether its calcium build up on the white ceramic shaft or slime on top of the inner magnet under the prop, if you are not cleaning these and the "prop" can't spin freely if you were to pull the wet side and flick it with your finger you are going to wear things out and stress the pump/bearings....I'm sure this is true with most pumps but after owing these pumps for 2 years I can say you probably need to clean them more often than you think or may do with other pumps. I have bought 2 used and I could tell the people put the whole wet side in a vinegar bath but didn't disassemble it and while it looked "clean" when I dissembled it according to the manufactures instructions I was amazed at how the unseen little gunk on the parts when taken apart were making it hard for that prop to spin freely. ------------- 65g Reef |
Posted By: bur01014
Date Posted: March 19 2014 at 1:35pm
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just fyi - they sell a mp40 wetside maintenance kit ($20), that will solve most all problems if anything is broken....save yourself some money if you feel you have to buy a new wetside...I'm sure the maintenance kit will get you back up and running. |
Posted By: Melissa
Date Posted: March 19 2014 at 1:59pm
That kit doesn't include a new ceramic washer, so if it has become one with the plastic drive shaft like mine did, make sure you order that too so you don't have to figure it out after waiting to get the kit and then have to wait for another part to show up like I did...  Also, aquariumspecialty.com had the cheapest shipping options
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bur01014 wrote:Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: March 19 2014 at 2:22pm
I was just going to say... the experience I had with wetside Maintenance on Vortechs was it was almost always the ceramic washer that had to be replaced (because it no longer seated in the inside base properly) or the inside base itself (which would crack / chip and then the washer would not seat properly)... neither of which comes in the $20 kit
 ... the washer was another $18 by itself, and the base part was (I think) $20 by itself.If that ceramic washer is not seated flush in the base shaft hole - or the base shaft hole is worn to the point where the ceramic washer can work loose... then the entire magnet inside the wetside will contact the base cover and scrape against it, eventually stopping the shaft from spinning and possibly damaging the magnet itself.
I was replacing ceramic washers yearly, and base covers every 2 years... the only pieces I ever actually used from their "Maintenance Kit" were the tiny see - through washers that insulate the shaft from the ceramic washer - because I would replace them whenever I repleced a ceramic washer.
But IMO the $20 -$40 yearly expense was just another thing I left behind when I switched to the Jebao pumps
 that, and the motor whine...------------- - My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |