Let's Count the Broken RIOs

[Emprr_Angl]

I've got three....the last working one has been demoted to water change pump. it even does a bad job at that!

jeeeeesh!
-Chris

[JeffT]

I thought I would put up some defense for the Rios so here goes....

I, Jeff, at Lifereef have been using the Rio 2500, Rio 3100, Rio 4100, and Rio 180 now for as long as each pump has been around.

In these years (at least 8 I think) I have had to replace less than a dozen, and only two last year due to a mechanical problem and probably caused in shipping, Rio does not pack the pumps very well.

I will replace any Rio pump if it fails in the first year. Reason, Rio will replace the defective pump for me as they will do for anyone.

Believe me, I would never select a product to go along with a Lifereef product that had a history of problems. The Rio pumps I use are reliable, dependable, and what I use in my 200 gallon reef on a Red Sea Wavemaster.

For those that absolutely do not want to use a Rio they can opt for a MagDrive. But then there are those that hate the MagDrive pumps too.

Guess the saying is true that you can't satisfy everyone.

JT

[DiverTom]

I still have my original 1700s (2) from 1995 and they still work for water changes. (They ran nonstop for 4 years) Because of all of the bad press about these pumps around 1999 I switched too using only Mags and Sens. (I will never buy another Sen) I have abused 4 Rio 1700s and an 800 and they still work, but obviously I don't use them daily any more. Where do I stand? First hand experience tells me they are fine for the price, but I can't ignore all of the bad experiences of others and the Mags really do put out without a complaint.

[dattack]

It's not the failing part of the RIO that bothers me but the aftermath of what could happen. Dead fish, dead corals, tingling sensation of the handler, and I had a fire with a RIO that cooked my powerstrip.

[teetee]

Rio 2100 Exploded in my reef. Lucky I was home to witness the meltdown & prevent it from destroying my whole system.

Happy with Mag Drive.

[SBGRAD24]

I used them for years with no problems. Finally switched to Maxi-Jets for fear of a Rio malfunctioning.

[JeffT]

Are you seeing a trend here?

Rio 1700's and Rio 2100's are the bad pumps, not the others such as the Rio 2500, 3100, and 4100 series.

Too bad that just because a pump had a problem that you bash the entire companys product line.

In fact in the lpast 30 years I have been in the hobby, and then business, I have not had a pump that has not shocked, burned, fried, or just plain wore out including Rio, Sen, Eheim, Penguins, and others that I cannot recall. And with a company that sells 1000's of pumps there are bound to be defects.

JT

[clamster]

Rio: owned 2 , BOTH failed -- trashed
Mag Drives: own 3, never failed, getting another one

BTW, I had 2 out of 4 Azoo powerheads fail within 3 weeks of operation -- will never by that cheap junk again . Got what I paid for.

[MJC]

I have or had the following

2 x 0800 = 2 OK
2 x 1100 = 2 OK
2 x 1400 = 2 OK
2 x 1700 = 1 OK, 1 Not
3 x 2100 = 2 OK, 1 Not
2 x 2500 = 0 OK, 2 Not

[Michael Geisinger]

I've had 2 Rio's (2100 I think) melt down. The second melt down killed almost 75% of tank.
Other pumps have frozen, but not with the dire consequences likt the Rio's. I would avoid them at all costs.

[cvye]

I found myself getting shocked whenever I reached into my tank. One of the 2 Rio 2100s had shorted/died - in my sump!

[ozmonster]

It seems this thread is a little misleading.

When you say a rio has failed, does that mean that it merely has siezed or that it melted down and leaked toxins into tank.

For me, it was always the former. I have never had a meltdown (but that's not to say it won't happen).

My take on this Rio bashing is this: ALL PUMPS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SIEZE TO DO CALCIUM CARBONATE BUILD-UP.

Rios may be more prone to this then others but all pumps are succeptible. I've had a MAG 24, a CA pump and a maji-jet sieze due to calcium carbonate.

On Rios, what happens is that the calcium carbonate forms around the porcelan stem of the impeller. Over time, this buildup causes too much friction and then ultimately causes impellar to sieze. (If this condition is left unnattended, it causes heat to build-up and then this can lead to the melting of the housing and ultimately toxin release into tank).

SOLUTION: Vinegar, Vinegar and then more Vinegar.

I had about seven or eight pumps that this happened to (various brands but mostly Rio). I took the propellar assembly out, soaked everything in 100% vinegar solution over night. Scraped off the carbonate from the impellar stem, put it back together and then ran the pumps in 100% vinegar over night. All my pumps that I thought were garbage now work fine.

The lesson: Run all pumps (Rios more often) in 100% vinegar overnight about once every 3 to four months.

Try above and let me know if it works.

oz

[waltp]

I had a Rio 2100 for my return from sump to tank. After reading all the posts on Rio pumps I ordered a MAG5. It came the day we had a brief power interruption. The 2100 never restarted. I got that Mag in there as fast as I could; everything was OK. I did an autopsy on the pump; no deposits whatsoever in/on the impeller or shaft.

Thanks to the advice on this board, I was able to save my tank!

Oh, and count another failed 2100 in the survey

Walt

[Just Fishing]

Rio’s 4 of 4 in less than 8 months

[thomas]

Two melted down on my skimmer!!! one of them was on fire,underwater!! black smoke poured out of the sump.

[spongebob1964]

I almost got fried, but I smelled that nasty ozone and heard crackling coming from the water. The 3100 had burned out! Gone bye-bye. Yes, I lost just one..thankfully!

[looser]

Lets just eliminate any confusion. RIO's SUCK. I bought four 2100s six weeks ago. Two are dead and the others sound like they have one foot in the grave. What a waste of money! After reading this post I'm going to pull the remaining two and replace all of them before something really goes wrong.

[traveller7]

1 Dead RIO 2500HP
1 Dead RIO 600
Of the other 10 RIOs, no problems other then worn impellers.

6 Hagen 200 - 6 failed and were replaced in the recall many years ago. 2 of 6 replacements(201s) have failed completely since.
1 Hagen 402 going strong.
6 Hagen 802 going strong.

Too many maji-jets to list - no failures

Renas - no failures

Sicce"sp" (labels wore off years ago) - 1 of 2 failed since the 80's

[Steve Hicks]

Totals ...

90, 3 of 7 failed.
180, 0 of 4 failed.
400, 0 of 2 failed.
600, 7 of 14 failed.
800, 4 of 12 failed.
1100, 0 of 3 failed.
1400, 3 of 5 failed.
1700, 9 of 18 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
2100, 31 of 40 failed & 10 shocked or polluted.
2500, 15 of 19 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
2800, 1 of 1 failed.
3100, 5 of 9 failed & 4 shocked or polluted.
3200, 0 of 1 failed.
3800, 0 of 3 failed.

"Big models", 4 of 4 failed & 3 shocked or polluted.
"Unspecified models", 96 of 148 failed & 8 shocked or polluted.

[harry1215]

i have had a rio 2 rio 2100's and 1 2500 running for over 7 yrs now. I would never buy another one, because it seems all the new ones are not built correctly. But the ones running in my tank never really had a problem, never replaced impellar, never done maintance.

[quokjs]

This thread is about counting the broken rios - of course there will be more bad news than good news here.

[melev]

Yes it is. However, if you've taken the time to read the whole thread, you'll see many many posts of people stating which Rios continued to work without a problem, as well as a number of other types of pumps by other manufacturers. Some still working, some dead.

I really don't find this thread to be too biased, if you consider it only as a feedback by those that have used this product. Ideally, it would be nice to get replies from every single person that has ever used Rio powerheads. Then we'd know for sure. But the numbers so far indicate the 2100 and 2500 are the worst of the batch, right?

[colemanitis]

My RIO has been pushing a skimmer for several years now. I've never had a problem with it. All of the negative posts here on RC does make me nervous though.

[TIGER SHARK]

I ordered the RIO 1700, I think thats the model, from Marine Depot, it worked for about 3 days, then just stopped. I now use a Mag5

[COWabonga]

rio 1400 = dead