How to clean a Tunze pump and what to do about a driver alarm. - Page 5

agent6473 · 05/14/2008, 10:20 AM

Sounds good. I'll send it in with information.

Thanks.

ekrunch · 05/23/2008, 12:33 AM

I just acquired a 6212 Wave box (with a 6260.10, in case it matters). The owner did clean the pump before putting it away and it has sat up for several months. It did not fire up initially so I disassembled it and have been soaking it for about 10 hours now. (Vinegar/Water solution)

I just tried to start it up again and am getting what sounds like a faint buzzer, but it's apparently not coming from the pump. Should I be worried by this or just allow the pump to soak longer and try again in the morning? I have been cleaning it off with a tooth brush and everything looks good.

Also, should I attempt to spin the impeller to see if it's stuck or anything? The impeller is easy to remove along with the lower bushing and o-ring. I have it completely disassembled but i'm wondering if there is any way I can test it before I power it up again. Just trying to cover all of my bases and avoid burning up a pump that still belongs to someone else.

Thanks in advance,
Ed

rvitko · 05/23/2008, 12:48 AM

Check that the drive unit spins freely on the upper bearing, also check whether it has the older 6100.60 drive unit as this drive unit could sound an alarm if the brake shoes are loose or broken. Only the oldest waveboxes have this drive unit, usually the pump would be brown.

ekrunch · 05/23/2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rvitko
Check that the drive unit spins freely on the upper bearing, also check whether it has the older 6100.60 drive unit as this drive unit could sound an alarm if the brake shoes are loose or broken. Only the oldest waveboxes have this drive unit, usually the pump would be brown.

It has the newer one piece unit. 6200.700, and the pump is black. The drive unit does spin freely on it's bearing with no problems as far as I can tell.

ekrunch · 05/23/2008, 11:47 PM

So after another 24+ hours of the pump being disassembled and in vinegar & water, nothing exciting to report.

Whenever I reassembled the pump and turned it on, I noticed the propeller jerk a bit. It then jerked a touch in the other direction when I cut the power off. Is this a good thing or a sign of a pump that needs repair? I mixed up a fresh batch of vinegar/water so i'll soak it for another 24 hours or so, seeing as the manual says 48 hours. Beyond that i'm out of ideas...

Anything else I can do here?

Thanks,
Ed

rvitko · 05/26/2008, 04:30 AM

If the soak doesn't resolve it it must have an electrical issue. Contact Rodney- wartskin, he will get you set up to return it for service, turnaround time is very fast.

ekrunch · 05/26/2008, 01:45 PM

Thank you for your help Roger. It's nice to see the effort put forth on your part and speaks highly of the product and Tunze as a company.

I'll get with the original owner for service seeing as she has all of the receipts and such.

ekrunch · 05/26/2008, 02:11 PM

One dumb question for the benefit of all who read this thread... do you have to put the cover back on the pumps to test them? I was just curious if they have a sensor or something that prohibits them from working without the cover.

rogergolf66 · 09/17/2008, 05:39 AM

Ok well this may have already been answered somewhere but I didn't see it.

well I got 2 6100 one with the old prop and one with the new prop.

I cleaned them to the T I thought anyways well after putting them back together one of them was vibrating alot. I didn't think much of it. well now 3 days later the warrning peeping started going off. Well before I cleaned them the warning peeping wasn't going off I was just doing maintanance cleaning.

why is it going off now?
what should I do?

just take it apart and clean it again? should I look for anything out of the norm when I have it apart?

Thanks roger

rvitko · 09/17/2008, 09:24 AM

Is the one that is vibrating alot running with the old drive unit or the new one?

rogergolf66 · 09/17/2008, 02:23 PM

I just took it apart to check and the one that was vibrating alot is acctually the one that is till working fine. and it is the one with the new shaft.

the one that was still peeping was the old shaft but after taking it apart so far so good. we will see in a bit because it didn't peep right away after cleaning it took a day or so.

Roger

The McReefersons · 09/25/2008, 06:56 PM

I have 2 older 6000s I bought used, and 2 6200s I bought new about a year and a half ago. After about 6 or eight months of use I came home from work to find two units (1 of the 6000s and one of the 6200s) sounding their alarms. After thoroughly cleaning both (there was minimal build up and they both turned freely by hand prior to cleaning) there is no improvement, both pumps will not run. The remaining two still run like champs. What are your thoughts on the potential problem and it's remedy?

rvitko · 09/26/2008, 09:11 AM

The most common cause is people overlook the upper bearing and it is cemented to the magnetic rotor by calcium. The upper bearing is part 3000.610, it sits at the bottom of the well.

Other causes could be a bad motor block or the driver having minor water damage or salt creep damage.

The McReefersons · 09/27/2008, 10:11 PM

The upper bearing is clean and runs freely. The drivers are mounted high and dry, I highly doubt water damage there. Where do I go from here? I need to get these guys back on line.

I am really surprised that these things have failed, I figured if I kept them clean they would last darn near forever, that is the Tunze reputation, but 2 pumps out of four have failed me now...

rvitko · 09/29/2008, 09:35 AM

Send them in, be sure your return and contact info is in the box.

Tunze USA
305 Victor St
Austin, TX 78753

in_flight · 11/04/2008, 02:27 PM

i woke up this morning to my tunze driver alarm beeping, i checked to make sure the pump and impeller were clean and still the impeller won't turn, i put the pump back in the water without the front housing to see if the impeller turns and it does about 1/4" the wrong way, this is causing the impeller stoppers to activate and thereby causing the alarm. what can i do to fix it? it seems that calcium buildup is not the problem, instead it's the impeller attempting to spin the wrong way!!

i bought the unit here on RC and so dont think it still falls under warranty

this is for the tunze 6100

rvitko · 11/05/2008, 10:28 AM

Double check that everything is clean. If it spins the wrong way it would likely be an electrical problem assuming the drive unit is clean and not binding up or broken. You would need to contact Xenia for repair service in Canada.

in_flight · 11/05/2008, 02:10 PM

i've double checked everything and the whole unit is clean, i installed another 6100 to the same driver and it works without any issues. it seems that the defective 6100 is spinning the wrong way for some reason and is engaging the brakes

do you have the contact info for Xenia?

rvitko · 11/05/2008, 03:20 PM

It is on the tunze.com website under Canada. I don't have it handy.

Tony Romano · 12/06/2008, 12:38 PM

What resets unit after alarm? Time?

rvitko · 12/08/2008, 10:27 AM

It depends on the cause of the alarm, every 20 seconds the driver will try to restart the pump, if it was from air or a small piece of debris it will start itself. If it is because of lime deposits or a broken part it will have to be cleaned/repaired to solve the alarm problem.

Tony Romano · 12/08/2008, 11:36 AM

I put impeller in different unit and it worked fine. Base with no impeller stays in alarm.

rvitko · 12/08/2008, 12:00 PM

Of course, without an impeller you will get an alarm, any time there is no rotation in the pump it will alarm.

Tony Romano · 12/08/2008, 09:24 PM

Oh ok if i switch impellers does that tell us base is bad?

Tony Romano · 12/13/2008, 08:11 AM

hello>>>

05/23/2008, 12:33 AM	#102
ekrunch OT Magician Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lake in the Hills, IL Posts: 2,411	6212 Wavebox with 6260.10 - Stuck! I just acquired a 6212 Wave box (with a 6260.10, in case it matters). The owner did clean the pump before putting it away and it has sat up for several months. It did not fire up initially so I disassembled it and have been soaking it for about 10 hours now. (Vinegar/Water solution) I just tried to start it up again and am getting what sounds like a faint buzzer, but it's apparently not coming from the pump. Should I be worried by this or just allow the pump to soak longer and try again in the morning? I have been cleaning it off with a tooth brush and everything looks good. Also, should I attempt to spin the impeller to see if it's stuck or anything? The impeller is easy to remove along with the lower bushing and o-ring. I have it completely disassembled but i'm wondering if there is any way I can test it before I power it up again. Just trying to cover all of my bases and avoid burning up a pump that still belongs to someone else. Thanks in advance, Ed __________________ My life is a very complicated drinking game. "Dude, it was a joke. If I were asking seriously, I wouldn't have posted it in the CMAS forums." - Krunchy on 04/22/08 Current Tank Info: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Gone. I'm done.

05/23/2008, 12:48 AM	#103
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Check that the drive unit spins freely on the upper bearing, also check whether it has the older 6100.60 drive unit as this drive unit could sound an alarm if the brake shoes are loose or broken. Only the oldest waveboxes have this drive unit, usually the pump would be brown. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

05/23/2008, 11:47 PM	#105
ekrunch OT Magician Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lake in the Hills, IL Posts: 2,411	So after another 24+ hours of the pump being disassembled and in vinegar & water, nothing exciting to report. Whenever I reassembled the pump and turned it on, I noticed the propeller jerk a bit. It then jerked a touch in the other direction when I cut the power off. Is this a good thing or a sign of a pump that needs repair? I mixed up a fresh batch of vinegar/water so i'll soak it for another 24 hours or so, seeing as the manual says 48 hours. Beyond that i'm out of ideas... Anything else I can do here? Thanks, Ed __________________ My life is a very complicated drinking game. "Dude, it was a joke. If I were asking seriously, I wouldn't have posted it in the CMAS forums." - Krunchy on 04/22/08 Current Tank Info: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Gone. I'm done.

05/26/2008, 04:30 AM	#106
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	If the soak doesn't resolve it it must have an electrical issue. Contact Rodney- wartskin, he will get you set up to return it for service, turnaround time is very fast. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

05/26/2008, 01:45 PM	#107
ekrunch OT Magician Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lake in the Hills, IL Posts: 2,411	Thank you for your help Roger. It's nice to see the effort put forth on your part and speaks highly of the product and Tunze as a company. I'll get with the original owner for service seeing as she has all of the receipts and such. __________________ My life is a very complicated drinking game. "Dude, it was a joke. If I were asking seriously, I wouldn't have posted it in the CMAS forums." - Krunchy on 04/22/08 Current Tank Info: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Gone. I'm done.

05/14/2008, 10:20 AM	#101
agent6473 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 56	Sounds good. I'll send it in with information. Thanks.

05/26/2008, 02:11 PM	#108
ekrunch OT Magician Join Date: May 2007 Location: Lake in the Hills, IL Posts: 2,411	One dumb question for the benefit of all who read this thread... do you have to put the cover back on the pumps to test them? I was just curious if they have a sensor or something that prohibits them from working without the cover. __________________ My life is a very complicated drinking game. "Dude, it was a joke. If I were asking seriously, I wouldn't have posted it in the CMAS forums." - Krunchy on 04/22/08 Current Tank Info: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Gone. I'm done.

09/17/2008, 05:39 AM	#109
rogergolf66 im an addict lol Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Land o lakes, FLorida Posts: 12,930	Ok well this may have already been answered somewhere but I didn't see it. well I got 2 6100 one with the old prop and one with the new prop. I cleaned them to the T I thought anyways well after putting them back together one of them was vibrating alot. I didn't think much of it. well now 3 days later the warrning peeping started going off. Well before I cleaned them the warning peeping wasn't going off I was just doing maintanance cleaning. why is it going off now? what should I do? just take it apart and clean it again? should I look for anything out of the norm when I have it apart? Thanks roger __________________ Goal levels: salinity 35ppt, temp 78-79, alk 8-9, cal 430-450, mag 1310-1400 po4 .03, no3 1-3 Current Tank Info: System 1... 100 gal Zoa tank I built, 30 gal Ric Yuma shroom tank, 30 gal mix tank my sons,40 gal softie tank, 40 gal nem tank, two 40 gal LPS tank. System 2... 240 gal SPS display attached 100 gal frag SPS only tank.

09/17/2008, 09:24 AM	#110
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Is the one that is vibrating alot running with the old drive unit or the new one? __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

09/17/2008, 02:23 PM	#111
rogergolf66 im an addict lol Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Land o lakes, FLorida Posts: 12,930	I just took it apart to check and the one that was vibrating alot is acctually the one that is till working fine. and it is the one with the new shaft. the one that was still peeping was the old shaft but after taking it apart so far so good. we will see in a bit because it didn't peep right away after cleaning it took a day or so. Roger __________________ Goal levels: salinity 35ppt, temp 78-79, alk 8-9, cal 430-450, mag 1310-1400 po4 .03, no3 1-3 Current Tank Info: System 1... 100 gal Zoa tank I built, 30 gal Ric Yuma shroom tank, 30 gal mix tank my sons,40 gal softie tank, 40 gal nem tank, two 40 gal LPS tank. System 2... 240 gal SPS display attached 100 gal frag SPS only tank.

09/25/2008, 06:56 PM	#112
The McReefersons Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 65	I have 2 older 6000s I bought used, and 2 6200s I bought new about a year and a half ago. After about 6 or eight months of use I came home from work to find two units (1 of the 6000s and one of the 6200s) sounding their alarms. After thoroughly cleaning both (there was minimal build up and they both turned freely by hand prior to cleaning) there is no improvement, both pumps will not run. The remaining two still run like champs. What are your thoughts on the potential problem and it's remedy?

09/26/2008, 09:11 AM	#113
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	The most common cause is people overlook the upper bearing and it is cemented to the magnetic rotor by calcium. The upper bearing is part 3000.610, it sits at the bottom of the well. Other causes could be a bad motor block or the driver having minor water damage or salt creep damage. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

09/27/2008, 10:11 PM	#114
The McReefersons Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 65	The upper bearing is clean and runs freely. The drivers are mounted high and dry, I highly doubt water damage there. Where do I go from here? I need to get these guys back on line. I am really surprised that these things have failed, I figured if I kept them clean they would last darn near forever, that is the Tunze reputation, but 2 pumps out of four have failed me now...

09/29/2008, 09:35 AM	#115
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Send them in, be sure your return and contact info is in the box. Tunze USA 305 Victor St Austin, TX 78753 __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

11/04/2008, 02:27 PM	#116
in_flight Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 70	i woke up this morning to my tunze driver alarm beeping, i checked to make sure the pump and impeller were clean and still the impeller won't turn, i put the pump back in the water without the front housing to see if the impeller turns and it does about 1/4" the wrong way, this is causing the impeller stoppers to activate and thereby causing the alarm. what can i do to fix it? it seems that calcium buildup is not the problem, instead it's the impeller attempting to spin the wrong way!! i bought the unit here on RC and so dont think it still falls under warranty this is for the tunze 6100

11/05/2008, 10:28 AM	#117
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Double check that everything is clean. If it spins the wrong way it would likely be an electrical problem assuming the drive unit is clean and not binding up or broken. You would need to contact Xenia for repair service in Canada. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

11/05/2008, 02:10 PM	#118
in_flight Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 70	i've double checked everything and the whole unit is clean, i installed another 6100 to the same driver and it works without any issues. it seems that the defective 6100 is spinning the wrong way for some reason and is engaging the brakes do you have the contact info for Xenia?

11/05/2008, 03:20 PM	#119
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	It is on the tunze.com website under Canada. I don't have it handy. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

12/06/2008, 12:38 PM	#120
Tony Romano Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sugar Land Texas Posts: 874	What resets unit after alarm? Time? __________________ Tony Romano Why don't I have any money? Current Tank Info: 215 & 90 mixed tanks

12/08/2008, 10:27 AM	#121
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	It depends on the cause of the alarm, every 20 seconds the driver will try to restart the pump, if it was from air or a small piece of debris it will start itself. If it is because of lime deposits or a broken part it will have to be cleaned/repaired to solve the alarm problem. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

12/08/2008, 11:36 AM	#122
Tony Romano Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sugar Land Texas Posts: 874	I put impeller in different unit and it worked fine. Base with no impeller stays in alarm. __________________ Tony Romano Why don't I have any money? Current Tank Info: 215 & 90 mixed tanks

12/08/2008, 12:00 PM	#123
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Of course, without an impeller you will get an alarm, any time there is no rotation in the pump it will alarm. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

12/08/2008, 09:24 PM	#124
Tony Romano Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sugar Land Texas Posts: 874	Oh ok if i switch impellers does that tell us base is bad? __________________ Tony Romano Why don't I have any money? Current Tank Info: 215 & 90 mixed tanks

12/13/2008, 08:11 AM	#125
Tony Romano Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sugar Land Texas Posts: 874	hello>>> __________________ Tony Romano Why don't I have any money? Current Tank Info: 215 & 90 mixed tanks