How Often Do You Clean Your Return Pump?

[wpeterson]

How often do you clean out your return pumps? Impellers tend to accumulate detritus and mineral deposits and eventually seize. I had my Jebao DC-9000 seize up after 6 months of use or so with gunk on the impeller. I hadn't cleaned it out in all that time, so that's my fault.

I'm trying to plan how often to clean my return pump in the future. Other pumps are easier to monitor and clean them when they show signs of wear, but the return probably needs to be scheduled. I'm planning to break it down, scrub it, and soak parts in vinegar every 6-12 weeks.

How often do you clean yours? Have you ever had your pump seize?

 

[Enderturtle]

I clean once a month usually i just take our the sponge to get the debris off.

 

[jonmos75]

I think if you can afford it the best is two have two pumps and swap them out every 6 months so you don;t have to have your system down while your are taking apart the return pump to clean and soak in vinegar...and having to worry about how long the tank is in Idle...

 

[wpeterson]

I think if you can afford it the best is two have two pumps and swap them out every 6 months so you don;t have to have your system down while your are taking apart the return pump to clean and soak in vinegar...and having to worry about how long the tank is in Idle...

I just bought a second DC9000 as a backup, this makes sense.

 

[swayd]

I clean mine about every 6-7 months. It's is nice to have extra pumps because when the heart of your system fails or gets stuck it really sucks. I have like 3 pumps laying around the house and one in my mixing container that are all capable of running my tank. Always be prepared!


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[Coral reefer]

Somewhere between once a year and never. I find it needs much more cleaning if you dump 3 part into the sump right near the pump for what it's worth.

 

[wpeterson]

Somewhere between once a year and never. I find it needs much more cleaning if you dump 3 part into the sump right near the pump for what it's worth.

I learned this lesson the hard way, which is what I think caused it to seize.

Moved the dosing location to the other end of the sump.

 

[anathema]

Great, now I'm nervous about my return pump.

I mean thanks for reminding me about one more thing to check before I leave for a month!

 

[Nav]

After almost a year I only cleaned my (cheap) return pump last month but didn't find a lot of dirt inside...

I use vinyl tubing, after I cleaned and connected the pump back things looked good but the same evening when I was back from work I saw the tube disconnected the water shooting up the pump Luckily my gph is not crazy that It didn't hit the tank bottom or overflow outside the sump, water mostly fell back in the return chamber like a fountain!! That thing freaked me out since I do have a plastic clamp between the pump and the tube to hold it intact. After this I used pliers to tighten the clamp further and its been ok so far! Wuh!!! so many things can go wrong when you're away...

 

[Wahdi]

Really guys?, because i never do


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[Enderturtle]

I definitely notice an increase in power when I clean my return pump. Chaeto and little debris builds up in the intake.

 

[yellojello]

I don't think I've cleaned my used Turbo-Sea maybe over 2-3 years now :/

Actually, I pop off the rear fan cover and vacuum the dust maybe once a year, does that count?