WP 25 and WP 60 Failure

-Logzor · Oct 5, 2014

I ordered these pumps months ago from a guy doing a powerbuy here on R2R. I ordered one WP 60 and two WP 25's.

I mainly wanted to have these as backup pumps, so I briefly tested the WP 60 and one of the WP 25's. After the test run I dried them off and back into the boxes they went.

Today I tried to set them up on my frag system, neither pumps runs, the controller lights up and functions normally. I pulled the pumps out and turned the impeller, in case it was jammed. To no avail, neither pump that I had previously tested will run.

The WP 25 that I had not previously tested runs just fine. I tested this pump thinking I was hooking up the others incorrectly or something.

Does anyone know what might be the cause or how to fix this issue? Strange that neither pump works, I wonder if something corroded while they were sitting out?

Eric B · Oct 5, 2014

Have no clue as mine are working perfectly, but having said that they are probably still under warranty if purchased from the group buy through Reef Breeders I believe as they are still under a year old.

-Logzor · Oct 5, 2014

Eric B said:
Have no clue as mine are working perfectly, but having said that they are probably still under warranty if purchased from the group buy through Reef Breeders I believe as they are still under a year old.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of purchasing though an individual running a powerbuy. I didn't expect the pumps to fail after one use.

Eric B · Oct 5, 2014

I have no clue as to why they would work and then all of a sudden not work as to help you out. I would take it completely apart as I have had a speck of debris in the impeller area which did cause a issue with one of mine and once removed it worked fine again. Maybe clean in there with a brush or Q-Tip, but it's weird that neither works now and have the same problem.

TruRacr314x · Oct 5, 2014

That stinks...I've had a WP-25 in use on my tank for just over a year. Crazy that after one short use, neither would function. I guess you could let them sit in water for a bit to see if that makes any difference...

Hope someone has an answer for you...

-Logzor · Oct 5, 2014

I might try a vinegar soak overnight, see if that helps at all.

I think they're probably done for, there isn't even a buzz or humming sound coming from the powerheads, they're dead silent when I plug them in.

JOKER · Oct 5, 2014

I would soak them and I bet they will work. I have only had one casualty and It was a 10 I dropped

finallysalty · Oct 6, 2014

Check the controller. I assume it's dual and compatible for both models. I know some dual conto lees are not compatible with both 25 and 60. You can find a list of model number and the compatability chart on the Web site.

mudbucket72 · Oct 9, 2014

Don't know why they would just quit unless moisture got in the electrical connection and corroded it. Next time if you know your going to store it for awhile try diping it in rubbing alcohol to help evaporate all the water

Throttle · Oct 9, 2014

Try cleaning it in vinegar like other said and remove the impeller. The motor on my wp25 went out in about 6 months and I had to replace the whole pump. Can you hear your motor when the power supply is plugged in?

-Logzor · Oct 11, 2014

Good news! I got the pumps running again, the issue was the ceramic shaft where it attaches to the impeller housing. It just needed to be loosened so the shaft could spin.

There is a rubber gasket that fits into the impeller housing with a small ceramic pipe that snuggles into the rubber gasket. The impeller shaft then spins freely within the ceramic component, these two pieces of ceramic had fused together and just needed to be loosened.