Velocity Titanium Pumps
- Thread starter scyr
- Start date
I have a T3 but for only about 3 months. I know of others that have had the pump for several years without a problem. So far I love it. It is absolutely silent! There was some concern by others that it put alot of heat into the system but I have not noticed this (again, I have only had this for 3 months most of which have been cooler). Try a search for the titanium pump and you might find others experience. It is dramatically quieter when compared to my Little Giant MD4QXSC. Other pumps you might consider would be the ampmaster group. I have heard alot of good things about them but did not need that much flow. Sorry to hear about the "not saltwater safe" that certainly was not something that I picked up while researching the topic. I know that they apparently had some issues with an earlier model but I went on several others recommendations that had had the pump operating for several years without problems.
It is interesting because I saw something about Dolphin discontinuing the Silent Sea series about 6 months ago. I have 2 of the velocity T-4s which look exactly like the Silent Seas. Several places are still selling the Velocity T-4. One of the pumps ran for ~1 year before it froze. I took it apart and did a little vinegar soak and it is working fine. I have noticed that the other one doesn't seem to be pumping as much so I am going to pull it out and clean it before it stops.
Even though the design isn't the greatest I think the 2 pumps I have will work a long time if I clean them every 6 months or so. Which isn't a big deal, the Tunze power heads I have are supposed to be cleaned every 3-4 months. I just need to remember to do it.
Derek
Even though the design isn't the greatest I think the 2 pumps I have will work a long time if I clean them every 6 months or so. Which isn't a big deal, the Tunze power heads I have are supposed to be cleaned every 3-4 months. I just need to remember to do it.
Derek
The Silent Seas, and the Velocity pumps, are made from the same manufacturer. Dolphin decided not to carry the pump, as the manufacturer refused to honor their warranty. However, the velocity pumps offered from Custom Sealife, is still warranted, and CSL will honor the warranty, no questions.
There are 2 versions, stainless steel and titanium, this refers to the impeller assembly. I bought a SS model when they first came out and it ran well for about 8 months then started to slow down. One day after I shut it down to clean the tank it would not start up again so I took it apart to see what was causing the problem, here's what I found.
The impeller sits on a ceramic bead, where the impeller and bead contact looked like some kind of sacrificial metal, maybe stainless but I noticed that it had slight rust stains on it. I believe the slight rusting acted as a catalsyt to percipitate calcium on the actual impeller drum, it had gotten quite heavy on my unit which caused the binding. It was easy to clean but obviously not intended for salt water use, I keep it as a spare only. The pump also runs hot and increased my tank temp by 4 degrees, not a big deal in the winter but summer was to much.
They were supposed to fix this with the titanium models but it still looks like they have a problem. I now use the Amp Master and while it is not as quiet it's very solidly built.
Dale
The impeller sits on a ceramic bead, where the impeller and bead contact looked like some kind of sacrificial metal, maybe stainless but I noticed that it had slight rust stains on it. I believe the slight rusting acted as a catalsyt to percipitate calcium on the actual impeller drum, it had gotten quite heavy on my unit which caused the binding. It was easy to clean but obviously not intended for salt water use, I keep it as a spare only. The pump also runs hot and increased my tank temp by 4 degrees, not a big deal in the winter but summer was to much.
They were supposed to fix this with the titanium models but it still looks like they have a problem. I now use the Amp Master and while it is not as quiet it's very solidly built.
Dale
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by SC:
<strong>Len,
Thanks for the reply.
Do you know why they aren't safe? Is this a recent problem?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
As stated, the impellar has an inclination to lock up after a few months used. This is not a recent problem; apparently, the manufacturer of the pumps (stainless steel and titanium models) never intended the pump for corrosive applications. Various distrubuters, such as Dolphin and CSL, decided to market the pump for aquarium use without (IMO) adequete field testing. Dolphin no longer markets the pumps because of the volume of complaints and returns they receive. Although CSL is still honoring warranty, these pumps are just as unreliable and just as misapplied when used in saltwater envirnoments.
BTW, Dolphin markets the pump as Silent Seas. CSL markets it as Velocity. Both are exactly the same pumps.
<strong>Len,
Thanks for the reply.
Do you know why they aren't safe? Is this a recent problem?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
As stated, the impellar has an inclination to lock up after a few months used. This is not a recent problem; apparently, the manufacturer of the pumps (stainless steel and titanium models) never intended the pump for corrosive applications. Various distrubuters, such as Dolphin and CSL, decided to market the pump for aquarium use without (IMO) adequete field testing. Dolphin no longer markets the pumps because of the volume of complaints and returns they receive. Although CSL is still honoring warranty, these pumps are just as unreliable and just as misapplied when used in saltwater envirnoments.
BTW, Dolphin markets the pump as Silent Seas. CSL markets it as Velocity. Both are exactly the same pumps.
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