My new Vortech bit the dust (photos added!)

[Anonymous]

After running well for the past 2 weeks, my new Vortech MP40 started separating on 3 occasions over the past 24 hours. The first two times I just rinsed the wet side to remove any sand and reattached without difficulty. The third time I did the same, but when I turned on the motor, the entire wet side unit began to spin. When I turned off the motor, I found that the impeller was floating loosly in the wet housing with the shaft, apparently broken.

Not too happy about this. Off to the fish store I go tomorrow.

 

[Anonymous]

Dat blows.

I just put a MP10 in my 24G. Hope it lasts longer.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

That sucks. I have had many issues with mine as well. At least their customer service is good.

 

[Anonymous]

are you going to return it to the pet store and get your money back?

Might want to shoot EcoTech an email, they're usually really good about replacing these things, especially if it's not due to negligence on your part.

 

[Anonymous]

are you going to return it to the pet store and get your money back?

Might want to shoot EcoTech an email, they're usually really good about replacing these things, especially if it's not due to negligence on your part.

I'm going to let my LFS look at it and advise me. I'll keep you guys posted.

Not really sure how I could have been negligent with this device??

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not saying you were, just sometimes people do silly things, like not adjusting the spacer on the back, etc.

But yeah they can have all sorts of things happen without giving a care in the world to you, hell mine actually had the magnet pull the impeller through the plastic housing.

 

[Anonymous]

I've been finding some reports on the net of a bad batch of wet sides on the MP40 over the past few months. Seems the impeller seizing is the common thread. This must be what happened to mine before the shaft cracked.

 

[Len]

I keep a spare wet side just in case. I plan on replacing them every two years anyhow.

 

[Anonymous]

This is making me consider Tunze again.

 

[leftovers]

I just replaced the power brick on one and the whole unit on another but! it had been 18 months continuous running on both and a saltwater bath on the one unit to cause it to fail.

Of all the power heads ive ever owned these by far are the best, quietest and required the least amount of effort to use.

So if you dont want yours let me know....

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have mine yet. I'll only be buying it once I'm in Japan (due to move there March next year). I'll be ordering all my equipment from the States (saves a lot of money doing it that way). What I really don't want is to have to send my powerhead back across the Pacific to get it replaced. Talk of 18-24 month shelf life for a Vortech is not encouraging. I had my Tunze Streams for 3 years with no problems and sold them on to someone who got at least another 2 out of them with no problems. That German reliability might be worth paying for...

 

[Len]

The dry side, driver, and power supply have never been a problem with me. My old wet halves ran fine for 3+ years, but I found when I replaced them, it was much quieter. That's why I plan on replacing it every 2 years.

I don't know how the new Tunze design holds up over time. The old ones required maintenance too.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I'm thinking of going the Tunze route myself for a few reasons

1. I'm tired of the "controller fee" added to the cost of each vortech, literally $75 added on to each, where as Tunze has you buy a separate controller if you so desire that level of control or go with a 3rd party, or hell even DIY since it's simply a small voltage swing that's doing it. It really upset me when the no longer sold the older Vortechs (again $75 cheaper)

2. Flow wise the 6105 is basically the same as the MP40, at around $90 cheaper. Plus the built in magnet of the Stream2 series removes yet another expense that was previously added to the Tunze Streams

3. My tank is 3 feet front to back, with the pumps on the back wall, I don't think the "ugly pump in the tank syndrome" is really an issue in that setup, sure there is a wire, but I think I can live with a wire in the tank.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 3 vortechs, and the service has been top notch, there have been a multitude of issues, like every few months they get a bit too gunked up with calcification or something and literally rip themselves off the walls, but I expect this sort of thing with all pumps as it becomes my ritual maintenance. I have a separate shaft/ceramic disk that I simply swap out while the other soaks in vinegar. I do plan on keeping my vortechs too, sorry no cheap deals to be had I would get more vortechs but again, that price difference all because EcoTech decided that a wireless controller needed to be added to each pump really hurts, sure if I find them for cheap used or something I'll go that route, or if one of the LFS has a *wink wink* discount on them (The MAP really on these things pisses me off too! Since it gives no incentive for others to have cheap... which I think was the whole point of the matter). Also with that and EcoTech recently releasing devkits for 3rd party controllers it really makes me wonder about the controller, I can only hope they make one without the controller on board and simply a wireless connector to go with whatever 3rd party controller comes out so you can get a cheaper pump out there.

But if I had to throw 4 of these in a tank at once, I might just go with a couple of 6205s instead, or hell maybe a couple 6305s. So my next tank I'll need to think long and hard about what I'll be doing for flow.

 

[Anonymous]

The old ones required maintenance too.

Maintenance I can handle. I did of course clean my Streams regularly.

 

[Anonymous]

The tunzes are more set and forget. They require far less cleaning/maintenance IME. I will, in the future, buy Tunze streams.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have mine yet. I'll only be buying it once I'm in Japan (due to move there March next year). I'll be ordering all my equipment from the States (saves a lot of money doing it that way). What I really don't want is to have to send my powerhead back across the Pacific to get it replaced. Talk of 18-24 month shelf life for a Vortech is not encouraging. I had my Tunze Streams for 3 years with no problems and sold them on to someone who got at least another 2 out of them with no problems. That German reliability might be worth paying for...

EcoTech had a Asian distributer that I am more then sure would help you out in the remote case something went wrong.

 

[Anonymous]

Broken drive shaft screw.

I can't seem to open the wet side assembly. Here's a shot of the propeller end of the drive shaft.

I suspect the problem is in the ceramic bearing. Looks pretty rough after less than 3 weeks unless the drive shaft fracture caused this damage.

My LFS just referred me back to Ecotech for service. Of course they are closed by now. Sucks that after 3 weeks, I'm without my $400 pump. :evil:

 

[Anonymous]

Yikes, never had one fail quite that bad. Something about that ceramic bearing which binds up too often for my tastes.

 

[Anonymous]

EcoTech had a Asian distributer that I am more then sure would help you out in the remote case something went wrong.

Hmm. That's not a bad point. Still swinging towards two of the controllable Nano Streams with a multicontroller though.

 

[Ben1]

Looks like the old magnet also, the new ones epoxy coated isnt it?