Aging MaxiJets

[Beckmola24]

Does anyone know if MJ's start to run hot when they get older??? I can't figure out for the life of me why my tank is running warmer than usual, and the only thing I can think could be the cause is the MJ's I have in there. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Scooterman]

You have a heater installed right, unplug it & see what happens, or unplug your MJ one at a time to see which one makes a difference, it may tank 24hours to test them.

 

[Beckmola24]

I don't have a heater on the tank because I don't like them. My tank never seems to cool down even though I have an overhead fan in the tank room. I have 3 MJ 1200's in the tank. 2 for flow and one on my CPR skimmer. What is the average life of a MJ??

 

[Scooterman]

I've had mine over 5 years no problems, seems odd but you may have a defective one. What about your return pump they can bring heat into a tank also including external pumps?

 

[Beckmola24]

The tank is sump-less. I only run the MaxiJets in the tank... I'm just baffled as to why my tank heated up so much this morning. It's warm here in Houston right now, but it's not summer weather...

 

[MikeS]

how hot is your tank getting? what is the average swing in temperature you are seeing?

MikeS

 

[Beckmola24]

Tank was 84 today and that is hot for my tank. I had to put a frozen water bottle and fans to cool it down. It usually runs 78 or 79 at night and 80 during the day. It's not a giant swing, but something that caused me to think (and worry)...The past few weeks it's been running a bit warmer, but today it was a tad too warm.

 

[CarlaW]

I have had 4 maxi-jets in my 80 gallon since day 1 and I have never had a heat problem with them. How often do you clean them, maybe that is all that is needed.

 

[Elmo18]

Are they MJ1200s?

Best,
Ilham

 

[Electrobes]

Could you have calcification within the maxi-jets? That may cause them to run a bit warmer... maybe run them in vinegar solution for a couple of hours to break it up.

 

[Blazer88]

Have you considered switching to the 900's? I think those are quite a bit more efficient (much less wattage, still good flow) and may add less heat to the tank. Just a thought.

 

[Detri]

I added one MJ 1200 and did notice an increase in temp. just 2 degrees. But I am not sure it is directly linked to the power head.

 

[Beckmola24]

Well, I've had the MJ's for over a year now in that tank, and only in the past month or so I've noticed the tank running hot. Yes they are MJ1200's and yes, they may need to be cleaned. I'll try soaking them for a few hours and see if that does the trick.

 

[Elmo18]

I prefer MJ900s over MJ1200s. As Blazer has already said, the power/efficiency is much better with the former than the latter.

MJ1200s put out max 295 GPH at 20W, while MJ900s put out a max of 235 GPH at 8.5W.

This equals to less heat, and only very little difference in flow strength. You could add an extra MJ900 and that will even out the difference.

See if the temp stays the same after your vinegar soaking.

Best,
Ilham

 

[Beckmola24]

Thanks for the info! If they don't start functioning correctly (after the cleaning), I'll purchase a pair of 900's for flow and a new 1200 for the CPR.