is it really broken for good?

[spongebob lover]

doods/doodettes i was just about to start redoing my aquascaping again and all of a sudden i passed my arm by my 1200 maxijet(just to feel the flow) and ....there's no flow coming out of it at all ???
i take it to the kitchen to test it again, i took out the impeller (whatever the thingy that goes in circles is called ) and it's not running , it's shaking but not going anywhere !!! ...is there anything i can do to fix it?

thanks doods/doodettes

 

[Snowboarda42]

Look for a little tab towards the base of the impellar (the impellar itself actually comes apart from the magnet.) Lots of times those simply break off. you can glue it directly to the magnet if you want, but i'd check to see if the magnet spins at all anyway.

Sorry, I don't have any pics.

And when you say its shaking, but not going anywhere, that could be b/c its out of the water...

 

[spongebob lover]

And when you say its shaking, but not going anywhere, that could be b/c its out of the water...

ohh no dood, even under the water it just goes shaking .... that's why i thought the powerhead was working .
but ya the impeller thingy is not moving .

 

[davidabrown66]

ohh no dood, even under the water it just goes shaking .... that's why i thought the powerhead was working .
but ya the impeller thingy is not moving .

If it's trying to spin, but can't. There might be a build up a precipitated calcium around the impeller. I would try soaking the pump and impeller in white vinegar for a few hours.

 

[spongebob lover]

If it's trying to spin, but can't. There might be a build up a precipitated calcium around the impeller. I would try soaking the pump and impeller in white vinegar for a few hours.

thank you very much dood !! i'll give that a try .

 

[edwing206]

When the little inlet/outlet piece is of the impeller will chatter and shake like crazy. Make sure the little black stopper is in the metal rod.

 

[chris&barb]

clean it in some vinegar Gaby. BTW i love your new sig, is that your clam?

 

[Krish]

Any luck yet Gabbs??? I agree...Try soaking it a bit in vinegar and let us know what happens.

 

[spongebob lover]

Make sure the little black stopper is in the metal rod.

i don't know where to look for that .

clean it in some vinegar Gaby. BTW i love your new sig, is that your clam?

i did that and it didn't work and yes it is my clam ..... i just gave it away to some dood because he told me, otherwise he was gonna scare the heck out of me for Halloween :lol: .

Any luck yet Gabbs??? I agree...Try soaking it a bit in vinegar and let us know what happens.

no dood .... i used about a cup of vinegar with about 3 cups of water

 

[edwing206]

Those black rubber things need to be on. Actually, I think that the new ones only have the top ones.

 

[spongebob lover]

ya dood both of those things are on the thingy .

 

[chris&barb]

take the cap off of it while its under water and plugged in and spin the impeller with your finger and see if it starts

 

[edwing206]

Does it chatter when you plug it in?

 

[Scooterman]

These thingies are hard to break Gabs, you might try & soaking the entire unit in vinegar, then use a little Vaseline to lube the shaft where you remove the rubber thingies that shaft should slide out enough to get some there, where the shaft goes into the impeller. You also need to make sure it is clean inside the housing down in that hole, use paper towels etc to get in there as deep as you can.

 

[davidabrown66]

Ya Gabbs, adding water won't work. You need to use pure white vinegar otherwise your cutting the acidic qualities of the vinegars abiltity to disolve a highly alkaline build up of precipitate. Buy a whole gallon for just a few bucks, and use a mixing bowl or something else that will allow you to submerge the whole thing in just vinegar. Separate the impellar from the body of the pump, although not nec, but helps with inspection of what else might be going on.

Look at the impeller to see if there's a white hardened film (calcium precip) around the magnet area. When you drop the impellar into the vinegar it will probably start to fizz a little if there is calcium precipitate, and this is good. Make sure you completely submerege the pump as well making sure the vinegar gets into the impeller housing.

Then, let it sit for a couple of hours. I used to have to do that with my rio pumps every 4-6 months, although I still had to replace them a few months later.

Try it again and see if that helps, make sure the rod the goes into the impeller is inserted into the rubber boot at the bottom of the impeller housing, and that the rod also fits into the upper rubber boot when you close the impeller housing lid. If everything looks good after the soak and inspection, and it still doesn't work, then you'll probably have to buy a new impeller or whole new pump.

 

[uscharalph]

I just replaced the impellar on my non functioning powerhead.

 

[rayjay]

I do a complete dismanteling of the whole impellar assembly before soaking overnight in white vinegar (no dilution), or in hydrochloric acid diluted.
In my case, I find the only problem other than the impellar magnet breaking, is as already mentioned, the calcium build up on the shaft and in the bore. Once I remove that everything works fine.

 

[spongebob lover]

awesome doods !! .
i just put my mj a bucket thingy and i'm gonna leave it there until tomorrow .... i'm crossing my fingers that it'll work !! .

 

[Willy]

$20 be like brand new gabby

 

[spongebob lover]

$20 be like brand new gabby

i wish they were 20 over here dood ....they're 29 :shock...i couldn't believe my eyes ...just for a maxijet :doubt:...oohhh well i better keep praying this will work .

one thing and probably mostly is because i'm a whimp ..but i could not get the tiny parts to come off from the impeller thingy, i was gonna try with a knife but i thought ...forget it