T4 pump died, recommendations wanted

[rhomer]

Hey guys,
My t4 pump died, I've cleaned it and it will start but won't continue to run, so my conclusion is that it is gone. I'm trying to decide between a few options and was wanted to get a few opinions.

First choice, do the same thing buy a new T4 pump.
Good points is that it is dead silent and I get plenty of flow.
Bad points is that it runs hot which causes me to have to clean it frequently.

Similar options is to replace the t4 with a Blueline 40 hd-x or a little giant 4gx. I have no experience on these pumps so any info on these would be great.

Other option would be to replace the closed loop with a few powerheads, but I hate power heads the look like crap, they eat fish, and leak voltage.

I just can't afford tunze, seio's are made by rio, and no one has the hydro 4's in stock.

Thanks for any help.

Rob

 

[mojo]

Are you sure it died? Mine would form a calcium buildup on the inner bell that looked like it was part of the pump. The only way to get it off was to soak it in vinegar for several hours and then chip it away with a screwdriver or chisel. The extra coating caused the bell to be too large for the volute, and so it wouldn't spin.

Otherwise, I would recomend a gen-x or iwaki pump.

 

[james s_]

I would stick with the T4 pump or an Iwaki if it was me. Im thinking about selling my Koralia 4's but IMO they would look really big and gawdy in a 90 gal. tank.

 

[cameron]

Mojo is correct on the calcium build up. If it isn't that, some people love the Panworld pumps and myreefcreations carries them so you can get a discount.

 

[rhomer]

Thanks guys,

I just took the pump apart 2 days ago and cleaned it out. The pump runs so hot so the calc buildup is very quick and is a real pain to clean it out. I've got a lot of soot buildup in the center of the pump so I think it got damaged the last time it seized up.

The idiots that built the pump put on allen wrench screws so after about the 3rd or 4th time I've cleaned it out they are just about completely stripped. I hope they fixed that. I see that the intake and out are threaded as well so they fixed that problem from the version of the pump I have.

Rob

 

[FutureInterest]

I've got a spare t4 lying around if you need a temporary replacement.

 

[rhomer]

Cameron;49885 wrote: Mojo is correct on the calcium build up. If it isn't that, some people love the Panworld pumps and myreefcreations carries them so you can get a discount.

The panworld is shown the same on MRC as the blueline from championlighting.

 

[cameron]

Andy was explaining this to me and I am not sure I remember it correctly, but champion used to be his supplier until he got a better deal elsewhere on these pumps. I can't remember which pumps are rebadged versions of which pumps but sufficed to say there aren't many original pump manufactorers and are far more rebadged pumps. I would call Andy and ask him. He has to support these pumps via returns and such and won't steer you wrong as far as a quality pump. I believe fishy uses those Panworlds and is pretty happy with them.

 

[rhomer]

Of course this crap happens on a Friday, and he isn't open again till Mon.

Rob

 

[rhomer]

FutureInterest;49909 wrote: I've got a spare t4 lying around if you need a temporary replacement.

Thanks,

Are you looking to sell it? I think I can survive for a few days.

Rob

 

[FutureInterest]

Not going to sell it . It's for my eventual closed loop... one day... You're more than welcome to borrow it though until your replacement comes in. I live right near Marine Fish and as such fairly close to Cap Bay.

 

[rhomer]

FutureInterest,

Can you tell me if the screws to take your pump apart are allen wrench screws or something else? The version of the T4 I have is from CSL which went out of business, but the pumps got rebranded by blueline. Also the intake and out are both smooth, not threaded.

Rob

 

[FutureInterest]

Yah mine is just like yours, I've had it for over a year... Yes I've been intending to do a CL for a long time... I also run a newer one for my return. They both use allen screws to hold the input/output shield in place. The newer one does have the threaded intput/outputs and the one I have lying around is smooth. Screws will corrode over time with salt exposure... nothing you can do about that... you just have to replace them.

 

[rhomer]

FutureInterest;49948 wrote: Yah mine is just like yours, I've had it for over a year... Yes I've been intending to do a CL for a long time... I also run a newer one for my return. They both use allen screws to hold the input/output shield in place. The newer one does have the threaded intput/outputs and the one I have lying around is smooth. Screws will corrode over time with salt exposure... nothing you can do about that... you just have to replace them.

The screws aren't corroded, the allen wrench screws rounded off over time, and I can't get any grip. Why oh why didn't they use phillips head screws? I should just replace them, but the hardware is pretty specific.

Rob

 

[FutureInterest]

Ahh I see. You could use a dremel and make those into flathead screws .

 

[fancyfish]

I have a brand new t4 pump that is too small to run my tank due to my plumbing set up. you are welcome to buy or trade for it. let me know if you are interested. I live close by in marietta

 

[rhomer]

pm sent

 

[rhomer]

Cameron,

I was looking at the Panworld / blueline pumps and was about to pull the trigger, before hand I decided to run the pump perfomance calc on reefcentral. Both the T4 and 40x are rated as similar performance, but after running the calc the T4 has a 1190 gph rating, and the 40x has a 880 gph. That is huge. Now I'm looking at the gen x 40.

Rob

 

[cameron]

The number they used for the T4 is inaccurate or the number the T4 is listed by the manufactorer is inaccurate. The database they use to calc the headloss is rating the pump near 1450gph. If the T4 is really a 1400-1500gph pump you will have to compare it to similarly sized pump such as the 70, but I think the T4 is really a 1250gph pump and the database is wrong. Here is the database entry for that pump used on the calculator:

http://www.reefs.org/library/pumps/pumps/velocity_t4-s4.html">http://www.reefs.org/library/pumps/pumps/velocity_t4-s4.html</a>

No pump to my knowledge that puts out 1250gph at 0 head feet is going to put out 1250gph at 3-4 feet. All that program is doing is calculating head loss based on manufactorers rating.

 

[rhomer]

Well, to conclude this discussion so that if anyone follows along can gain some knowledge.

I purchased the pan world/ blueline. I actually purchased the coral life version of this pump. I bought the smaller 30 d version 1080 gph at 80 watts. This will cut my power consumption in half, and get me about the same flow.

This was actually a better choice because the T4 was a bit much and was pushing sand around on the other side of the tank.

The pump runs much much much cooler. The temp of the pump after running for 24 hours was about 5 degrees warmer then room temp. The pump has a cooling fan that I think is what causes any noise with it.

The noise is loud enough that I can clearly hear it when the house is quiet. I don't notice it any other time, but it does add ambient noise to the room. The advantage is that I should always know when it is running, or if has quit.

Rob