Vortech users?
- Thread starter james s_
- Start date
Well after spending a gazillion dollars on powerheads. There is a guy on RC that has some Crazing on his Acrylic tank from these powerheads. To say the least Im a bit worried.
Heres some info from his post..........I really hope this is an isolated incident.
"Well, I have finally run out of patience with Eco-Tech. After well over a year of struggling with their pumps, being bait-and-switched, having my tank ruined, and losing a lot of livestock, I cannot let it go any more.
They have repeatedly insisted that my tank room conditions were making the pumps run too hot, and offered multiple solutions, mostly consisting of minor alterations and using the pumps at far less than the expected flow rate. They have now changed their mind and are insisting that my tank is at fault, claiming that it is improperly manufactured.
It's with great disgust that I post the following:
<span style="font-size: 13px;">VORTECH PUMP ALERT!!</span>
These are different angles of one area of my tank that crazed heavily because a Vortech pump over-heated. I do not recommend that you use these pumps on any acrylic tank. They operate anywhere from 109F to 150F and over time the heat can ruin acrylic."
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Heres some info from his post..........I really hope this is an isolated incident.
"Well, I have finally run out of patience with Eco-Tech. After well over a year of struggling with their pumps, being bait-and-switched, having my tank ruined, and losing a lot of livestock, I cannot let it go any more.
They have repeatedly insisted that my tank room conditions were making the pumps run too hot, and offered multiple solutions, mostly consisting of minor alterations and using the pumps at far less than the expected flow rate. They have now changed their mind and are insisting that my tank is at fault, claiming that it is improperly manufactured.
It's with great disgust that I post the following:
<span style="font-size: 13px;">VORTECH PUMP ALERT!!</span>
These are different angles of one area of my tank that crazed heavily because a Vortech pump over-heated. I do not recommend that you use these pumps on any acrylic tank. They operate anywhere from 109F to 150F and over time the heat can ruin acrylic."
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WOW. That's insane. It is worrisome as my tank is indeed acrylic. My pumps though do not run that hot as far as I can tell. At most they feel luke-warm to the touch. I've been running them constantly for 3 months and just out of curiosity checked for crazing and found nothing.
So maybe it is just the fault of the guy on RC? He claims his are running at 150 degrees at 100% .. He was running fans on his to keep the Temps down.
I sent an email to Ecotech to get some clarification on this issue.
Supposedly the Wireless drivers make the motors run cooler as well?
What level are you running yours at Jin?
I sent an email to Ecotech to get some clarification on this issue.
Supposedly the Wireless drivers make the motors run cooler as well?
What level are you running yours at Jin?
That is interesting. I've heard of complaints about the heat, but mine has never gotten that hot.
On a wave maker, it probably isn't going to get as hot as the thing isn't going to be running full out. It will slow down and then speed up so in theory it has a little time to cool down.
I have seen two in action one of which was running full out and both were not too hot to touch. They were warm, but that didn't suprise me and neither were 150 degrees.
I have seen two in action one of which was running full out and both were not too hot to touch. They were warm, but that didn't suprise me and neither were 150 degrees.
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My display is just 84 gallons so I have no need to run it at full blast. They run at ~ 1/2 - 2/3 on pulse mode or reef crest.
The heat is not an issue. Even 150 degrees really isn't anything to be concerned about. Crazing is caused more by stress on the acrylic than anything else. You can also get crazing if you try cleaning your acrylic tank with Windex and it has been flame polished. I'm actually of the same opinion as Ecotech that the problem here is likely not the pump, but probably a poorly constructed acrylic tank. The walls are likely too thin and couldn't handle the stress. In the alternative or possibly in conjunction, crazing is a LOT more common in tanks that use extruded acrylic vs cell cast. Extruded acrylic is cheaper, but it is a lot more brittle.
As such, we honestly need to know more about this guys tank to figure out why it crazed. There are however thousands of these pumps out there on acrylic tanks and noone else that I'm aware of has had this issue. I think you're fine and that he just had a poorly constructed tank...
The heat is not an issue. Even 150 degrees really isn't anything to be concerned about. Crazing is caused more by stress on the acrylic than anything else. You can also get crazing if you try cleaning your acrylic tank with Windex and it has been flame polished. I'm actually of the same opinion as Ecotech that the problem here is likely not the pump, but probably a poorly constructed acrylic tank. The walls are likely too thin and couldn't handle the stress. In the alternative or possibly in conjunction, crazing is a LOT more common in tanks that use extruded acrylic vs cell cast. Extruded acrylic is cheaper, but it is a lot more brittle.
As such, we honestly need to know more about this guys tank to figure out why it crazed. There are however thousands of these pumps out there on acrylic tanks and noone else that I'm aware of has had this issue. I think you're fine and that he just had a poorly constructed tank...
Well I allready cancelled the order and Am going with the Tunze. If I dont like them I will just sell them and try the vortechs. I may still end up with two of the Vortech's since I cant get a hold of one guy to get him to send my money back.Well atleast that way I can compare the two in person.
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James you won't be disappointed with the Tunzes. They are reliable and proven pumps. In a tank your size they will not be as much of an eyesore as they were in mine.
Back on the crazing thing. This guy had his vortechs fairly early in the design process. I remember reading that the dry side had gone through a major redesign half way through production so I'm assuming he has the older dry sides. I'm not sure what the difference is, but there is a difference...
Back on the crazing thing. This guy had his vortechs fairly early in the design process. I remember reading that the dry side had gone through a major redesign half way through production so I'm assuming he has the older dry sides. I'm not sure what the difference is, but there is a difference...
Yeah your right. And from what I understand he had fiddled with them and had sent them in a few times for service. Im sure they were not as reliable as the newer ones with WWD. Just scared me a bit after spending so much $$$. I may still end up with 2 of them so I may play around with them a bit and see if I like them. If I do then I can still sell the Tunze and make my money back No problem.I got a hell of a deal on the Tunze 
Just thought I would chime in with a link to the review I wrote up on the VorTechs a few months ago:
http://www.melevsreef.com/review_vortech.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/review_vortech.html</a>
I love the flow I have in my tank.
[IMG]http://melevsreef.com/video/3vortechs.wmv">http://melevsreef.com/video/3vortechs.wmv</a> (8.5 megs - Please right click & save as to your harddrive. Thanks)
http://www.melevsreef.com/review_vortech.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/review_vortech.html</a>
I love the flow I have in my tank.
[IMG]http://melevsreef.com/video/3vortechs.wmv">http://melevsreef.com/video/3vortechs.wmv</a> (8.5 megs - Please right click & save as to your harddrive. Thanks)
If you had a 1000g ten to fifteen year old tank made with 3/4" material, I could understand that. What happened to his tank is unfortunate, but it hasn't happened to any other tanks nor even to more than one spot on his tank even after he intentionally tried to repeat it with more pumps in that general area.
I'm sure you'll be happy with your Tunzes. I used them for at least 4 years on two different tanks.
