BK mini 160 pump stopped , need guidance
 

Hi , please see pics below.

The pump just stopped working. The skimmer is 2yrs old and gets maintained every 6 months.

I took it apart and cant seem to find any calcification of any sort.

The impeller is not moving freely so I put it in vinegar for 12hrs now and its still not moving freely.

Please advice What can I do next?

https://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtase...0AcMWTRm4YsmIg

https://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtase...0AcMWTRm4YsmIg

https://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtase...0AcMWTRm4YsmIg

https://im1.shutterfly.com/procgtase...0AcMWTRm4YsmIg

Not sure what you mean by not moving freely but if you mean the impeller doesn't rotate when inside the motor, there may be some buildup inside the bearing. See post 2 in the link below. Also note that 12 hours in vinegar can damage the pump. Vinegar is used in the boat manufacturing business to clean up cured and uncured epoxy. Epoxy is used in the potting of most pumps and prolonged exposure to vinegar can soften the epoxy and compromise the connection where the wires go into the block as well as the bond for the magnet and damage the rubber o-rings.

I am sending you a PM so we can discuss some potential issues and get clarification of the impeller not spinning freely.

Post 2 in the link below shows the bearings. Post 1 discusses proper cleaning and maintenance which would apply to all Red Dragon pumps.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2573406

Hi I have sent you my details.

When I said that the impeller dosent seem to move freely. I wanted to say that when I take the impeller out of the pump and try to rotate it in my hand I feel resistance its not rotating freely.

Thank you very much for the help. Your root cause analysis and guidance helped me fix the problems. You saved me atleast 225 dollars for a replacement impeller and grief of not having a skimmer on my reef.

Awesome support.

What ended up being the issue?

The upper bearing in the impeller shield was calcified or had something in it that made it stick the shaft. If you look close at the last picture, you can see the white buildup between the magnet and the upper bearing that goes into the impeller shield which stood out to me.Especially when he indicated that the impeller was hard to spin. The buildup was preventing the impeller from spinning. I had him use a butter knife to free it by pushing the knife in between the bearing and the magnet and that did the trick once it was freed up.

Exactly. Once I was free then it went through couple of vinegar baths and then water spray.