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View Full Version : input on vortech pumps


niloc16
10-11-2006, 04:57 PM
i just bought 2 vortech pumps yesterday only brought one home because that was all that was in stock at the time but i installed the one on my 265gal tank. it is amazingly quiet. once i tidy up all the wiring on the tank the power wire to this unit will look much better although it will stand out a bit but i think i can live with it. disassembly for cleaning is a breeze. the flow pattern at max output is over 3000gph but when you put your hand in front of the nozzle it is a gentle flow unlike a locline output from a closed loop which can be kind of aggressive. the motor gets really hot after running and i am told that it will cool some after being broke in. installation was about a whole 2 minutes, it took longer to run the power wire from my power bar to the unit than it did to install the pump. a big downside is my tank is 7 feet long and you can watch the debris that the pump blows around in its current and the flow seems to stop at about halfway across the tank. to make up for this i'm just increasing the flow from the closed loop on the opposite end to match it. a big reason i purchased 2 of these units is to set them up as a wave unit. after seeing the video of the vortech wave tank from macna i'm set on using these over tunzes. i waiting to hear back if my profilux controller will control the vortechs for the wave control or if i need to purchase the ecotech control box. anyone else have input on these pumps?

Tarolisol
10-11-2006, 05:20 PM
I bought 2 of these as well a week or so ago and put them on my 200g tank. They are awsome. I can get one to hit the end of the tank easy at 6 feet. So two does an awsome job.

i waiting to hear back if my profilux controller will control the vortechs for the wave control

Let me know what you here as i am wondering as well if i should wait and get teh eco tech one or by a all around controler.

hawk
10-11-2006, 05:29 PM
How much for the pump and controller?

niloc16
10-11-2006, 05:31 PM
the pump comes with the standard controller that only controls the amount of flow, i think it was $419. i'm not sure how much the wave controller is going to be. maybe someone from proline can jump in here with a little more info

tarolisol - i'll let you know if i hear anything. so your one pump reaches the other end of the tank? how thick is you glass of your tank?

Tarolisol
10-11-2006, 06:21 PM
1/2" I would say it pushes the water a good 5 and a half feet for sure.

support@proline
10-11-2006, 08:07 PM
Hi guys
We are quiet amazed with the pump as well,as far as the controller ,we are not sure what the price will be but the controller will be very different than the other brands,It will be able to dim the pumps up & down between the settings that you choose ,rather than with Tunzes it will switch between those 2 settings .it will be also wireless & be able to control 10 Vortechs.
We are working with Ecotech Marine to get Profilux extensions for Vortech ,but I am not sure when & how?
The battery back up will be here next week ,onw battery will be able to run a pump to 36 hours @ half speed & it will be capable of supplying 2 pumps.
You can purchase the back up battery from the stores you purchased them from ,both those stores have put in an order for a few back up units.
Let me know if there are any more questions.
Regards
Proline

hawk
10-11-2006, 08:23 PM
Where are they available?

support@proline
10-12-2006, 12:18 AM
Hello Hawk
You can get them from Hidden Reef in BC ,or Golds in Alberta.
Both stores will have the back up battery in stock.

niloc16
10-12-2006, 01:16 AM
that is really nice that the controller is wireless for control. will make the setup alot nicer. i keep hearing rumor that there is shims coming out for the pumps to allow for more direction on the pumps, has anyone heard anymore on this?

Jaws
10-12-2006, 06:04 AM
Proline told me today that they were working on it so it is in the future. Hopefully the near future. The way my tank is aquascaped I could really use some more directional flow.

support@proline
10-12-2006, 06:27 AM
Jason It's in the works so I have been told ,however ,I think the controller will be released before that.:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Lets not hold our breath ,these guys do test their products for a while before release.

wayner
10-13-2006, 12:21 AM
How about a single controller for 1 vortech?, I don't need to control 10 vortechs, any chance of that happening?

support@proline
10-13-2006, 01:44 AM
Hi Wayner ,You can control 1 or up to 10 pumps wirelessly

wayner
10-13-2006, 01:53 AM
Tks, but wouldn't a single controller be alot cheaper than a multi controller?, those of us who just want to use 1 vortech are stuck buying the multi controller, unless, they plan on coming out with a single in the future?

support@proline
10-13-2006, 02:08 AM
That is the whole ponit of the controller being wireless ,the reason that can control up to 10 pumps is the software can recognize that many pumps ,there will be no physical connections to the controller ,so no need to put extra connections or circuitry in the controller for the extra pumps,You are not paying anything extra for this feature

fishface
10-13-2006, 05:36 AM
so without the controller you choose your intended flow rate (between 30 & 100%) is this correct? will it work with other wavemakers that just cycle regular powerheads on and off?

niloc16
10-13-2006, 05:42 AM
without the wave controller you can only dial the amount of flow you want out of the pump. the pump comes with a control box with a dial to adjust the rate. when you buy the wave controller it will then control the unit wirelessly up to 10 pumps

Tarolisol
10-13-2006, 05:45 AM
so without the controller you choose your intended flow rate (between 30 & 100%) is this correct? will it work with other wavemakers that just cycle regular powerheads on and off?


I have heard lots of bad outcomes with using or wavemaker devices with this pumps. There have almost been no success.

Jaws
10-20-2006, 05:56 AM
Recently I've been experiencing an internal rattle or knocking noise coming from inside the motor housing. It's really noticeable when it's on high. Anyone else experience this?

Tarolisol
10-20-2006, 06:15 AM
Mine have ran perfect since i bought them a couple weeks ago, havent touched them since.

support@proline
10-20-2006, 06:40 AM
Jason
Please contact Ecotech ,the rattling sound is not normal,Please keep me posted of the outcome

niloc16
10-20-2006, 07:07 AM
if i listen closely to the motor i can hear a slight ticking as well kind of like a light rattle

support@proline
10-20-2006, 07:19 AM
Colin you have the new generation ,I doubt there is any probelm with your pumps ,you are hearing the moving components ,which is normal.
In case of Jason's pump I know he got the old generation & he already had a problem with it that's why I suggested to contact ECOTECH.

niloc16
10-20-2006, 07:37 AM
i figured it was normal but i was a little concerned when i seen jasons post. thanks for the response though

Jaws
10-20-2006, 03:19 PM
Jason
Please contact Ecotech ,the rattling sound is not normal,Please keep me posted of the outcome

Thanks. I'll do it today. In the meantime do you think it's ok to still run the pump? I can't really afford to lose that much flow for how long it would take to send my pump back and wait to get it fixed.

I checked the pump today and it seemed fine, even on full blast. I noticed that the propellor housing had shifted again so the solid plastic piece meant to stop the pump from sucking air down wasn't at the top again which I've been struggling with since I got the pumps even after they sent me the kit to fix it. I tried to rotate it so the housing was upright and I started getting that awful knocking noise again.

Overall, I haven't had a good experience with these pumps yet. I've seen the benefits, I love the flow, but I've had a number of things happen that have stopped me from enjoying them as much as I should. I'm probably a 1/1000 case and that's why I'm not freaking out but I would like to get it resolved. I'll send Ecotech an email today.

support@proline
10-20-2006, 05:21 PM
I don't think it be a problem to run it ,but keep me posted

Johnny Reefer
10-26-2006, 04:58 PM
Just wondering what the general consensus is on these powerheads now that a few people have been running them for a bit, ....or is it still too early to say?
Can the somewhat outrageous cost be justified?......or would Tunze 6100's be a better buy, dollar for dollar?
How has the company "EcoTech" been to deal with? Have they been cooperative with people's concerns?

Thanx much,

niloc16
10-26-2006, 05:55 PM
johnnyreefer - i have never used tunzes myself but these vortechs rock. in my opinion they are limited for the application used because there is no way to direct the flow. the newer generation pumps are better because the bugs have been worked out of them. once the wave controller comes out i think these pumps will become more popular in use of that application

Jaws
10-26-2006, 06:16 PM
Overall I think the Vortechs are a better pump but the Tunzes offer more for less money. It is true that the Vortechs will be coming out with a wavemaker and directional housing but you can get both of those in the Tunze for the same price. I still think I like the Vortechs better but I like the versatility of the Tunzes.

WWWD
10-26-2006, 06:41 PM
If your looking for wave control why wouldn't you buy a tunze wave box? it would be way cheaper than buying 2 vortechs and a controller.

Jaws
10-26-2006, 07:17 PM
I'm not so much looking for a wavemaker just more of a pulsing flow to create more chaotic current.

fishface
12-11-2006, 03:18 AM
well i just set up a vortech on my NEW 120! (another story) and so far all i can get outta it is alot of noise and seemingly not really all that much flow. i can just feel the flow at 2 feet and not much more, but the constant whirring of this just may drive me round the bend. i've tried aligning it as best i can but this is as quiet as i can get it...am i doing something wrong here?

niloc16
12-11-2006, 03:58 AM
neither of mine make any noise, i just adjusted for alignment and it got rid of it. make sure you have your pump setup for the correct thickness of the glass you have it on. i dont remember the name of it but the rubber boot that goes over the motor half is adjustable. if you remove it completely from your motor it will tell you where to line up the slot for the thickness of the glass, also depending on the thickness of glass you may have to replace the bearing with the one they send with it. hope this helps and doesnt confuse you more.

fishface
12-11-2006, 02:36 PM
neither of mine make any noise, i just adjusted for alignment and it got rid of it. make sure you have your pump setup for the correct thickness of the glass you have it on. i dont remember the name of it but the rubber boot that goes over the motor half is adjustable. if you remove it completely from your motor it will tell you where to line up the slot for the thickness of the glass, also depending on the thickness of glass you may have to replace the bearing with the one they send with it. hope this helps and doesnt confuse you more.hey Colin, yah...i've done all that, looked through their troubleshooting guides etc and still can't get it quiet. it seems like really a very simple piece of equipment so there really can't be too many things that could go wrong. maybe i just got a bad seed...

to be continued...

niloc16
12-11-2006, 07:53 PM
in the beginning there was some bad units and ecotech was really good for replacing them, just contact the store where you got them from for even email the company and see if they can help you.