Air pump problem

I have that pump and the same exact problem. I am assuming it needs a new diaphragm... a simple $2 part .... thats on fucking backorder right now. :evil: IF your lucky your hydro store might have the part in stock.

Luckily I have a smaller pump that's running stand in duty at the moment, instead of brewing compost tea.
 
Dinosaur Bone said:
I have that pump and the same exact problem. I am assuming it needs a new diaphragm
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The problem isn't with the diaphragm, I checked that. If you run your pump long enough that it stops working, you'll noticed that it's hot. Don't unplug it, instead take the diaphragm off and you'll see that the pump motion has either stopped or greatly decreased. After it cools down, it will work fine for until it heats up again. I thought about taking it apart, or maybe giving it a little oil. I haven't yet because I don't know if the oil will hurt it.
 
I would take it back,Im not sure how the inside of your pump looks but I had 1 years ago that did the same thing,what made the diaphram move back and forth was an arm with a magnet attatched to it,on mine the pivot location of the arm was wore out and making the magnet get to close and it would stop,I fixed mine with a tooth pick and some epoxy. good luck
 
snocat said:
I would take it back,Im not sure how the inside of your pump looks but I had 1 years ago that did the same thing,what made the diaphram move back and forth was an arm with a magnet attatched to it,on mine the pivot location of the arm was wore out and making the magnet get to close and it would stop,I fixed mine with a tooth pick and some epoxy. good luck
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Mine seems to be stopping for a different reason. I'm trying to figure out why it's stopping before I send it back. So far it seems that it overheats and the case or the arm expands from the heat. What I'm trying to figure out is why it is overheating. My guess is simple friction from the epoxy coating on the arm rubbing against the casing. If that's the cause, the epoxy should wear down enough to allow proper function after a few runs. I'm not one to give up so easily, so I'm trying a small coat of machine oil on the parts that rub together to see what happens. To be honest, it's design actually calls for little oil once in a while anyway. So far it has run twice as long without locking up. We'll see what happens. I have two smaller pumps on standby just in case, and if it locks up again, I will send it back.
 
If you haven't already....remove the back cover and check to make sure the foam filter isn't full of dust. Also, don't use oil try a graphite powder or paste.
 
redi jedi said:
If you haven't already....remove the back cover and check to make sure the foam filter isn't full of dust. Also, don't use oil try a graphite powder or paste.
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I can see why you would suggest graphite, but a better product would be white lithium grease. I put that on the piston and WOW! The piston now oscillates at a higher frequency and pushes more air, plus the pump doesn't get as hot now. Lithium grease will also last longer.
 
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