# Old powerhead maintenance



## Paul B (Aug 4, 2009)

This powerhead has been running non stop since the eightees when they invented them. It has only stopped a a few times when the power was out.
Lately, if it stopped, I could not get it running again and I would have to take it apart and spin the impeller a few times to start it.
I decided today to do a little badly needed maintenance. Of course, I could always buy a new one, but anyone can do that. Part of this hobby is maintenance and repair.
The shaft was badly worn allowing the magnet on the impeller to contact the sides of the housing and the hole where the shaft attaches to the housing was egg shaped due to age and vibration. I epoxied the shaft in the hole so I could center it and I used shrink tubeing on the shaft where the metal was worn away. I also lubricated the shaft with food grade silicone. Now I know the shrink tubeing will not last 20 years like the stainless steel shaft but It will probably last a year or two. If not, who cares, I think I got my moneys worth out of this powerhead by now.
Besides I do have some stainless steel radio antennas which I could make into a new shaft, but that is a project for next year.
Now the thing runs perfectly.

That strange looking below it is my surface skimmer. I think I built that the same time I got that powerhead. I don't have a sump or any holes drilled in the tank so that "device" skimms the surface of the water and feeds water to the homemade skimmer which feeds the algae trough.
So that one powerhead provides surface skimming, protein skimming and supplies the algae trough.



















And of course the 4' venturi skimmer


----------



## jrodriguez (Jul 20, 2009)

since the eighties???that is a long time and you definitely got your money's worth.wow


----------



## Paul B (Aug 4, 2009)

Yes maybe I should return it to the manufacturer and ask if it is still under warranty.
I have three of them exactly like that and the other two are just for circulation, I never touched them except ayery few years to clean off all the tube worms.
I don't actually remember when I got them or where I got them but I don't remember much.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

perhaps the instructions are next to that old silent giant air pump you probably have hidden away in some forgotten place.


----------



## Paul B (Aug 4, 2009)

> perhaps the instructions are next to that old silent giant air pump


I am sure I have a few of those along with a couple of Eheims, HOB filters and rusty Vortex Diatom filters. I can't even count the heaters and the chemicals in all of my test kits look like tar and don't come out of the bottles anymore. *old dude


----------



## johnmclaren (Aug 21, 2013)

It is a very nice machine. It has served you long enough, try to replace it with other one rather than repairing it.


----------



## Paul B (Aug 4, 2009)

I would always rather repair or rebuild something, that is part of my hobby. Besides, the powerheads built now will not last near as long as the older models and I really hate badly designed machines.


----------

