I normally don't comment on the equipment side of posts, but on this particular topic, I have PLENTY to say. I did use rios at one time, for the money, they put out a lot of output, are submersible and definitely cheap, About 2 or 3 years ago, though, there seemed to be a glut of folks over on AOL having burnouts with the 2500 and 1800 model that ended up poisoning the tanks with pcb's. The problem with the pump is not necessarily that they are shoddy, but that they have no thermal protection circuit. The scenario then plays out like this: Rio's use a cheaper fine wire in the windings for the motor (at least, 2 years ago they did, I dissected 3 of the 2500's after they got REALLY hot in my systems) and although it allows them to work well, when the load gets too much or if the insulation starts to degrade due to the heat, the windings are more susceptable to little shorts, which leads to more heat, which leads to more insulation failure, which leads to more shorts; a vicious cycle. In many PH's and
submersible pumps, there is a thermal protection circuit that either temporarily cuts off the motor (ie when the load is too heavy for that motor) or completely shuts off the motor and requires a replacement of a "fusible" link. Maxijets are, for sure, thermally protected, as are many "UL" listed pumps. the Rio's are not. Period. This means that as the pump begins to fail, it will get hotter and hotter until either a major shortout occurs; in which much of the plastic casing will melt and the wire will (hopefully) short out to prevent a grounding event in the tank (at 110 v 15 amps in the US in most households) or the breaker or fuse box activates and the breaker trips or the fuses (in older homes) blow. God forbid that one of these systems fails and the current stays on... I have had people post that there has been a fire at the location of the electrical systems for their tanks using Rio pumps (I believe Alice was on-line on AOL when this was posted a few years ago) For this reason alone, and the fact that your tank will have difficulty recovering from the release of the meltdown products of the pump (even a slow release of the isnulation failure products), please make sure that any equipment that you use is thermally protected, and I would suggest that you have your system's electrical circuits isolated (put on a seperate breaker) from the rest of the power systems in your homes. I'd even put the MH's on a seperate system from the pumps, heaters, etc, just in case the lights trip the breaker (then you wouldn't loose your pumps/circulation if the lighting trips the breaker)
Please, the combination of SW and electricity is bad enough as it is, make sure to take the time to protect your critters (and yourself) from any unnecessary risks. Use GFIC outlets for all your devices going to the tanks, and have an electricial check your wiring for load if you are not sure of the capacity of your home's wiring. I'd much rather read that you lost a coral (I can't believe I said that) than hear that you lost a room, your home, or a life to an electrical short...
Oh well, time to get some coffee... ... what do you mean the toaster is smoking???? :-0
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Tom <"{{{{>(
(TDWyatt)
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. -Plato
And yes, I was on the AOL board when several members had big meltdowns; also on Aqualink and a few other boards. It seemed like an epidemic there for a while.
