Any electricians? Need help ASAP on a broken Luft pump!

I have a Luft pump that drives my DIY skimmer, and the other day I accidentally knocked over my collection jug that holds skimmate. The luft sucked some of the skimmate up into it's housing. Maybe a tablespoon or 3.


I immediately unplugged it and rinsed it with denatured alcohol, flushing it out well. Let it airdry for a few hours.



It worked fine for a couple days, and now the rheostat is shot. It started out working fine, but if you backed it off to anything lower than 10, the pump would stop (the diaphram would still quiver, but not enough to produce air).


Well now the thing won't run at all- the rheostat won't adjust. I'm 100% sure it's the rheostat.



I always run this thing wide open anyhow, is there any way I could just splice the white wire going into the rheostat (coming from the power source/outlet) to the blue wire coming out of the rheostat (going from the rheostat to the motor coil)??
Would this run it at normal "wide open" or would it be overload? Ie, is this long-term safe?


Any help is much, much appreciated! I need to get something running on this skimmer SOON!

 

not an electrician but try soaking it in vinegar just might need a good cleaning

 

I flushed it rather well with denatured alcohol. By the way the rheostat is acting, I think it's shot, and not just dirty.

I will say this, talk about nasty! The skimmate was some extra dark junk (the skimmer was doing its job quite well) and the smell in the Luft was pretty rank. Wasn't a lot of fluid, but it doesn't take a whole lot.

 

lol might be time for a ne one by the way i have this problem with power ,when my ac and aquarium lights are on if i run my microwave it flips the breaker any clues just asking?

 

Your circuit is overloaded. Both a microwave and an AC unit suck a LOT of electricity. Your aquarium lights may also be pulling a lot, depending on how much wattage you are running.

 

your luft pump is shot.. when you rinsed it in denatured alcohol it probaly dried out your diaphram "sp" or rubber piston that makes your pump work...

Just my 2 cents...



BEst of Luck.....

 

My guess is that even with the pump "wide-open" the circuit is still using resistance from the rheostat. Connecting the wires as you indicate would probably NOT be a good idea.

 

I doubt the denatured alcohol damaged anything, the contact time was pretty low and the alcohol needs time to damage rubber parts.

The pump worked great for several days--- then later if I tried to adjust the flow on the rheostat, the problem is with the rheostat, I'm 100% certain. Something inside has corroded from the skimmate/salt that it was in contact with.

For a few days, the pump would work fine on max air. But if you dialed it down even 1/10th of a turn, the pump would almost totally shut off (it would buzz a little but not produce air). The rheostat obviously wasnt' sending the voltage (or current?) needed to the motor coil.

Now, it won't do anything but buzz unless I fiddle with the rheostat and keep pressure on it (press it in kinda like a button). So I'm not running it right now.

The diaphragm was totally disassembled and cleaned and wiped dry, and

 

If the rheostat portion is in series with the feeder wires for the unit, you could try taking the rheostat out of the mix with some degree of safety. To accomplish this safely, you really should know what the amp draw was before the damage was done. This would be your baseline.

This way, you could test the amperage of the device after the rheostat has been removed, to be certain that its presence wasn't serving any other function; because it's possible the rheostat even "wide open" was acting as a current-limiting resistor--in which case removing it would/might/could create a hazardous situation. If that was true, though, the consequence should be that only the home's breaker would trip. If not, the current draw might be more, but not enough to trip the breaker--in which case you're wasting electricity and producing more heat, which could be dangerous. In either case, this is where your tester (and knowledge of previous amp draw) comes in.

You could try it, but you understand that when you modify ANY piece of electrical equipment, you open the door for the possibility of fire. Almost 95% of fires in homes are caused by electricity.

If you go ahead with this, use common sense, and plan on being around while the newly modified motor runs for at least several hours to make sure all is well.

As always, please understand that my knowledge is soley based on what you posted--and I'm making the assumption that you are able to splice wires correctly, and know how to do this with the proper equipment and NEMA rated boxes/housings/enclosures so that it will be safe around wet equipment (your tank).

Finally, I'm also assuming you've placed your hand on the motor while it was running properly enough times to know how hot-to-the-touch is normal. If after your work, that heat feels significantly elevated, it's best the throw the motor away and purchase a new one.

Good luck.