The life of Air pumps

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Warborg

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Sep 2, 2009
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Austin, Texas
Do the expensive ones really last longer?

Most pumps I buy only last about 1 year. I've bought cheap ones and a few mid range ones but none last very long. I sure don't want to buy an expensive one and have it go out like the rest.
 
Yes and no. They do not last longer, however they do have replacement parts and rebuild kits for most of the higher end pumps. Personally They are cheap enough I just buy the tetra whispers for 5-10 bucks a piece and have a spare in my bucket for when it gets noisy. Then
I replace my spare and toss the old one. Not exactly eco friendly, but costs less than a rebuild.

I should also mention the only thing I use an air pump for is my refugium.

I have considered going to one of the new piezo ultrasonic pumps because theyre tiny and quiet.
 
I've not owned one, but I always heard good things about Danner air pumps.
I have better luck running small single outlet air pumps over running fewer large multi-output ones. I've currently got a mix of Whisper, Petsmart value brand and no-name eBay Chinese ones and Wal*Mart ones running. Some have been going solid for 2yrs or so. For me, what seems to go on them is the check valves and not the diaphragms. Cool thing is, the Walmart ones and the cheap Petsmart ones have lifetime warranties. Just shove the receipt in the box, save the box and return it for exchange when they stop working. I haven't had to do that yet, but that's my plan!
 
FreshyFresh said:
the Walmart ones and the cheap Petsmart ones have lifetime warranties. Just shove the receipt in the box, save the box and return it for exchange when they stop working. I haven't had to do that yet, but that's my plan!
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Really? Can you take it back to walmart? The last one I just bought a year ago at walmart and it went out this week(the reason for this thread). Next time I will save the receipt.
 
Warborg said:
Really? Can you take it back to walmart? The last one I just bought a year ago at walmart and it went out this week(the reason for this thread). Next time I will save the receipt.
Click to expand...

Normally lifetime warranties would lie with the manufacturer not the retail store. You would most likely ship the unit back to the manufacturer for a replacement.

Higher quality air pumps are much better made and do last, so long as they are taken care of and not overworked. I started with the cheap units, then moved onto diaphragm pumps, and now am very happy with the performance and low maintenance of linear piston air pumps.
 
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Reedmaster16 said:
Normally lifetime warranties would lie with the manufacturer not the retail store. You would most likely ship the unit back to the manufacturer for a replacement.
Click to expand...
Walmart's cheap one cost about the same as the shipping fee would be to send one back, better to keep buying new ones.
Reedmaster16 said:
Higher quality air pumps are much better made and do last, so long as they are taken care of and not overworked. I started with the cheap units, then moved onto diaphragm pumps, and now am very happy with the performance and low maintenance of linear piston air pumps.
Click to expand...
I thought all pumps use the diaphragm method? I'll have to look into this linear piston air pump.
 
In regards to the warranty/return thing I mentioned above with the Petsmart and Walmart pumps, it says to return them to the store for a replacement or refund.
 
I tried to negate this whole "cheap air pump thing" by replacing 3 Danner supreme AP8 (petco renamed brand) with a Danner pond pump AP100(100 watts ) 6 months ago when I got a great deal for a NEW one for under $150.00.

Well it's still running (6 tanks), but I can tell it's getting weaker, and have just about decided to go back to 3 (6watt each) cheaper pumps($35.00 a piece), as I have a feeling this pond pump will need a diaphragm rebuild soon, and they are notorious for cracking in the area where the armature goes, which is NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I'm thinking the power savings alone with might be worth going back to the cheaper "throw away" pumps (9 watts vs. 100 watts).

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, as I haven't torn the pond air pump apart yet to inspect, but I just have a "feeling". Also, I will be honest and say I really need a proper built PVC "manifold" to handle that much "pressure" from a pond air pump. I currently have it hooked to a 18way stainless manifold(which gets quite hot), and I still had to bleed off 12 outlets. I think I maybe should have gone with an AP40 instead of an AP100.

YMMV, just sharing my experiences. Opinions WELCOMED ;-)
 
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