MTBF For Pumps

My Question

Hello,
Do you happen to know the (Mean Time Before Failure) MTBF on the following pumps?

JS 10-245404-03 (CM30P7-1)
MD-20RLZT-115
MD-30RLZT-115

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The Response

No manufacture has a MTBF rating! It all depends on what your pumping and the hydraulics behind it. If your pumping water at ambient temperature, with the flow curve at the BEP ( best efficiency point) and ample NPSHA, the pump should last a while, But if your hydraulics are not ideal, it changes everything. So, it is very hard to tell how long a pump will last without all the information required.

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So this raises the question... how long could I expect my pump to last? If I stick the MD-20RLZT in the system and I can only expect my pump to last six months, well that is just unacceptable.

If I stick the MD-20RLZT in the system and I can only expect my pump to last six months, well that is just unacceptable.

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Iwaki? I'm new to WC but I've heard about these pumps running for years on end in the aquarium world. I remember one guy talking about finally cleaning the pump after 5 years of pumping sal****er. It still worked just the flow was slow due to all the stuff built up inside.

I believe Iwaki has an MTBF of 3 years, 24/7. However, they tend to last MUCH longer than that. I would venture to say an Iwaki would last 5+ years easily in the fassion we would use it for.

Bailey said:

sal****er.

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Wow....It took me a minute to figure out WHY that was censored.

Wow....It took me a minute to figure out WHY that was censored

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Took me a minute the 1st time, I still forget to add the hyphen.

BigSmokey said:

Wow....It took me a minute to figure out WHY that was censored.

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I still don't know what it is

MrMOSFET said:

I still don't know what it is

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Not sure if you're joking. Used to be English/Aussie slang for a certain part of the female anatomy. Now it's more commonly used in the same vein as d..khead.

The pump's themselves may not have an MTBF, but the motors on the pumps almost certainly will, as this is a fairly common sort of thing to gather data on.

Iwaki officially claim 3 years, but that is in overly harsh circumstances. You could see 10-20 years of use out of one in a mild environment like computer water cooling.

Many of the continuously rated brushless 12VDC pumps have MTBF's in the 10-20K hour range, or about 14-28 months continuous. The Swiftech MCP600 has an MTBF of 10000 hours (~14 months). The Davies-Craig EBP has an MTBF of 15000 hours (~20 months). I believe that I read that the Johnson pumps are around the 20000hr mark (~2.5 years), but I could be wrong on this.

Again, these are often worst-case scenarios as pumps get used for a wide variety of applications. I know people with the Davies-Craig EBP's that have been running continuously for close to 3 years in a computer water cooling setup, which is close to double the rated MTBF.

The Eheim pumps are all rated for two years as well, but there are aquariums that are still using the same pumps 20 years later.

Use vs abuse.

Cathar said:

Not sure if you're joking. Used to be English/Aussie slang for a certain part of the female anatomy. Now it's more commonly used in the same vein as d..khead.

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Hmmmm... OHHHH!!! I just got it while I was writting the response... like the water that is in the ocean.

Well it sounds like I really can't go wrong with Iwaki or Johnson.

I still don't get it. Ocean? water? Female anatomy? What's the connection?

Salt-Water = Saltw@ter = Sal****er (censored because **** is apparantly a naughty word). I didn't even know what it meant - I guess Australian curses haven't made it up here yet.

I am trying to think of an exclusive, and rude, Canadian term... How about "bogart"?

On topic: Most pumps also come with a warranty. I know that Iwaki's will be replaced for free if something bad happens (according to marinedepot anyways), and the warranties usually extend for a year or two. CSL pumps have a two year, no fault guarantee.

Lots of used pumps get traded around on these forums, and others, and I have yet to hear about one failing, even if it has ben used for years already, and will be used for years more.

Plus, if you think about it computer watercooling is pretty laid back, and not very stressful for Mr. Pump. Most people don't even run 24/7.