Second hand MCE600 has become noisy | The Aquarium Solution

Second hand MCE600 has become noisy

Question:

Hi,

After reading through a few forums, i noticed this email address regarding a 'dampening kit' for a Deltec mce600. I have purchased one 2nd hand for my 2nd tank (i use a Deltec mce300 for my smaller tank which by comparison is absolutely silent) and feel somewhat disappointed by the noise issues. Firstly, the air intake is very loud, and gargles a lot!! I have cleaned the air tube, and it has got no better? is there a muffler available for this? or as some suggest, use of an airstone. Would Deltec recommend this at all? Secondly, the vibration is also extremely annoying. Again, i have stripped down the unit, and it has red bushes fitted i believe. However, the pump can move freely around the bottom of the unit, only held in place by the intake pipe and the plastic 'plate' that slides the other side of the pipe. Does the dampening kit involve any parts that fit to the motor? For reference, i am using it as a 'hang on' skimmer. Apologies for all the questions, but i will have to persevere with it, as other skimmers i dont find suitable. I'm not sure how old it is, but any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Kind regards,

Steve

Answer:

Hi Steve

With regards to the vibration there could be a couple of reasons why your MCE 600 may have become noisy. A couple of things to look at , make sure the pump has the rubber strips fitted that come with the dampening kit.

Also make sure that the pump is pushed well forward into the suction pipe as this can vibrate too, then push the plate hard behind the pump.

As the pump is second hand the bushes may have shrunk over time and the shaft on the impeller may be worn. A replacement impeller shaft and bushes may well help with the noise. The air intake shouldn't be loud,

there should be a slight hiss sound from the tap, if the tap isn't fitted this will increase noise. I suggest you clean out the tap as dust can collect and reduce skimmer performance, if air is restricted by debris and dust

at the tap the pump will run noisily.

The second place to look would be at the air venturi at the pump, calcium carbonate can build up in there and again restrict air to the skimmer, this causes the pin wheel to move forward and scrape/rattle against the front suction plate.

Clean the venturi of any blockages by hand with a small drill bit of the same size as the venturi hole. Cleaning the pump by soaking in a vinegar solution or by using EzeClean will also clear any deposits that have built up inside the pump.

The use of an air stone is not needed and will upset the running of the skimmer, when the pump is clean and running correctly it produces the correct volume of air for the skimmer.

I've included a couple of links, one gives info on the sound reduction kits and the parts supplied and the other gives tips on noise reduction.

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/sound-reduction-mce600-and-mc500-models

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/noise-reduction-deltec-skimmers

Hope this helps

Tony