JEBAO DOSER (STILL) LEAKING!

[VW_TDI_02]

Yes air is coming in at that joint.

 

Ive tried new tubing and new connectors, but that spot is TERRIBLE! Only the KH solution

Duck tape??

[HarryPotter]

Duck tape??

 

.... Hot glue?

 

(Might work better getting into the nooks and crannies?)

[VW_TDI_02]

 

.... Hot glue?

 

(Might work better getting into the nooks and crannies?)

Not a bad idea, haha. Either that or plain silicone. I had some threads that I simply could not get to stop leaking in my plumbing so I just put a fat bead of silicone around it. Was about 1/2" thick at least and it sealed it right up.

[HarryPotter]

Not a bad idea, haha. Either that or plain silicone. I had some threads that I simply could not get to stop leaking in my plumbing so I just put a fat bead of silicone around it. Was about 1/2" thick at least and it sealed it right up.

 

Is that Aquarium Silicone good for rubber? (Tubing)

 

I don't get why its leaking. It is still dosing properly- there is NO AIR in the line!

 

I wish I could somehow just make the whole thing 1 tube, ditching the tubing within the pump head and just running one line.

[Benny314]

Have you replaced the tubing in the pump head (you can with some not sure on the cheap jebao)? If you can replace it, remove it and inspect it. From what your describing there's possibly a pin hole or split in the tube. Also check the wheels on the pump head to make sure they've not got a sharp edge that has cut the tube.

Have you swapped which head pumps your alk solution to see if you get the same issue on multiple heads. Your saying cal doesn't leak? This would suggest the above, damaged hose on that one head.

[HarryPotter]

Have you replaced the tubing in the pump head (you can with some not sure on the cheap jebao)? If you can replace it, remove it and inspect it. From what your describing there's possibly a pin hole or split in the tube. Also check the wheels on the pump head to make sure they've not got a sharp edge that has cut the tube.

Have you swapped which head pumps your alk solution to see if you get the same issue on multiple heads. Your saying cal doesn't leak? This would suggest the above, damaged hose on that one head.

 

It came with an extra head. Micro pin holes or a split in the dosing head tubing sounds like a reasonable suspicion!

 

Ill replace that tomorrow.

 

I havnt changed pump heads yet, but ill do that tomorrow as well. Its just very discouraging to have so many problems with some ALK!

[Benny314]

 

It came with an extra head. Micro pin holes or a split in the dosing head tubing sounds like a reasonable suspicion!

 

Ill replace that tomorrow.

 

I havnt changed pump heads yet, but ill do that tomorrow as well. Its just very discouraging to have so many problems with some ALK!

 

Yeah it would bug me too, but as it does seem to be just one head leaking, swapping which head pumps what and seeing if the problem follows the alk mix or the same head then leaks cal would rule out the specific mix as the issue. Always start simple.

 

The tube that runs through the pump head isn't just standard air line tube, it's normally quite thick walled and a spongy foamy type material. There are little wheels in the pump head that squeeze it and make it draw fluid.

The reason all things that use peristaltic pumps recommend a head change every so often is the mechanism (both the pipe and the wheels) wear over time and become less efficient sometimes to the point of no longer drawing fluid, as this is a cheap unit the component quality might not be that great and the pump head might have damaged the pipe or the pipe was nackered to begin with.

[HarryPotter]

 

Yeah it would bug me too, but as it does seem to be just one head leaking, swapping which head pumps what and seeing if the problem follows the alk mix or the same head then leaks cal would rule out the specific mix as the issue. Always start simple.

 

The tube that runs through the pump head isn't just standard air line tube, it's normally quite thick walled and a spongy foamy type material. There are little wheels in the pump head that squeeze it and make it draw fluid.

The reason all things that use peristaltic pumps recommend a head change every so often is the mechanism (both the pipe and the wheels) wear over time and become less efficient sometimes to the point of no longer drawing fluid, as this is a cheap unit the component quality might not be that great and the pump head might have damaged the pipe or the pipe was nackered to begin with.

 

Very good information here- following your advice I applied the replacement pump head.

 

Upon inspection the original leaking head had heavy CRACKING of the foam tubing. Here the ALK solution was escaping.

 

I am going to email Jebao and ask for another replacement head in case this happens again, as the unit is just a few weeks old and I would not expect the foam tubing to wear this quickly.

 

Hopefully tomorrow I will open my stand and NOT SEE a pile of precipitate on the bottom of my stand and tubing!

[Steensj2004]

 

Very good information here- following your advice I applied the replacement pump head.

 

Upon inspection the original leaking head had heavy CRACKING of the foam tubing. Here the ALK solution was escaping.

 

I am going to email Jebao and ask for another replacement head in case this happens again, as the unit is just a few weeks old and I would not expect the foam tubing to wear this quickly.

 

Hopefully tomorrow I will open my stand and NOT SEE a pile of precipitate on the bottom of my stand and tubing!

Foam tubing?

[HarryPotter]

Foam tubing?

Not foam, but it's not the regular air line either. Like thick white tubing that had a texture to it

[afyounie]

I recommend replacing with a tubing made of material that can handle alkaline solutions. Not all polymers are created to handle the same thing. It is possible the tubing used for this application had a reaction with the solution, causing the cracking. Not sure what the pH is of your Alk solution. I also recommend changing the fittings at the input and output tubing because they could eventually crack as well. Here is a link to a chart showing chemical resistance of polymers.

 

http://www.omega.com/pdf/tubing/technical_section/chemical_chart_1.asp

[HarryPotter]

I recommend replacing with a tubing made of material that can handle alkaline solutions. Not all polymers are created to handle the same thing. It is possible the tubing used for this application had a reaction with the solution, causing the cracking. Not sure what the pH is of your Alk solution. I also recommend changing the fittings at the input and output tubing because they could eventually crack as well. Here is a link to a chart showing chemical resistance of polymers.

 

http://www.omega.com/pdf/tubing/technical_section/chemical_chart_1.asp

I am using B-Ionic Ca and Alk. I don't know (not have tested) the PH.

 

You would think that an aquarium doser would be equipped with tubing that can dispense Alk,

No?

[afyounie]

I am using B-Ionic Ca and Alk. I don't know (not have tested) the PH.

 

You would think that an aquarium doser would be equipped with tubing that can dispense Alk,

No?

 

Definitely not with a Jebao doser. Its not a well known problem to most consumers, but a large amount of components, electrical and mechanical, are being counterfeited in China. So there is a decent chance the rubber used for the tubing isn't what you think it is. Also, the Jebao doser is cheap for a reason. This involves using subprime components and cutting corners.

 

Something to remember is that consumer products are not designed to last. They are designed to fail so you will spend money to repair the original product. This applies to all manufacturers. The high cost of expensive equipment means you will be able use it longer without repair. So as the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

[HarryPotter]

Definitely not with a Jebao doser. Its not a well known problem to most consumers, but a large amount of components, electrical and mechanical, are being counterfeited in China. So there is a decent chance the rubber used for the tubing isn't what you think it is. Also, the Jebao doser is cheap for a reason. This involves using subprime components and cutting corners.

 

Something to remember is that consumer products are not designed to last. They are designed to fail so you will spend money to repair the original product. This applies to all manufacturers. The high cost of expensive equipment means you will be able use it longer without repair. So as the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

Awe damn I know, just can't afford a higher end doser. The reviews of the Jebao were surprisingly good, so hopefully I can get at least a year of use.

 

There are 4 available pumps and I'm only using 2, so I could switch them at failure

[afyounie]

Awe damn I know, just can't afford a higher end doser. The reviews of the Jebao were surprisingly good, so hopefully I can get at least a year of use.

 

There are 4 available pumps and I'm only using 2, so I could switch them at failure

 

I would just replace the tubing with tubing that can handle the solution. Would probably fix everything. If the motors fail, you can always just order more from Digikey.

[basser1]

 

Definitely not with a Jebao doser. Its not a well known problem to most consumers, but a large amount of components, electrical and mechanical, are being counterfeited in China. So there is a decent chance the rubber used for the tubing isn't what you think it is. Also, the Jebao doser is cheap for a reason. This involves using subprime components and cutting corners.

 

Something to remember is that consumer products are not designed to last. They are designed to fail so you will spend money to repair the original product. This applies to all manufacturers. The high cost of expensive equipment means you will be able use it longer without repair. So as the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

 

Oh Puulease....... The Jebao unit looks like the much more expensive unit from GHL. I'd bet that the internals are from China as well!

 

GHL doser

Jebao Doser

[afyounie]

 

Oh Puulease....... The Jebao unit looks like the much more expensive unit from GHL. I'd bet that the internals are from China as well!

 

GHL doser

Jebao Doser

 

I never said they weren't, and I'd even agree. Probably both made by a subcontractor in China and relabeled. Much like a lot of the tools you can purchase at Harbor Freight and Northern Tool. Commercial companies aren't like medical or defense corporations. They use the cheapest part to achieve the desired result. If you want a peristaltic pump that operates with the same efficiency and reliability as the medical part, you'll have to shell out the thousands for the medical brand.

 

Edit: I'm betting anything the GHL doser is more expensive because they are licensed to sell in the US. Those license fees are expensive, hence the higher price on the GHL doser. Whereas with Jebao, I've only seen them for sale on websites hosted in Asia. Amazon doesn't count because you can sell anything from anywhere on Amazon.

[Benny314]

 

Definitely not with a Jebao doser. Its not a well known problem to most consumers, but a large amount of components, electrical and mechanical, are being counterfeited in China. So there is a decent chance the rubber used for the tubing isn't what you think it is. Also, the Jebao doser is cheap for a reason. This involves using subprime components and cutting corners.

 

Something to remember is that consumer products are not designed to last. They are designed to fail so you will spend money to repair the original product. This applies to all manufacturers. The high cost of expensive equipment means you will be able use it longer without repair. So as the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for."

 

Well yes I agree you get what you pay for, but Vortech cost the earth and are forever needing replacement componets.

That foam rubber tubing breaks down in sun light (UV exposure) and with age. Could be that units sat on the shelf a while and the tubing is degraded.

Yes Jebao are cheap. No that doesn't mean they're substandard and going to fail instantly. They are just other peoples products rebranded by the factory who had the contract to make the other product. Didn't anyone notice all the DC retrun pumps on the market were identical in shape and size only the colour finish and branding was different.

Coincidence? I think not............

The exception is the WP and new RW wave makers which don't seem to be a rip off of someone elses design and I own 2 RW-4s and they're great little units.

[braaap]

 

Oh Puulease....... The Jebao unit looks like the much more expensive unit from GHL. I'd bet that the internals are from China as well!

 

GHL doser

Jebao Doser

 

That bottom picture is the GHL one as well lol. But they are VERY similar. The jeabo doesn't have red LEDs.

[ps2cho]

The BRS doser are a good choice. I feel like the best choice with auto dosing is keeping it as simple as possible. Doser and 3rd party timer or controller only. The brs units can only fail like 2 ways. Leaks externally or motor fails. If your checking the tank frequently enough it should be obvious

[basser1]

 

That bottom picture is the GHL one as well lol. But they are VERY similar. The jeabo doesn't have red LEDs.

 

Good Catch!! Yeah the Jebao doser leds are green, not red

 

But for the difference in price, I think I can be happy with green leds......

[HarryPotter]

 

Well yes I agree you get what you pay for, but Vortech cost the earth and are forever needing replacement componets.

That foam rubber tubing breaks down in sun light (UV exposure) and with age. Could be that units sat on the shelf a while and the tubing is degraded.

Yes Jebao are cheap. No that doesn't mean they're substandard and going to fail instantly. They are just other peoples products rebranded by the factory who had the contract to make the other product. Didn't anyone notice all the DC retrun pumps on the market were identical in shape and size only the colour finish and branding was different.

Coincidence? I think not............

The exception is the WP and new RW wave makers which don't seem to be a rip off of someone elses design and I own 2 RW-4s and they're great little units.

 

Gotta disagree with the Vortechs, they are super reliable and quiet for me. Same thing with my dads tank and a bunch of old "Blue Box" units are still running!

 

 

 

That bottom picture is the GHL one as well lol. But they are VERY similar. The jeabo doesn't have red LEDs.

 

Good catch

 

The BRS doser are a good choice. I feel like the best choice with auto dosing is keeping it as simple as possible. Doser and 3rd party timer or controller only. The brs units can only fail like 2 ways. Leaks externally or motor fails. If your checking the tank frequently enough it should be obvious

 

I wanted more heads in case I needed to dose MG

[hwk7072]

Me so pump (that is an autocorrect for "Jebao")...anyhow, my lines backed up into my Ca and Alk reservoirs and completely filled them until they were overflowing. So I put airline check valves on them thinking I should have done that from the start. Now I read that peristaltic pumps should not need check valves. What's the verdict on that?

[Benny314]

Depends on the pump design.

Most peristaltic pumps have 2 lobs/cams which often have rollers on the end of them which squeeze the pipe drawing fluid. However as the mechanism wears or if it was a low quality pump head with poor build tolerances, the cams can stop in a position that allows the pipe not to be squeezed completely shut allowing air and or fluid to drain back through and potentially starting a back syphon flooding your dosing containers.

There are pumps with 3 cam/lob heads, this design is impossible for the cams to line up and not squeeze the pipe completely, the only reason this type of head would back syphon is through excessive wear.

 

Hope that makes sense.

[hwk7072]

Depends on the pump design.

 

Most peristaltic pumps have 2 lobs/cams which often have rollers on the end of them which squeeze the pipe drawing fluid. However as the mechanism wears or if it was a low quality pump head with poor build tolerances, the cams can stop in a position that allows the pipe not to be squeezed completely shut allowing air and or fluid to drain back through and potentially starting a back syphon flooding your dosing containers.

There are pumps with 3 cam/lob heads, this design is impossible for the cams to line up and not squeeze the pipe completely, the only reason this type of head would back syphon is through excessive wear.

 

Hope that makes sense.

Yes, thanks. So is a check valve made for an airline going to work, or does it create too much resistance for these little pumps?