Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

G'day, I have had this air pump running constantly for nearly 12 months I think and slowly I have been lossing air from each outlet. I now only have one outlet that is still performing.
I have pulled it apart and found that the rubber diaphrams have cracked. does anyone know if I can get spare parts for these or if it should be warranty or not?

BBear,
just go to any aquarium shop...most of them hold stock. it is a common item.
bring the rubber diaphram to the shop because they need to get the right size for that pump.
cost around $3 to $7 each ...no more than that.

I'm not sure that you'll get warranty on it, many places don't warranty the diaphragms or the little flapper valves. They seem like a pretty standard item though so should be easy to get hold of. We have found them to be interchangeable between different brands.

You might want to look into upgrading to something like a Resun LP40.
It has only one diaphragm and doesnt fail as often.
Spending $20 every year replacing parts gets boring really quick and starts to add up fast.

They should last longer than a year tho.
Premature failure is generally caused by too much back pressure.
And there is definately no warranty on diaphragms.

So clean your stones and maybe not as deep in the tank perhaps....?

Yeah, generally.
Also long airlines can increase back pressure.

You can buy plastic air stones http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3297
These can be pulled apart and all the algae and rubbish cleaned out, then put back together.
They do tend to be cheap rubbish that crack though.
The stone type ones do get clogged eventually, especially if you stop using them for a while.

moving parts such as diaphragms and flapper valves are not covered under warranty as they are considered a wear and tear item.
long air lines and blocked airstones do shorten the life of them.
Once you find someone that stocks them get some spares

(good advise from someone whose pond one diaphragm has torn and he does not have a spare,)

And really hard one way valves. We had some you could barely manage to blow through with your mouth, so any air pump would be labouring..

What is a popular air stone? Shape and size etc?

100mm x 50mm Diameter - Ceramic Carborundum for me. Pump out a heap of air

[/quote]So clean your stones and maybe not as deep in the tank perhaps....?[/quote]

How deep should they be? mine is at the bottom of my FT about 1m.

You dont need air stones at the bottom, your water will oxygenate no mater where they are. Obviously under the water though. The water splashing out of your GB will actually provide sufficient aeration but if your stocking high and are running flood and drain, a airpump is needed. It also gives you piece of mind.