[Oldconductor]

I am trying to discern if the XP pump motors for the four (4) RENA/API XP Filstar canister filters is the same unit, but supplied with different impellers installed to produce the flow rates stated.
I would appreciate any info anyone has gained through readings or experience.

 

[jaysee]

I would not expect them to be the same. Using aquaclear filters as an example, the smaller units share the smaller motor while the AC70 has a larger motor and the AC110 larger still. I would expect there to be at least 2 sized motors, if not more.

 

[Oldconductor]

It appears it can be done

Reference this address
120 4x2x2 flow. [Archive] - The Planted Tank Forum
Where this issue is discussed.
See
mark546
09-30-2013, 02:22 AM

Its very simple they used the same pump head on the xp1,2,3,and 4 the only difference and why you see a difference in flow is the length and number of blades on the impeller. It is simply cheaper for them to use the same part without engineering 4 different pump heads, when they could use the same pump head, impeller shaft and magnet. The only difference is the impeller blade.

I assure you it works. Ive had an Xp4 impeller in my xp3 for about 6 months.

 

[jaysee]

This guy "mark" is making an assumption based on... Appearance? I noticed no one concurred on the thread. I doubt he's opened them up to examine the size of the motors or else he would have said so. I also doubt he's asked the company....again, or he would have said so. The only rationale he's offered to support his position is that the company doesn't want to spend money to design different size motors, to which I refer to doubt #2. It's not like that's the industry standard or anything....

Now he may be right.... I think it would be easy to ask the company and find out. If you want to find out that kind of information about a product, then go straight to the source

 

[Oldconductor]

API has not shown itself to be a very responsive company on the "mechanical side", sad to say. The chemicals and nutritive side is very responsive. The pressures of keeping up a good name after acquisition of a product line is more than some companies are capable of properly responding to.
I will have an opportunity to physically test out this hypothesis as the Filstar XP3 I just won on eBay is in need of some cross pollination and I will check the impeller switch-out idea on that winning, when it arrives. Minor pump case damage on the XP3 and I just happen to have a spare XP2 pump motor available for the experiment. Time will see, and I will post the results here when performed. Thanks for the reply and comments.

 

[jaysee]

Each of the filters draws a different amount of power - doesn't that indicate that they are different sized motors?

 

[Oldconductor]

Each of the filters draws a different amount of power - doesn't that indicate that they are different sized motors?

Yes I have read those power rating differences , but had considered the difference attributable to the volume of water being pushed by the impellers. That does not dismiss what you have stated.
I'll see if I can dig up my AC amp meter to try for some validation information.
Thanks

 

[Mikaila31]

Difficult question. Using a different impeller is going to change the flow regardless of if they are the same motors or not it may likely change the wattage too as you mentioned. The way the motor head is designed the motor casing is also part of the same piece of molded plastic as the canister head. Due to this you can't really replace the motor itself as its silicone in there and isn't visiable... Maybe the newer ones say something but if you open the top on my old XP3 the only thing the motor says is a number handwritten in sharpie...

So yes, no, maybe so? not sure why it matters too much. If you change change the flow rate via impellers alone doesn't really matter if the motors are the same or not. I know you could probably get higher then 450gph if you took the effort to fabricate an impeller.