Are Jeabo pumps junk?

[CarolinaReefs]

I have been running a DC 6000 for over 2 years no problems. I have 3 RW15s fail in less than a year though.

 

[MartinWaite]

Have a few different pumps and the blue cased 2000 is used in my coralbox protein skimmer and within 2 years and I'm on my 3rd pump they have all just stopped working. Yet I have the DCS3000 as my return pump and it's been fine. So when the blue 2000 goes again I will get a DCS2000 and fit my pin wheel in it and see if that lasts any better. I also have a couple of their wavemakers and they are no bother set and forget.
All these pumps I control via their own controller ( I don't have Apex) and after a power outage they all restart where they were set at. Both of my failures have been the main body's failing so never had any power leakage but all of these pumps are 24 volts and I have one large transformer and made my own 24volt switchboard to power the pumps.

 

[redtigrinus]

I have used their wavemakers and return pump for the last 5 years with zero issues. You definitely need to maintain them more though. If you take care of them the do well. .

 

[kingdog22]

You get what you pay for in this hobby!

 

[RudyB]

I have a 6000 that is four years old with no problems. I had it on my 65G and now it runs my Bio-Pellet reactor on the lowest setting. I now run a 12000 on my 150G I had great results from my two pumps that I bought a pair of PP8 wave makers and they have been running for about a year now with no problems. I do clean them every 3 months in a vinegar solution.

 

[RudyB]

I have 1 inch plexi-glass on my 450 reef tank with two vortech mp-60, one at each end and want to get two more pumps for more flow but don't want to spend another $1,350. Will the Jeabo pumps work on 1 inch plexi?

Not sure about an inch but they work great on my 3/4".

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Equipment should be bought based on affordability. If you can afford a branded pump and powerhead, but yet you decided a "junk" will do, obviously you made a "junk" decision. "Junk" equipment makes decent hobbyist like me stays in the hobby. I don't mind cleaning that "junk" every month, if it fails I will buy another unit that fits my budget.

 

[ca1ore]

Buy once, cry once. Well, maybe twice for the back up lol!

Yes, exactly. Bought an Iwaki 40 in 1988 for around $200 and it ran flawlessly for me until I retired it in 2008. How many times would a Jebao have needed to be replaced in that time? I don't know if course, but even a couple of time s and the 'savings' go pfffffft.

 

[jzbrigman]

FYI, it's not the DC pumps that are failing, and here is why I come to that conclusion.

I purchased a Reef Octopus DC pump back in Nov 2013. It stopped working after 6 months so they sent me another COMPLETE one. Then hooked up the new controller and power bar to the OLD pump on a guess and the pump was working just like new again, with new pump still in box. That controller then failed sometime later so I got about 2 years total from both pumps or should i say controllers. The RO pumps are still in use today and actually controlled by my old WP40 wavemakers controllers to power my 1 return and 2 my Aquac-120 in my 40g hospital tank. Nov 2013 I also ordered a DC12000 for my ReefTanks AquaC 240 and the pump and controller still works today for my water changes. Also ordered a WP25 and 2 WP40s in 2014 which both WP40s still work today. WP25 the housing cracked after about a year.
We rebuild electronics so we took apart the controllers and on the RO and the Jebao controllers and found the IC (Integrated Circuits) to be the culprit. The circuit boards of the RO and Jebao looked almost identical, same terrible soldiering.

Current working DC Pumps-most are controlled by my Apex so feed modes will slow or turn them off.
RO DC3500 2013,14 x 2
DC12000 Pump 2013
WP40 Wavmaker 2013 x 2
DC6000 Pump 2015
TW40 Wavemaker 2016
DCT6000 Pump 2016
DCT12000 Pump 2016
DCS12000 Pump 2017

Current Non-Working Components
RO DC3500 2013,14 x 2
WP25 2014
DC6000 controller 2015
Multiple Power Bars for the lower volume pumps

Hopefully everyone keeps backup pumps regardless of the brand.

I have multiple tanks and these are affordable and easily controlled by the Jebao to Apex linkage when the controllers fail.

THE CONTROLLER AND POWER BARS ARE THE WEAK POINT.

 

[Pivitol]

I myself think it's all relative take for example a toaster you buy from Target for $15 and it works great, are you going to remember or take the time 6mo down the road to write a rave review about it? Probably not, but if it torches your kitchen you would definitely tear it up in the reviews. Same for TV's you get a great deal on black Friday on some no name LED tv and to you it is great and last for years, but to some videophile that critiques the finest details it's a point of sale. It depends what your intended purposes are and the type of maintenance you want to keep on your equipment. Of course your higher end item's will be of a higher build quality and probably not need to upkeep of the lower end but that is to expected (meaning a RO may only need to cleaned every 6mo to the Jebao every 3). Bottom line is if someone buying a pump for 1/4 the cost of comparable higher end product shouldn't expect the same quality. That being said I have 3 Jebeo pumps on my tank a DCT15000 return, a CP-55 gyre and 2 SW/PP 15 pumps and all are working great with what I consider minimal maintenance, but do I expect them to last as long as the big brands, probably not but only time will tell.

 

[joro]

FWIW, I use a Jebao as my "multi purpose pump" for water changes or moving water between here/there which is has been awesome for. I can't comment on it's longevity as a daily driver but for those specific chores, it works amazingly well.

 

[Vahanyos]

They get the job done. My powerheads require more frequent cleaning but with care they will last. The stock controllers were great but the multi one was sensitive, would lose connection if wire was moved. Overall great for the price. Perform real well.

Not a pump but a Jebao nonetheless.

 

[racin2438]

I ran the older circulating pumps with the controller, which lasted a bout a year...Then changed to the RW pump and service them every 3 months and they have lasted much longer.....There are cheap enough compared to the MP's...

 

[teller]

Nobody is mention the kind of mode they are using.
IMO/IME if you buy a wavemaker and put it in a mode that makes it start/stop constantly this wavemaker will worn out much faster than if you put in a mode that makes it ramping up and down, but never really stops.
My two jebao wp10 are 3.5 years old! One third I bought at same time and had it in w1 start/stop mode still works but after 1.5 years I had to rotate the blade to start spinning.
My conclusion: avoid any mode that makes your wavemaker stop completely and start again in a matter of seconds, it will worn out much faster. Ramping up and down without stopping is a better bet for longevity.

 

[Sleepydoc]

Questions like this are invariably difficult to answer. What you are really looking for is the the likelihood of failure relative to other pumps. To truest get that you need a decent sized random sample, which threads like this are decidedly not.

Every pump will have failures. The number of failures is dependent on the failure rate and the number of pumps sold. Jaebao pumps are popular because of their price, so there are going to be more failures simply by virtue of the number of units in service. Whether that's abnormally large is hard to say.

I have no experience with these pumps, but from the reading I've done, it seems like the newer pumps are more reliable. Regardless, the advice others have given to have a backup on hand is sound, regardless of what pump you buy.

Regarding the controllers, 'DC' pumps are actually AC pumps in disguise. They use a computer controller to create the appropriate wave form to run the pump at the desired speed, rather than. Wing dependent on the 60Hz signal from tbe walk. As such they are totally dependent on their controllers and technologically more complex. The controller design and reliability is as important as the motor itself.

One last comment I'd make is that having a ground probe and a GFI is pointless. If the ground probe is carrying enough current to be 'useful,' the GFI will shut off the power.

 

[ca1ore]

Here's the problem though. Regardless of why they fail or specifically what component fails is immaterial to me if I'm on a business trip and the thing stops working. I'm a looooong time reefer and a frequent flier - so bullet-proof, decades reliable pumps are essential for me.

 

[jasonrusso]

One last comment I'd make is that having a ground probe and a GFI is pointless. If the ground probe is carrying enough current to be 'useful,' the GFI will shut off the power.

I agreed with everything until this part. There is a whole other thread about this, so I don't want to turn this one into that one.

Without a probe, stray current uses the water as a conductor making a connection to the neutral. It won't trip the GFI

The probe gives stray current a path to ground creating the difference between the hot and neutral which trips the GFI.

 

[sghera64]

I've had four RW-8 wavemaker pumps going for over two years. I had to remove 1 or 2 tiny pieces of metal that were magnetically attracted to the propeller magnet because they would stop it from freely some freely spinning. Very small shards that required a wet cloth to separate them from magnet.

Once I did that, I have had no trouble. I really neglect all of mine by going long periods without cleaning yet they purr on. I use them in sine wave mode and sometimes pulsing wave mode.

 

[Playa-1]

I bought one and it lasted for three month. It always had a glitch with the controller too. point of sale in my opinion. Will never buy their crap again.

 

[jasonrusso]

@jasonrusso - this is the device I use. I have had it since December and haven't had a single problem. It is connected to my 2016 apex via a regular Ethernet cable to the control port. It runs 2 wp25 wave pumps.

The 2 wp10 pumps I have are on another controller that I used before I got the apex. It is called a JBWave. Been using it for about 3 years now.

Jebao/Jecod Pump to Neptune Systems Apex Controller Linkage Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149K2ZUE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6MaEzbP5NWGY1

I see that a lot of people blame the controller when the pump fails. Would hooking it up to the Apex solve that issue by taking the controller out of the equation?

The 3rd party controller hooks up to the Apex via a data cable. Where does it plug in? I have an Apex Jr and the only data cable is for the internet connection.