The up converter might work, since it's still 60Hz the impeller will spin faster than designed so that might be an issue. But it's a cheap price for the converter, so might as well give it shot I suppose!
Can you rewire or just buy new pump?
- Thread starter Bonne46
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The cheap up-converters are typically designed for occasional use while travelling. We are talking about something that will be operating 24/7. I would suggest that you get rid of the AU canister and just buy a US model. I used to live in Australia, and it was never worth it to convert power to accomplish the same task that a locally purchased unit could accomplish. Any time you convert power up or down you are going to have issues eventually. It's not worth the hazard or the possibility that you might not notice that it's not working for a while (canisters are quiet), and your aquarium could tank before you notice.
it'll pretty much boil down to whether the motor is capable of being wires to 120. not all motors can be wired for both.
I've done it with large electric motors similar to the ones used to drive a washer/dryer motor or run a large table saw.
Mine is actually used as a buffer/sander but these motors are rated by HP(horse power)
the eheim as well as other filters use mag drive type pumps. I believe they use 2 magnets , one is the impeller the other is the motor I suspect is an electro magnet as it is usually a coil set in epoxy..meaning it's sealed
it's kind of the opposite design of the typical electric motors we use.
but I'm not certain you could wire it to work on a 120 v circuit
I've done it with large electric motors similar to the ones used to drive a washer/dryer motor or run a large table saw.
Mine is actually used as a buffer/sander but these motors are rated by HP(horse power)
the eheim as well as other filters use mag drive type pumps. I believe they use 2 magnets , one is the impeller the other is the motor I suspect is an electro magnet as it is usually a coil set in epoxy..meaning it's sealed
it's kind of the opposite design of the typical electric motors we use.
but I'm not certain you could wire it to work on a 120 v circuit
If all it took was 220, you could just convert an existing plug to 220 by pulling new romex (10/2), change the outlet, install a new breaker, and plug it up. We are talking 50 hz vs. 60 hz though... The impeller will likely spin faster and the canister may not be designed to handle the extra velocity. It's a risky move and a lot of work considering the cost involved in "making it work" vs just buying one that is designed to work in the US.
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i would think rewiring the motor would be useless -- as mentioned above, it's probably a sealed / potted unit that you can't open, much less work on.
on the other hand, i really doubt that the impeller or the windings would care if they were being driven at 60 hz instead of 50 hz; i would be surprised if the impeller is in fact different from those installed in systems sold for US standards.
as ZN says, the little up-converters are probably not intended for continuous use, but if enheim can't help you, you can probably get a small 2:1 transformer at radio shack that will do the job. unless you can find an Aussie-style outlet you'll have to directly wire the pump to the transformer in the box, but it should still be pretty simple and inexpensive
on the other hand, i really doubt that the impeller or the windings would care if they were being driven at 60 hz instead of 50 hz; i would be surprised if the impeller is in fact different from those installed in systems sold for US standards.
as ZN says, the little up-converters are probably not intended for continuous use, but if enheim can't help you, you can probably get a small 2:1 transformer at radio shack that will do the job. unless you can find an Aussie-style outlet you'll have to directly wire the pump to the transformer in the box, but it should still be pretty simple and inexpensive
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