Pump life expectancy

[billyinvt]

I am running the RB25 from RO bucket. I love it. It has changed my life. I am in my third season processing 2000-3000 gallons of sap each year with fresh membranes installed early this year. I recently started experiencing decreased performance (output rate) and the pump sounds different. What is the expected lifespan for one of these pumps? Part of me wants to just go ahead and order a new one, because I'll need it eventually. Part of me isn't interested in coughing up a couple hundred bucks if the problem is something else.

[ecolbeck]

I would wash the membranes first before assuming the pump is the issue.

[maple flats]

That pump is a diaphragm pump, correct? If yes, order a spare or 2 membranes and maybe a set of bearings (or bushings). To answer the question, a pump might last 1 season or 20 seasons, there's a wide range of things that might cause a failure.
In my operation I always tried to have a back up for most everything, just in case.

[BAP]

I am running the RB25 from RO bucket. I love it. It has changed my life. I am in my third season processing 2000-3000 gallons of sap each year with fresh membranes installed early this year. I recently started experiencing decreased performance (output rate) and the pump sounds different. What is the expected lifespan for one of these pumps? Part of me wants to just go ahead and order a new one, because I'll need it eventually. Part of me isn't interested in coughing up a couple hundred bucks if the problem is something else.
Your best bet is to reach out to Carl, The RO Bucket owner, and talk to him. He responds pretty quickly and will talk to you about your problems and tell you what you need to do.

[billyinvt]

I would wash the membranes first before assuming the pump is the issue.
Membranes get washed frequently

[carls47807]

If the pump has a growling sound to it, the main pump seal is probably weeping and the front bearing is getting rusty. That is generally the only failure on those diaphragm pumps. It's important to flush the pump head out after any chemical wash. The seal is not easily replaced as it is a triangular oring (sealing the outer body) and a flat disc sealing the inner body (screwed down with three phillips screws, each sealing a separate compartment). There are a lot of pumps out there that are 5+ years old, but after 3 years (if you run it hard through the season), I would consider getting a backup. The ones that go bad are the ones that run at 150 psi for 12 hours at a time almost all season long.