Acuarium Co-Op Air Pump Troubleshooting and comparision

[Arnam Anan]

WARNINGS:

1. DO NOT Perform the following troubleshooting actions if your Aquarium Air pump is still under warranty. It WILL void the warranty.

2. Do it at your own risk. The Author or this forum shall not be liable for any damage caused by following procedures. 

Step 1: Unplug and turn off the air pump. Take all 4 screws from the back casing. #2 Phillips Head Bit

 

Step 2: Flip the back portion to expose the internals of the device. Inspect all wiring and 4 white Lego connectors connecting to the circuit board. Inspect for general wear and tears, especially around the magnet rubbing against the motor, corrosion, water damage, battery leakage, etc.

          Caution: Do not rip open the wirings when trying to flip the back casing.

 

Step 3: Pull out both plastic housings with diaphragm. It should be snug-fitting housing and should require little to no force to pull out.

 

 

Step 4: You can separate the diaphragm and the housing by lifting the edge of the diaphragm. Inspect the diaphragm, metal bracket, and the tightness of the screw. The diaphragm should be malleable and not have any cracks or be hard/dry. The diaphragm can be purchased on Amazon but you will have to research the size.

 

Step 5: Inspect the plastic housing. Take out the black rubber piece and the white rubber flap. For me, the point of failure was the white rubber flap. I would assume that happened because of too much back pressure. cleaned it off and put everything back together to fix the issue. To put everything back, follow directions in reverse chronological order.

 

Suggestions for makers: 

1. make the housing bigger by an inch. Will accommodate a bigger motor and another battery for extra power.

2. make the battery removable. Can be done quite easily. Not only that, the User can also replace and order with or without batteries.

3. I would also highly consider if this product is actually needed in the hobby. Here is solar solar-powered battery backup air pump for Pond that produces a lot more air from its single outlet compared to the co-op duel outlet air pump. For comparison:

           1. Power:  Both air stones provided with this no-name air pump were powered by the single outlet of this air pump for about 2 days on its medium power settings. The aquarium co-op duel outlet air pump failed to produce air from these slightly bigger airstones even when I combined both outlets to produce air from a single air stone.  

           2. Solar: It has a solar panel, but I think it's garbage. I tested in the winter months. So, there's that. But I still think that's a gimmicky feature. Non-existing in Co-op air pumps.

           3. Battery Backup: Lasted a little bit less than 2 days in its medium setting. In power saving mode, advertises to last 96 hours but in my testing, about 3 days. The co-op air pump did not last a day in power-saving mode.  

           4. Accessories: Comes with two air stones, ~ 5 feet of airlines, and a Charging cable; no power adapter was included. Warranty nonexistent and/or not sure. The co-op air pump does come with a power adapter and newer versions are rumored to come with all the accessories listed with the no-name brand air pump and as a bonus 1 year of warranty.  However, I ordered two co-op air pumps earlier last year and didn't get the airstones and the airlines.

           5. Build Quality: I have not opened up the no-name air pump (Because still running), so can not describe the internal component. The outside casing for both is on par with each other. I like the rubber feet of the co-op air pump more compared to the silicone bead feet on the no-name one. The metal hook in the back for hanging the air pump hangs out on the no-name pump, so you can use the hook or to use the feet, you will have to take the hook off. The co-op pump lets you use either the hook or feet without removing any hardware.

          6. Specs: 

                       No- name: solar panel = 5v/1w, Adapter Input= DC 5v/1A Micro USB, Battery=3.7v 3600mAh Max air: 1L/min

                       Co-op Pump: power consumption = 2.1 W , Max air = 1.6 L/min air flow, Adapter Input=5V USB-C ( From co-op website)

         7. Price: I feel like this is a tricky bit. No-name is marketed as 30 USD but is often discounted for way less. I purchased mine for 16~17 USD. Duel outlet now selling for 40 USD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not make a single penny by promoting either of these products. I am simply trying to make a better hobby for everyone. All are written from my observation only.  I am also not including any links to either of the products. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your experience and feedback.

 

[Guppysnail]

Interesting to see the inside of these. Thanks for sharing. 

[Dancing Matt]

Has anyone tried replacing the rubber piece? Mine has cracked and failed (it has lived in a "pumphouse" outside in dry Colorado air for a year and a half) however the replacement pieces I see online do not have the vertical tab that the metal lever clamps on to. I am wondering if it would still function properly without the clamps working as a type of fulcrum.

[Arnam Anan]

On 4/12/2024 at 5:16 PM, Dancing Matt said:

Has anyone tried replacing the rubber piece?

I haven't replaced myself. But did a quick search for diaphragm and found these.

 

You can try to email Candy / aquarium co op and see if they have the part number for it.

 

On 2/8/2024 at 11:57 PM, Arnam Anan said:

On 2/8/2024 at 11:57 PM, Arnam Anan said: