Do dirty pumps draw more current and get hotter?

[sushi]

Topic is my question... My tank seems a little warmer than before, could dirty impellers make the pumps work harder? Or will they just pump less water?

[Kris]

This is a physics question. You need to go to Physicsgeeks.com perhaps?

Still, let me take a stab at this one.

Electrical hardware is designed to draw amps & volts according to the size of the wire, resistance of the line, and maybe even the size of your wallet (remember, this is a "stab"). If the pump impeller is hindered by plaque build up (due to infrequent brushing) and calcium deposits due to low maintenance, then the pump will not operate as efficiently.
Friction between the impeller and the pump housing can in theory increase the amount of heat generated by the pump.
The energy use should remain more or less constant as it reflects the design of the pump, but if there is friction, or head pressure the amount of water moved per heat generated could be less. Also it is summer time, the days are very long and so heat tends to build up in appliances, aquariums, and drinks so that the ice melts very fast this time of year.
The problem I have with dirty pumps is that they stop spinning and then I have to take them off-line and remove calc build-up before they will pump water again. This generally happens late at night after I've drunking way too much and I wake the neighborhood with cursing at my dirty pumps.
I hope this answers your question?

[sushi]

I know with rc planes, if you do not change anything on your system except put a bigger prop on, the motor will draw more current from the electrical system, and if you hold the propeller and give it throttle it will draw a ton of current so maybe dirty impellers resist more and draw more current... I don't know, I am totally guessing

[Kris]

That makes sense with a battery for power, and perhaps the same thing happens with the wall socket? The AC/DC current load theory never made real sense to me, in fact it causes a measurable voltage drop in my medulla cortex whenever I try to make sense of electricity.
I think that a dirty impeller could create drag that might lead to the pump overheating and lead to pump failure, but I am unclear if the pump would use more energy to do this instead of pushing water?

[MysonKing]

I have always thought that pumps add heat to the tanks although the impact may be minimal. I think our pumps are built to operate within a head range so my guess is you wouldn't see a significant increase in temp unless the water wasn't moving out the pump. My guess in your case is that it's just hot outside. Ambient temp maybe is causing the heat on your pi to go up as well as increased ato run time to replaced the increase in evaporation due to the heat. If room temp average goes from say 76 to 78 you'll see a water temp increase. Just my guess.


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[crabbysd]

the harded a motor has to work, the hotter it gets.