33 replies to this topic

[Mr_docfish]

They dont stay quiet long term (due to some part failures)
They drop pressure after several months (design fault - heat affected parts)
Not all parts are sold as spares (swing arms - one warranty problem, no spares available atm) see page 43 - only diaphrams and felt pads.... (no valves/chambers/electromagnets/casing/seals/etc)

We stopped selling them after we noticed too many returns, our $15 Chinese pumps are still going out there, and we sold 100+ Chinese pumps for every Eheim.... For us, dealing in Warranty returns, Eheim air pumps were not value for our money either, we were loosing money on the time spent repairing/dealing in warranties.

no doubt there are some units still out there that are working fine... but when you get a number of returns for warranty that I would consider unreasonable (more then 20%) then I will not carry that brand until things/designs change...... just like Jaeger heaters..... everyone raves about them, but Jaeger went into liquidation due to 2 poor performing batches/designs - then Eheim picked up the pieces and the first models still had poor design issues..... there is a new design out again this season - I have picked this up again in the hope it is now up to the reputation it requires for its price. I have seen 4 distinct designs in less then 10 years, I hope this one is better than the last ones.... I will wait until the next upgraded design of Eheim airpumps comes out before I stock another one.

It sounds harsh, but I dont like being made a fool of by selling a "quality" product and having it returned to me with a "please explain" from the customer that now questions my ability to recognise true quality over price.

[saari]

How much are these schego though? keep in mind i only have 1 tank, and i dont run sponges just 2 airstones, i probably only need 1, so im only after a small pump, and price is an issue.

[Cawdor]

Bit of a bump to add my experience:

The Eheim pump I have got noisy from one day to the next, so I was looking for a replacement. After hearing about the Schego M2K3 I decided that's the pump I was gonna get. Vebas have a great price on these so I went down and bought 2 (1 for spare). Got home, disconnected the Eheim and put the Schego on. To my surprise and frustration it was louder than the broken Eheim! So I connected the second one I bought - same deal.

To clarify: When the Eheim was still 100%, I could not hear it when standing a couple of meters away. Even on full output. The two Schegos I could hear in the next room with the door closed.

Positives: the M2K3 is a strong pump that has no trouble pushing air to several outlets, even at depth. Build quality seems very solid. Would be perfect for running a batch of tanks in a shed.

I wanted to keep them but they were just too loud for my circumstances (inside the house, next to the bedroom). Now given that Krystal had the same model in her bedroom, it makes me wonder if they have changed something in the design of this pump model. I took them back and was given a refund, thanks Pacco.

[Kieran]

When the Eheim was still 100%, I could not hear it when standing a couple of meters away. Even on full output. The two Schegos I could hear in the next room with the door closed.

Wow. My schegos are quiet. I wonder if they changed something indeed. I have one in my bedroom on full pelt, sitting on a piece of carpet.

[Cawdor]

I reckon they must have, considering the good noise performance you guys get. Seems like my experience is shared by others, had a look at some German forums and they say the same.

[Wet Dreams]

My schergo is absolutely dead quiet! To the point where I put my head near it an still cant hear it, so have to put my hand on it to check it's actually on haha.

[jslayz]

Hi everyone,

I got a Schego Optimal on my 1400L , it is so quiet I can not hear it.
The bubbles rising in the tank makes more noise than my airpump, niiiiiice.

Just got the one outlet, adjustable flow unit and have nothing but praise for performance during last 6 months.

The noisiest equipment I now have is a power timer that runs the 6x2x2.5 leds?????

I'd buy schego again for sure and because spare parts are available off the shelf nearby.

J

[Cawdor]

It really puzzles me. Can you guys tell me when you purchased them, what model you have and what you have connected to it? And whether they are inside a house or in a shed.

Thanks!

[Krystal]

I got mine from Aquotix and it was in my bedroom, it was the M2K3 model and was running 6x single sponge filters on a 3 tier 2'x18" Rack

[Leaf Fish]

Hi Cawdor,
I use an M2K3 model and have no noise problems, was the noise from the pump or from the vibration of the pump from the surface it was sitting on?
As said before, putting an airpump on a piece of sponge or carpet usually fixes up any vibration issues.
Also replacing old airstones may help as putting back pressure on the pump from blocked airstones may cause noise, can't really say why your Eheim one still worked fine though!
I have an old Rena that is 20 years old on the original diaphragm and is as quite as, I think the Mercedes air pumps may have been distributed by Chris Wardley in WA but he is long gone.

Oliver must be asleep, Krystal's bedroom has been mentioned a few times and no comments from Oliver!

Blake.

[sajica]

Oliver must be asleep, Krystal's bedroom has been mentioned a few times and no comments from Oliver!

I don't think he's out of her closet that she had up for sale yet.


I'm interested to hear more about this apparent noisy batch.

[Cawdor]

Blake - the noise was not from vibration. I put it on a flat sturdy surface, held it in my hand and also put it on carpet, same noise. When you put your finger on the outlet (blocking airflow), the arms vibrated much less and thus it was almost silent. But of course that's not the point. You want the arms to vibrate as much as possible (meaning the diaphragms get pulled back as far as possible) for maximum air output.

If anyone south of the river is up for an experiment: I will come to your place to witness your silent (or very quiet) m2k3 or other Schego model. I will then buy the same model and come back to your place to compare it, using the same setup. I'll buy you a six pack or something for your trouble. PM or post here pls!

[Mr_docfish]

I don't think he's out of her closet that she had up for sale yet.

mmmmmmph......mmmmph....... (the sounds of muffled speech from inside the cupboard....)

[Den]

I agree the Schego is one nice pump, quiet and reliable(from my experiences with them)I have 3 of them, the 350litre models, they run 6 sponges comfortably, probably stretch them to 7 or 8 if you wanted to. If your getting noise might be an unlucky fault or maybe back pressure, or the way its being run, Ive had no probs - touch wood, lol.

I tried eheim first because its a trusted brand name and I also tried a few other brands but they were all too loud and the eheim crapped itself after a week, which is why I ended up using schego.

Cheers
Den