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Troubleshooting Pump Problems

February
24th
PondMeister

We have been getting a lot of questions about reviving dead pumps as many of you in the North are trying to start up your ponds for the spring.

In this Aquascape Video, Dave Kelly  – The Tech Guy –  brings up some great tips on steps to go through to bring your pump back to life.

The major things to check are:

  1. Make sure water level is high enough to get to pump (Duhhh – but sometimes easy to miss) (Hint – Use AutoFill systemto keep water level constant)
  2. Check and Clear Skimmer Debris net or basket – If this is clogged, not enough water is getting to the pump causing it to run dry.
  3. Check Skimmer Filter pad and clean it with hose.
  4. Pull pump out – Unscrew from Check Valve assembly (Turn off pump first!)
  5. Use screw-driver to make sure nothing is clogging impeller and impeller moves freely.
  6. Check Ground Fault Protection (GFI) – push button to turn power on . If trips again, water has worked it’s way through the seals – pump is probably shot
  7. Check for broken parts (Volute, etc) on pump and call us to replace broken part.
  8. If still dead, call us at 805-241-0141 – we can have a new pump to you in 1-2 days as we ship from 8 locations throughout the country. Keep in mind that there have been some pretty dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of waterfall pumps. Check out Aquascape’s Aquasurge pump if you want to reduce your power consumption.

date Posted on: Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Category Pond Tips, Questions and Answers.
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8 Responses to “Troubleshooting Pump Problems”

  1. marilyn mellon

    Have a pump that has stopped & only 2 years old. Do you do business in Woodland Hills?

    February 25th, 2010 at 12:23 am
     
  2. PondMeister

    We carry all the Energy-efficient Aquasurge pumps here in Thousand Oaks as wel as 8 warehouses around the country. Call me at 805-241-0141 and I can talk you through it. Richard

    February 25th, 2010 at 8:46 am
     
  3. rosa nazario

    hello, the pond outlet give me some answer i have a waterfall and i just bought 25 koi fish in my pond i live in rochester and i wanted to know when do i start feeding them and when do they start breeding and if they do what kind of material i put so they can keep their eggs in one piece do koi last for a longtime and if i still have to continue running the waterfall all day long and if you have any koi fish to sell i have a number to call do you have a free catalog cause they install mine but i don`t have a filter to change anything what do i have to do mine is a waterfall running and i have bubbles in the water what is it from tell me when i can feed them is raining and is in the 40 degrees give me suggestion ok.

    March 23rd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
     
  4. PondMeister

    Feed regular fish food when your POND WATER temperature is over 55 degrees and Wheat Germ Spring/Fall food for when the WATER TEMP is between 45 and 55 degrees. They will eat but cannot digest the food at those temperatures.
    Ponds with Koi have to run 24/7. It is espoecially important to run the pumps at night as well as that is when the fish are most in jeopardy in the oxygen cycle. I am not an expert on breeding fish but they need to bounce around in plants and rocks during the mating season. My 6,000 gallon pond gets completely covered in eggs for a week or so and it smeels like fish eggs everywhere. I have not had babies in 6 years as they eat the eggs like candy but that’s cool cuz I have more fish than I should any ways. I have 32 full grown koi in 6,000 gallons which is probably a bit much even with all my extra aerators, waterfalls (7) and filters. We have no catalog – all 4,000 items are on our site. We do not sell fish.Please call me aT 805-241-0141 for more info.

    March 23rd, 2010 at 9:49 pm
     
  5. dorothy

    i have an artesian pro performance pump. it recently got really dirty with mud runoff. now the pump makes a very loud noise. it works but the noise is too loud, can’t hear my pretty waterfall. how can i fix the pump myself? what should I look for?

    December 30th, 2012 at 10:37 am
     
  6. PondMeister

    Bad news – sounds like it is fried. Made by Performnance Pro. You could try to contact the manufacturer or order a new one at

    December 30th, 2012 at 11:56 am
     
  7. Lisa

    My pump is working fine, but the pressure is very low at the top of the waterfall. So the problem is between the pump/hose connection at the output tank and the intake tank at the top of the waterfall. Is there a snake, or what should I use to determine if there is blockage in the 25 ft between bottom and top?
    Thanks

    May 6th, 2013 at 8:25 am
     
  8. PondMeister

    Have you checked the flapper in the Check Valve assembly? Sounds like it may have broken off and is floating loose in the throat of the check valve.
    Happens way too often.

    May 6th, 2013 at 6:36 pm