Fixing a sump pump

[AdamHorton]

I recently had the main pump in my 150G SW tank fail me, and right now I'm running on a backup pump (which sucks compared to this one). I've tried taking it apart, cleaning it, etc. and the conclusion I've come to is that the pump should be easily repairable but I just can't do it (I'm a software guy, not a hardware guy )

Anyways, I'm wondering what type of place I can take it to to have someone who knows what they're doing fix my pump. I really don't want to spend $100+ on a new pump, and I'm sure it would take a qualified person 10 minutes at most to fix it. Has anyone ever dealt with this before?

About the pump: it's a magnetic drive pump (I don't have it in front of me, sorry) and everything seems to work OK, except when I put the casing and everything back on, the part that spins like crazy gets caught on something and craps out. Sometimes I can get it to work, but then I turn it off and back on and it gets caught on something and it's all over. I can get more details if you want them, but I won't be home until tonight. Thanks for your help

 

[austinsdad]

Wondering if it's the impeller. That white palstic thing that turns and pushes water. In my Mag pump, that impeller simply cracked. Couldn't really see it well, but with some fiddling, I could tell.

I'd also like to urge everyone to always have an extra impeller on hand for time like that, particularly when you rely on one pump to move water from the sump.

 

[jsoong]

Yep, sounds like a broken impeller. <The spinning part!>

Take the impeller out & look at it closely. If it is bent or broken, pop a new one in & you are done.

If the impeller looks fine, sometimes it is hard water deposits between the impeller housing & impeller magnet. Soak both parts in vinegar or CLR to clean & the impeller can spin freely.

 

[AdamHorton]

All right, I'll try replacing the impeller. I've tried soaking everything in vinegar and that didn't change much. That means I need to find an impeller for this pump, which may be an adventure. I'll see if I can't find one...

 

[austinsdad]

Word to the wise again...

Keep an extra impeller handy for your pumps.

Adam, what kinda pump is it?

 

[AdamHorton]

I ordered an impeller last night. If this fixes it, I'll definitely order a spare.

The pump is a mag 12, 1200 gph. My backup isn't even half that :-(

 

[cmor1701d]

Did you order two?
Though by the time this one breaks you'll be ready for a new pump.

So Adam, do you know how many programmers it takes to change a light bulb?

 

[bavass]

I have a mag drive 7 and I keep an extra impeller and an extra impeller cover on hand. My mag drive was doing the samething and come to find out the cover was broke so the impeller was falling to the side and getting hung up!

 

[AdamHorton]

I only ordered one, I didn't know if it would work, and I might be ordering some other things from this place soon, but if it does, I'll definitely order an extra impeller. I've heard of some people who also keep an extra cover around, maybe I'll pick up one of those too. I'd be interested to know why my pump will break in another year, though...

No, Cmor, I do not know how many programmers it takes to change a light bulb.

 

[AdamHorton]

The impeller arrived today, and it's fixed the problem -- the pump works great now. Thanks for the tip, everyone.

 

[austinsdad]

Just love it when a plan comes together.

 

[melosu58]

No, Cmor, I do not know how many programmers it takes to change a light bulb.

I think the answer is 4. One to hold the lightbulb in and the other three to turn the ladder. Am I right?

 

[krap101]

On that note, how many BP execs does it take?

 

[AdamHorton]

Well the pump failed me again this morning. I didn't have time before work to do anything more than throw the backup pump in there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the problem was the impeller again... I've had this pump for over a year now. I'm thinking it's time to get a new pump?

It seems like maybe people have had experience with this pump crapping out on them like this?

 

[bavass]

Check the inside of the pump cover make sure that the supports are not broke or cracked that hold one end of the impeller. If one of them is cracked it will cause the impeller from time to time to shift and get hung up. I had the same problem. I have had my mag drive 7 for 3 years. I replaced an impeller and a cover.

 

[AdamHorton]

All right, sounds like I should replace the cover as well. I'll poke at it tonight and make sure that will work, and hopefully order one tonight.

I'm still a little unsettled at cmor's remark that I'll need a new one soon -- maybe he's just had a bad experience with a mag drive pump?

 

[bavass]

Make sure its the problem first. It comes off easy 4 screws and its off. Also check the warranty Mag Drive has a 3 year warranty on there pumps!

 

[AdamHorton]

ARGH!

So here's an update:

I got an impeller/cover and installed it, it seemed to be working great for a few days.

We had a pretty bad electrical storm a couple of nights last week. I woke up one morning to find that all of the fish tank pumps, including my two AC20 filters on my FW tank, had all failed. I went and bought a new Mag 12, installed it, and we were working fine once again. Less than 24 hours later, my brand new Mag 12 wasn't working (no power hits). I put in my backup pump, which is a crappy 600 gph "Quietone" and it's been working fine for several days.

What is wrong here? Is there something about my setup that makes it so that Mag 12 pumps all of a sudden won't run? My old Mag 12 worked just fine for a year, and I haven't changed anything other than the pumps in a few months.

 

[jsoong]

Grasping at straws here ....

Were the pump plugged into a GFI outlet or a power bar (with surge protector)?

Perhaps the power surge had tripped the outlet or the surge protector & even with a reset, the outlets may not be putting out the correct volts. Maybe this is causing the problem. <The bigger pump draws higher current than the small ones, and if it did not get enough juice, it will not run.> I would try plugging the filters into a different outlet & see.

If all else fails, you can always return the brand new pump for an exchange ....

 

[AdamHorton]

Well, it's plugged into an API battery backup/surge protector. I've tried plugging the pumps into a different outlet, but never directly into the wall. The battery backup has been acting up recently, so I've suspected it. I'll try plugging the pump directly into the wall, since your power theory actually does make sense. I wish I'd thought of that...

I'll do that tonight and we'll see if it lasts longer than a day...