Adding a pump

[texmaster]

The inline pump I currently have is beheath a rather elaborate waterfall. Its output has diminished over the last 8 years and I fear it is failing but because of its position it would be very hard to remove and would force me to disassemble one of my waterfalls to get to it. (I know poor planning)

Can I add a pump about 2 feet away (which isn't underneath a few hundred pounds of rock), turn off the existing pump and will it allow water to travel through it while its off?

 

[addy1]

I think, imho, it would not, esp if the impeller etc is full of junk.

 

[texmaster]

I don't know if it is or not but ugh not what I was hoping

 

[koiguy1969]

if you can disconnect the hose or pipe from the waterfall....you could put the garden hose on it and (seal it up as good as you can to not lose pressure) and back feed the water thru the pump. this may clear any debris out of pump and/or plumbing...

 

[texmaster]

if you can disconnect the hose or pipe from the waterfall....you could put the garden hose on it and (seal it up as good as you can to not lose pressure) and back feed the water thru the pump. this may clear any debris out of pump and/or plumbing...

Will the pump let water through when its off?

 

[koiguy1969]

yes...the only obstacle would be if you have a oneway valve (check valve) to keep the pump primed and prevent back syphoning into the pond if thats the case you would have to temporarily remove it. ***if you cant divert the flow between the pump and pond this will push the clog back into the pond, skimmer or wherever the pump draws from. but if its the problem it will save the cost of a new pump!!

 

[texmaster]

yes...the only obstacle would be if you have a oneway valve (check valve) to keep the pump primed and prevent back syphoning into the pond if thats the case you would have to temporarily remove it. ***if you cant divert the flow between the pump and pond this will push the clog back into the pond, skimmer or wherever the pump draws from. but if its the problem it will save the cost of a new pump!!

Thank you so much! Are torpedo and pondmaster pumps solid choices in case I do have to replace it?

 

[koiguy1969]

not familiar with them...i use submersable 'in pond' pumps myself. i know sequence external pumps are highly reccommended....contact DoDad if you need one , he sells them, and is better to judge the different pumps.

 

[addy1]

Keep an idea of the amount of amps, some pumps really suck the electricity.

 

[texmaster]

Thank you all for the advice! I turned off the pump and jammed in a garden hose at the filter line and after a few minutes of trickle, I got a good 5 inch spout from the fountain.

So, an inline pump will allow water through when turned off in case anyone was curious but the best part is that the blowout with the garden hose is allowing the pump to operate at its best and still has enough life right now for a bit longer use before I replace it. Thank you all again!

BTW, I did a little math and that pump is 15 years old and went in when the pond was built. Is that normal for it to start loosing some of its punch and how realistically will it continue to run? It looks to have lost about half of its power by now.

Oh one more question, when I do replace it with a much stronger pump, I used half inch copper and rubber tubing to run to the fountain up top. Is there a threshold on the amount of GPH I should consider running through before risking a blowout at one of the fittings?

 

[addy1]

Great a little longer life. I think it would depend on how well you did your fittings, 1/2 piping adds resistance, but it is not a closed system that would add pressure. If the end at the fountain is a small output, it might pressurize some.

 

[koiguy1969]

glad to hear of your success...we wouldnt steer you wrong!....your weelcome!

 

[Bart]

15 yrs is reaching the pumps life expectancy but if the pump is not leaking then most likely there is either a partial plug or trash has built up on the impeller. So if you have to tear out your waterfall to find out I would go ahead and replace it. Just my opinion

 

[texmaster]

Great a little longer life. I think it would depend on how well you did your fittings, 1/2 piping adds resistance, but it is not a closed system that would add pressure. If the end at the fountain is a small output, it might pressurize some.

In this video you can see my waterfall is pretty weak. I want that to be flowing about 3 times that amount and considering the size of my pond I'm thinking about a 2000gph pond

 

[texmaster]

The video