Aquascape Aquasurge pump remote stopped working

[schmuttis]

We had a pond installed two years ago which included two Aquasurge 4000-8000 pumps. Today I was doing some pond maintenance and unplugged the two pumps which I do all the time. When I was done I plugged them back in but only one started. I switched outlets as they are on separate circuits. The one that hadn't started still didn't. I then turned on the manual switch on the remote box and the pump started but in this situation it only runs at the highest level. I turned the manual switch off and still could not get it to start with the remote. I even put a new battery in the remote even though the existing one tested fine. The pump still would not start. Does anyone have any suggestions what else I could try?

 

[Lisak1]

We have the same issue pump - remote unit stopped working after about two years. You can buy a new box, but they cost about $100. And of course it happened after the pump was out of warranty.

I would try contacting Aquascape and see what they say. They may replace it for you since it's only two years old. Or talk to your installer - if they are a CAC they may have some pull.

 

[jdungey]

I see this is an older post but wanted to let folks know I have had the same problem with the aquascape pro remote. It actually went bad last year but I did not have time to deal with it then and am just now deciding on next steps.

 

[Lisak1]

I see this is an older post but wanted to let folks know I have had the same problem with the aquascape pro remote. It actually went bad last year but I did not have time to deal with it then and am just now deciding on next steps.

How old is the pump? If it's under warranty they will replace it. We just replaced our original Aquasurge with a new one and the remote is completely different. We had the original one which just had two buttons: + and -. No indication of where you were in the range of 4000-8000 GPH. It was rather dumb actually. This one at least has a 1 - 10 indicator screen. We still can't figure out what the range means, but at least we know if we're going up or down!

If you contact Aquascape, I would let them know that you were just reading on a pond forum and people are commenting that these things go bad quite fast - that might get you somewhere even if your pump is out of warranty. No company wants bad "press"! (They really are a good company - we've dealt with them a lot as they are "local" for us. Never had a bad encounter or exchange with anyone there, all the way up to the owner. Good people.)

 

[Eihauta]

We had a pond installed two years ago which included two Aquasurge 4000-8000 pumps. Today I was doing some pond maintenance and unplugged the two pumps which I do all the time. When I was done I plugged them back in but only one started. I switched outlets as they are on separate circuits. The one that hadn't started still didn't. I then turned on the manual switch on the remote box and the pump started but in this situation it only runs at the highest level. I turned the manual switch off and still could not get it to start with the remote. I even put a new battery in the remote even though the existing one tested fine. The pump still would not start. Does anyone have any suggestions what else I could try?

I was having the same problem. What I found was the switch on the receiver had two positions. It doesn’t function as an on/off switch. One position was manual on where the pump worked at full speed. The other position was automatic mode where it’s controlled by the remote. Once I figured that out it works perfectly.

eihauta

 

[Lisak1]

I was having the same problem. What I found was the switch on the receiver had two positions. It doesn’t function as an on/off switch. One position was manual on where the pump worked at full speed. The other position was automatic mode where it’s controlled by the remote. Once I figured that out it works perfectly.

eihauta

I'm glad you figured out your issue, but ours was flat out broken.

 

[poconojoe]

Just wondering...what is the purpose of having a remote for a pond pump?
To adjust the output? Perhaps if the output is too strong?

 

[Lisak1]

@poconojoe - it's a variable speed pump. Ours can run from 4000 to 8000 gallons per hour. The remote turns the pump speed up or down - very frustrating when it malfunctions because you no longer have a variable speed pump!

 

[mrsclem]

It seems Aquascape has a problem with their products. I had 2 of their Koi-cams, underwater cameras. The cables peeled off the wiring after a few months and cameras shorted out. They have discontinued the cameras.

 

[Lisak1]

We've had about the same experience with Aquascape products as any other - some are great, others need work. The underwater cameras were a big fail for them. But one thing we have found is they are very responsive to customer complaints - we've never had an issue getting a product replaced when it doesn't perform as expected. We had some issues with a set of lights we purchased and they replaced them without any problems. When we called about a new pump, they recommended one to buy and then encouraged us to purchase it from Amazon as we could get a better price that way. We are also lucky that the main headquarters are just over an hour from our house so we can always walk right in and talk to someone. If you ever get a chance to visit Aqualand, it's amazing!

I'm a big Aquascape fan - they have done so much to push the garden pond industry into the mainstream and are especially helpful for the DIY pond builder. When we were planning our build they were patient and willing to answer any questions we had along the way. We were there to put together a list of equipment and they convinced us to build a bog instead of using a bio falls - best thing we ever did! They also organize yearly pond walks in the Chicago area which is a great way to see lots of different styles and types of ponds and get great ideas for plants and landscaping.

 

[Mark W]

@poconojoe - it's a variable speed pump. Ours can run from 4000 to 8000 gallons per hour. The remote turns the pump speed up or down - very frustrating when it malfunctions because you no longer have a variable speed pump!

We have had the 2000-4000 variable speed pump for seven years. The remote never worked from day one but the flow rate was adequate so we lived with it. Last week the pump quit altogether. Took it apart to see if there were any impeller blockages and everything looked good. Before buying a new one I decided to try bypassing the remote control unit. Cut it out and reconnected the wires. Pump is working like a champ again. Hopefully, we'll get another seven years out of it.

 

[j.w]

@Mark W
Hope you can start a post in the welcome thread section so we can all welcome you.

 

[Mmathis]

@Mark W Hello and welcome, and ditto what @j.w said. This is an older thread, so your comments are likely to get lost along the way.