Cal Pump T4000 issues

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I'm using a Cal Pump T4000. This pump has problems that can be fixed if you're handy. When I first installed the pump and put it in my pond, I noticed water was spraying out from the side. I lifted the pump up and saw that the seam was leaking. I contacted the company I bought it from and they shipped out a replacement. They told me to throw away the first one. I decided to take it apart because I figured there had to be a gasket issue. Sure enough, the gasket that seals the two halfs of the plastic housing was in crooked. I straigtened it out, put the pump back together, no leak. The new pump came in and I kept it as a back up.

After the first year the pump was fine. Then after the winter passed, and it was time to run the pump, my GFI outlet kept tripping. It would run for a few days, then trip the GFI. Then it started running a few hours and trip the GFI. I figured it must be broken so I replaced it with the back up pump. This pump worked great for the 2nd year.

Then the winter came. I turned it off. Spring time came and I plugged it in. The same exact thing started happening as the first pump. The warranty of 1 year was over. It was time to take the pump apart and see what was going on.

I started thinking that maybe because I left the pump in over the winter that it had something to do with the cold. Even after fixing the issue, I still feel it has something to do with the cold. I took apart the pump and noticed that the way this pump works is that it's basically a regular electric motor with an impeller. The non impeller part of the motor is inside a plastic housing with a metal ring holding it in. That motor housing is inside the housing of the pump. So basically, it's a housing inside a housing.

I unscrewed the metal ring holding the motor down. Below that metal ring is a rubber o-ring. As I pulled the motor out of the housing, out poured pond water. The rubber o-ring failed. This caused the GFI to trip.

I let the motor dry out for awhile and cleaned it as best as I could. I then started to reassemble the pump. I decided to put some aquarium sealant between the o-ring and the metal ring. I put the pump all back together, let it dry overnight and hooked it back up the next day. I plugged it into the GFI and it stayed on. It’s been running now for over 2 months and hasn’t tripped the GFI. I have since fixed the other T4000 I have the same way in case next year I have the same issue.

What I figure the problem to be is that with the Pennsylvania winters I have, the cold is too much for the rubber o-ring. The contracting and expanding must wear it out. I’ll find out next year if the aquarium sealant works.

I’d rather not take the pump out every fall.
 

addy1

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Good thing you are handy! I take things apart too when they fail, never know if you can fix it!
 
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I'm just annoyed that the pump will fail after a year. It's a smart design but poorly constructed. For the first pump to not even be sealed right from the factory = poor quality control. The pump is made in China and probably costs them $5.00 to make while it costs us $150.00 to buy.
 

addy1

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no kidding lots of poor quality control
 
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I just purchased a Cal Pump 1500 series in April of this year. It lasted about one month and stopped working. Sent an e-mail to the company and they replaced it no questions ask. Received it about a week later. Once they sent the new one I decided to take the broken one apart. Like yours when I opened the two half a bunch of pond water came out. When I plug the pump in you can hear the motor running but the impeller will not spin. If you manually turn the impeller while its plugged in it will start to spin on its own, but you have to do this each time it is unplugged. Just wondering if this is something that can be fixed? I bought this pump because I thought the design was pretty neat and that I could use it as a vacuum also since it can be run in or out of the pond.
 

sissy

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Did you leave the pump out side so that water in it froze and caused this to happen .If the pump has water in it the water will expand and damage the pump .I have seen it happen to a couple of my neighbors pumps ,they turn them off and with the really bad winters we have been getting they freeze up and crack the seals .I take my bigger pump and put it in a bucket of water in the basement and keep my cheap one in the pond to keep a hole in the ice .This year end of clearance I bought a pond heater, ,never know what next winters going to be like .I think that most pumps are not really worth what they charge for them .My pumps all come from harbor freight and did not cost more than 40 dollars and the cheap one I keep in the pond over winter is over 6 years old now and still pumping great .
 
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Mr Magoo,
Try a couple sprays of WD40 on the shaft behind the impeller and at the back where the rear bearing is located near the wires. Your pump probably built up surface rust from the pond water that got inside it. They do sell food grade lubricant spray that's similar to WD40 if you're worried about contaminating your pond water. Depending on your pond size, I doubt a little WD40 will cause any harm. Rain water is probably worse for ponds today.

I let my pump sit outside in the sun for 2 weeks before I attempted to seal it back up. You could also try using a hair dryer to speed up the drying process and then spray the WD40.
 

sissy

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The problem with letting pumps dry out is the seals in side dry out also .That's why when you store a pump for winter or any other reason you should store it in a bucket of water.To spray it you can use cooking oil if needed ,but not much .
 
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Sissy,
The problem with this pump is there's only one seal and it fails even when it's submerged. Once he lets the motor dry out, greases the shaft, and then re-seals it with aquarium sealant, he shouldn't have any problems. If the motor's wet, his GFI will keep tripping. He has no choice but to let it dry out.
 

sissy

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not sure I would feel safe around a pump like that .It could be one shocking moment if your GFI fails and could kill the fish .Not sure I would ever buy one of those pumps .I will stay with my cheapy harbor freight pumps that keep on working no matter what .
 
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Len, just wondering if it is possible to separate the actual motor. Since they gave me a new one I have this one to play with.
 
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I don't think you can separate the motor. If yours looks like mine, there's probably 3 or 4 square holes where the two halves of the motor are put together. I assume that's where the metal was pressed and locked together. I bet if you tried to pry it apart it would be impossible to get the brushes back on the shaft and probably impossible to seal it back up.
 
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I am now on my second Cal pump in three months. The second one just started to trip the GFI about every hour. Took it apart and once again the O Ring has failed. I can tell you this has nothing to do with the freeze thaw cycle since either one of them has gone through a winter yet.
After unscrewing the metal ring and then trying to put it back on its seems to not sit flat against the O ring almost like it is a little warped. Just wondering if the motor is overheating causing this to happen. Hard to believe since the pump is in the water and water is being pumped through it to cool it.
Len just wondering how the aquarium sealant is holding up since that will be my next plan of action.
 
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MrMagoo,
Sorry for the late response. I was away on business all weekend. The sealant is still working great. I haven't touched the pump since I fixed it. You can also use the 100% clear silicone caulk they sell at Home Depot or Lowe's. It's the same idea as the aquarium sealant. It doesn't have any chemicals in it and a few websites I researched had people using it for making aquarium decorations. Let me know how you make out.

I just noticed you're in Aston. I'm about 20 minutes away from you.
 
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For the money they charge, this pump should be repairable. It was probably designed that way by the Cal people but in China they have different controls of the specs and they can do some interesting things to get by our rules. The longer the product has been in production the less checking is required and some important things can be overlooked..

One thing foreign mfg. does is forget o-ring grease. It is a Vaseline-type salve that keeps the seal intact through all kinds of stuff, including hot or cold. They make a few types but the one I use is called Apiezon and can be found in electronic supply outlets.

There are quite a few of these on the market and it might benefit to look into the types offered but some are food-grade quality to be used on food processing equipment whereas others are “non-outgassing” to be used in high vacuum applications. DO NOT confuse this with Vaseline or petroleum based products. This slowly eats away at them and they become brittle and crack, losing the seal. An O-ring without grease or the wrong grease deteriorates but one coated properly will last years and years. To lube them put a little grease in your palm and pull the O-ring through until coated.

I’m fairly certain the GFI problems are caused by moisture inside that gets by the o-ring seal. There are a few things in there that will swell up and sometimes the motor will seize before the GFI trips. Pulling the motor apart and letting it dry for awhile is a good way to fix the problem. I believe it is a good thing the GFI’s trip so easily because they really are a good way of telling you there is a problem. Kids and dogs frequent my pond so I want my GFI to trip as easily as it is designed.

Another thing that could be happening is the screws are vibrating slowly and coming apart. To eliminate this you can use Loc-Tite, a substance that you put on the threads of the screws before putting them in. It hardens and keeps the screws from backing out. There are a few more tricks here if interested but those two things will add YEARS to a pump.

I have pulled a few of these apart and gotten them back together but for the life of me I cannot remember the details and they are important. Damage to the brushes holders is usually fatal for lower-end motors like these so I won’t give advice that I cannot pinpoint. I’ll get back to you on this after I check out the one I have on order. It may be here tomorrow. I plan to put it on my bench, pull it apart and reassemble so that I know it will keep the seal for a long time. I can take a few pics and show what I’m talking about if anyone is interested.

Hope I didn’t lull anybody to sleep. We’ve become a “throw-away” culture. I kinda like finding flaws in things and fixing them. It’s a habit…besides…I’m cheap.

Tony

 

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