Pump failure in 5 year old pondless waterfall

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We have a small 5 year old pondless waterfall, and after manually pulling out string algae from the brook-type waterfall, we recently dosed the waterfall with Eco-Blast. About 4 days after the cleaning, the 3500 gpm Aquascape Designs, horizontal-type submersible pump overloaded and tripped a circuit breaker. When I checked in the snorkel, the water inside was loaded with dead algae "fluff" from the algae that was killed by the Eco-Blast, apparently from everywhere in the system: the waterfall, the cobble-filled 6x6x1.5 ft. pondless reservoir, and the waterfall reservoir. It was only 8 oz of Eco-Blast, but it sure did a number on the algae (and maybe the pump). I tried re-setting the breaker and re-starting the pump, but it only ran a few minutes before tripping the breaker again.

I really don't know yet what is causing the pump to overload, and it could be either dead algae or some kind of vegetation roots that broke loose, but maybe it's just worn out after 5 years. We recently pulled out some bog plants in three 15 gal. submerged pots (Juncus inflexus and Baumea rubiginosa - both rushes), leaving the pots in the reservoir, so it's possible that their roots are getting into the caterpillar vents.

Before I pull the pump out this weekend, I would appreciate any knowledgeable insights about whether you think that vegetation could be binding up the pump. Do I need to clean the water, or should a good pump pass the dead algae fluff right through? Has anyone in this forum had vegetation clog up a pump to the point that it overloads? Can anyone with pump experience tell me if the pump is likely to be in need of replacement at this age, anyhow? Any recommendations for an economical replacement pump, if it comes to that? Any opinions about magnetic-drive submersible pumps? Our waterfall head is only about 4 ft. high.
 

sissy

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That stuff will kill the algae and the dead matter will clog up your pump fast .I am having that problem right now broken and dead roots clogging my prefilter on my pump and i am slowly making window screen pockets for my plants that are larger than the plant pots .My fish like to rip apart the roots also and that adds to the problem
 

HARO

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The dead algae could be plugging the impeller, preventing it from spinning. This will cause the pump to draw more power, possibly causing the breaker to trip. Disassemble the pump, clean the impeller housing wit a bottle brush or something similar, and try it again. If it plugs too frequently, I would do a water change. Is there any kind of filter in this set-up?
John
 
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Thanks to you both for your inputs. There is no filter in this setup. According to Aquascape Designs, no filter is necessary in this type of pondless configuration. Judging from my experience with cleaning the filters in our old 11x16 ft pond, I am fairly certain that the small debris we are encountering now would clog a filter more easily than the pump. I will post the progress of my inspection and problem resolution as they occur.
 

koiguy1969

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THERE MAY NOT BE A NEED FOR BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION BUT PREFILTERING IS ALMOST ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA...PREFILTERING IS THE MECHANICAL FILTERING OF SOLIDS (BEFORE THE PUMP) OF ANYTHINGTHAT COULD CLOG OR IMPAIR THE PUMPS PERFORMANCE. sorry about the caps..didnt notice till now and dont feel like retyping.
 

sissy

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Haro you look like your in touch with you girlie side ,want some wine :razz:
 

HARO

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Sorry, Sissy, but it's coffee only! Black. (Medical reasons!) :grumble:
John
 
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I opened the snorkel in the daylight today (yesterday, it was already dusk), and got a more detailed look at the situation. The good news is that nothing is clogging the pump. The bad news is that I need a new pump. At almost 6 years, it lasted longer than the last one.

Since I have not purchased a pump in almost six years, does anyone on the forum have any knowledgeable suggestions about what to purchase and where to buy it? If you have a suggestion, note that this is a 6x6x1.5 ft. reservoir filled with rocks, and a brook-style waterfall that is about 10 ft. long with a 4 ft. rise, so the total head height (above the pump) is only around 6 ft.

The original pump was purchased with the Aquascape small pondless waterfall kit, and at 3500 gpm, it was the lowest volume Aquascape pump available from my LPSS at the time. I think that I could probably use a 2000 gpm pump, but not much smaller, because I'm sure that the rock-filled reservoir presents a resistance similar to some increased head height. If anyone has a formula for the equivalent head height resistance of a rock-filled pondless reservoir, I would be interested in seeing it.

Any thoughts out there about mag drive pumps? Although I have quite a bit of electronic/electrical experience, mag drive is a new term to me for pond pumps, and I am curious about what advantages it might offer. I haven't looked at the internal design.
 

HARO

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A 3500 gpm pump would make your local fire department jealous! 3500 gph, perhaps?
John
 
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Oops! Yes, apparently I can't be trusted, these days. Please translate all of my gpm references to gph. I have another confession. After reviewing my purchase documents, I found that my pump has a 2500 gph cpacity...although my wife doesn't seem to mind.
 
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]After a lot of research, I decided that the best replacement for the Aquascape Designs Signature Series pump was its direct descendant in the Aquascape Designs pump line. It seems to be a better design than its antecedent, and since it shares critical physical dimensions, I won't have to do any time-consuming refitting to the plumbing or connections. I found that "mag drive" is just a sexy term to describe a design where a sealed motor drives the impeller with a magnetic connection instead of direct shaft connection, so no amount of bearing wear will allow water to pass from the impeller into the motor. I will report with pics as I pull and disassemble the old pump (to determine exactly what killed it), and install the new one. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos that show how I access the pump inside the snorkel. In photo 1, the black cover is the cap for the snorkel, and the wooden cover is decorative. In photo 2, I tried to shoot through the water reflection to show the pump in its normal operating position. The small cylinder in the foreground is the automatic filler valve.

Snorkel, functional cover, decorative cover.JPG

Inside the snorkel.JPG
 
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It turns out that a $10 adapter is necessary, because the output fitting on the AquaSurge series is an outside thread, while the output fitting on the older Signature Series is an inside thread. The old pump died due to bearing wear and a failed seal at one end of the motor housing. Pics below.

SFA3000 impeller.JPG

SFA3000 water in motor end.JPG
 

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