Our pump just died. It started turning on and off. We have a submersible mag-drive 3600 GPH currently. We were kind of interested in getting a new pump to fit into a skimmer (Helix?) anyway. What are your suggestions for a good pump at a good price - $175-ish? We would want something in the 3500-4000 GPH range. I appreciate your help!!
Time for a New Pump?
- Thread starter peverson
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Welcome to our group!
I use external, but do have a small submersible in my hot tub pond. It is a laguna and has functioned just fine.
Others will chime in and help you with other brands of pumps
I use external, but do have a small submersible in my hot tub pond. It is a laguna and has functioned just fine.
Others will chime in and help you with other brands of pumps
Check out what owners are saying on Amazon. Also, look to see if the one you want is available used. They list them used for any number of reasons and heavily discount them.
j.w
I Love my Goldies
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I am using a Laguna 4280 Max Flo. Laguna pumps have lower power usage and I did take the cover off mine to attach a prefilter to it and then pumps water to my falls. Price wise it's more than what you were looking for tho. Got mine at Webbs online. Before that pump I used a Pondmaster pump that lived for over 15 yrs or more. Not as good at power savings I hear tho.
I had a Laguna for 10 years before it started locking up. I’m into my second year of a harbor freight pump.... so far so good and they get good reviews. I see they have a 4500 gph one $119
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You said your old pump is a mag-drive. Are you aware that you may be able to repair it? I've had several mag-drive pumps over the years and the problem is usually with the impeller assembly or just the ceramic shaft. The motors themselves usually don't go bad since they are completely sealed and transfer the energy by magnet through the plastic.
A lot of the time the shaft breaks or wears out which jambs up the impeller. So you think your pump is dead, but it's just a stuck impeller.
Turn the water intake pipe counterclockwise to remove the impeller cover. It's a bayonet mount. The impeller rides on a (usually white) ceramic shaft. On each end of the shaft is a rubber cap and a small nylon washer, so be aware, don't lose them. Sometimes it's a little hard to pull out the impeller due to the magnet built onto it.
If you find any problems with the impeller or shaft, look up your pump online and get a new impeller kit. They are relatively cheap, especially compared to buying a complete pump.
You could also just have some debris stuck in the impeller. Look in the intake pipe to see if there's anything stuck in there.
A lot of the time the shaft breaks or wears out which jambs up the impeller. So you think your pump is dead, but it's just a stuck impeller.
Turn the water intake pipe counterclockwise to remove the impeller cover. It's a bayonet mount. The impeller rides on a (usually white) ceramic shaft. On each end of the shaft is a rubber cap and a small nylon washer, so be aware, don't lose them. Sometimes it's a little hard to pull out the impeller due to the magnet built onto it.
If you find any problems with the impeller or shaft, look up your pump online and get a new impeller kit. They are relatively cheap, especially compared to buying a complete pump.
You could also just have some debris stuck in the impeller. Look in the intake pipe to see if there's anything stuck in there.