# Replace sprinkler pump?



## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

I have an old 1hp goulds aqua lawn that seems to have an electrical problem. It keeps shutting on and off. Is it worth it to try to take it apart and identify what's wrong and replace a part or am I better of just buying a new one? And if so any recommendations in the $2-300 range? Thanks


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

Anyone?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Is this a pump for a well or a lake/pond?


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Is this a pump for a well or a lake/pond?


Pond


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I don't think there are too many people here running their irrigation off of a pond so that could explain why you haven't gotten too many responses yet.

I have never really messed with one before but if it were me, I would take it apart and see if I could figure it out and just replace what is bad, if not just replace the whole pump with something with similar output so that you don't have to worry about it breaking in the near future. How old is the pump anyway?


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

20-30 yrs old


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

I'd say replace pump being that it's that old. Then I would tear it down when time loosens up and fix it. This will give you a spare pump for a later emergency when your new one gives out on you.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

wardconnor said:


> I'd say replace pump being that it's that old. Then I would tear it down when time loosens up and fix it. This will give you a spare pump for a later emergency when your new one gives out on you.


+1


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

If it runs and shuts off after a bit it might be a thermal relay protecting the pump. Either the pump is warming up or the relay is going bad.


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

Thanks all

Update: I tested the voltage. Getting 120 as the on/off switch but only 2.0 at the pump.
I don't know how it would even run at two. The plaque on the pump says volts: 115/230. There are 3 wires.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Check continuity from the 3 wires coming out of the pump to a ground on the pump. If you get continuity between any of the wires and the ground then the windings are bad.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Fronta1 said:


> Update: I tested the voltage. Getting 120 as the on/off switch but only 2.0 at the pump.
> I don't know how it would even run at two. The plaque on the pump says volts: 115/230. There are 3 wires.


Did you disconnect electrical from the pump terminals when taking the above measurement? If the (attempting-to-run) pump is connected to the wiring while you're checking the voltage, electrical problems (near shorts) in the pump could be pulling the voltage way down. (Then again, to pull the voltage all the way down to 2 volts, you'd be drawing an awful lot of current -- probably enough to trip the breaker, which I presume isn't happening as you didn't mention that...)

However, if the pump is electrically disconnected while you're making the above measurement, then there's a problem in the wiring between the on/off switch and the pump, or possibly in the switch, depending upon what terminals you are measuring with your meter.

Personally, I wouldn't replace the pump simply because it is old. Some of the older pumps are better built than the newer ones. Goulds is a good brand. We've replaced seals in a similar age non-submersible pump we use at a summer cabin to pump water for non-potable household usage, and it's a lot less expensive to rebuild it every 10 years or so than replacing the entire pump and it's essentially as good as new after replacing seals.

Is the electrical run from the house to the pump readily accessible (above ground) or is it buried?


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> Fronta1 said:
> 
> 
> > Update: I tested the voltage. Getting 120 as the on/off switch but only 2.0 at the pump.
> ...


I was getting the 2 v readings with the pump both connected and disconnected.

Anyway, I disconnected the wiring from the switch to the pump (which IS underground) and rewired it with an old outdoor 3 prong extension cord. Then I was getting 120 down to the pump. Hooked it up and ran it but it was still overheating.

Disconnected the pump and brought it up to the garage. I was able to get one portion of the housing open but could not identify anything out of the ordinary. Bulk of the housing is completely locked up with corrosion. Will try one more time tomorrow morning after letting wd40 work.

Now, however, I'm wondering if the reason it's overheating is a clog somewhere. Tomorrow going to take pipes apart and see what I find.

Thanks, guys.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Glad to hear you are getting somewhere at least 

Is there a way for you to blow the line out with compressed air to make sure there are no clogs?


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Glad to hear you are getting somewhere at least
> 
> Is there a way for you to blow the line out with compressed air to make sure there are no clogs?


No compressed air. Was gonna hook the hose up to it though.


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Fronta1 said:


> Anyway, I disconnected the wiring from the switch to the pump (which IS underground) and rewired it with an old outdoor 3 prong extension cord. Then I was getting 120 down to the pump. Hooked it up and ran it but it was still overheating.
> 
> ...
> 
> Now, however, I'm wondering if the reason it's overheating is a clog somewhere. Tomorrow going to take pipes apart and see what I find.


You are making progress! It also sounds like your plan is a good one.

Overheating is likely due to a problem with the intake plumbing not allowing sufficient water into the pump. Assuming you haven't just lost your prime (which is a possibility if the foot valve got stuck open), there could be an obstruction or issue with the intake plumbing allowing insufficient water into the pump.

I'm presuming you have a regular procedure / set of steps you follow each year when first setting up the pump for the season?


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> Fronta1 said:
> 
> 
> > Anyway, I disconnected the wiring from the switch to the pump (which IS underground) and rewired it with an old outdoor 3 prong extension cord. Then I was getting 120 down to the pump. Hooked it up and ran it but it was still overheating.
> ...


I'm definitely hoping that's the case. Would be an easier fix.

I'm usually not involved. Usually a company does it. I did do it this year though, and I know it had a good prime. Was throwing 20ft sprays all the way to the last head. I did notice some algae build up on the foot valve. Will be getting my waders on!


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

Do you guys think maybe this mesh is too fine? It's cleaned off but before was covered in algae. Also water should not come out of that, right? Thanks


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Fronta1 said:


> Do you guys think maybe this mesh is too fine? It's cleaned off but before was covered in algae. Also water should not come out of that, right?


I don't know if that mesh is too fine, but it's a lot finer than what we have for the intake for the lake water pump at our camp in Maine. In all honesty, a finer mesh is better for keeping undesirables out of your irrigation system. However, if the mesh is too fine, it will clog up, which leads to other problems.

If that mesh was covered in algae, it definitely could have been causing the overheating problem you were experiencing. Hopefully it hasn't caused permanent damage to the pump. Regular intake filter cleanings should probably be planned for about the time that the mesh is about 50% clogged.

At what height in the pond was the intake located? It should be well off the bottom, well below the surface, and in a location that the water doesn't regularly get churned up significantly in order to avoid occurrences of having a lot of particulate matter in the water. We usually put our intake about a foot off the bottom, secured in a cinder block, where the water is about three feet deep. We only clean ours annually. However, ours is only for non-potable "household use" so we probably use far fewer gallons in a year than you would for an irrigation system.



Fronta1 said:


> Also water should not come out of that, right?


I'm not quite sure what you mean by this question. I'm presuming that when you pulled that out of the water, a lot of water came out of it, too? One would expect all the water below the foot valve to drop out. I presume the foot valve is in the fat section a half-foot above the intake mesh, but I could be completely mistaken about that. There would be quite a bit of water in that big intake filter below the foot valve - looks like it would hold well over a quart.


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## Fronta1 (Jul 11, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> Fronta1 said:
> 
> 
> > Do you guys think maybe this mesh is too fine? It's cleaned off but before was covered in algae. Also water should not come out of that, right?
> ...


I had a floater attached to it, so it was suspended at about 2 '. To clarify, when I hooked up the hose to the other end, the water would not come out the other end, at the foot valve, which I've since confirmed that it shouldn't.

After all that, I wasn't able to get the pump completely undone. Neighbor even came over and helped me. Got 3/4 bolts off, 4th one was tucked away in a corner and just couldn't get a grip on it. At this point I'm going to try one last time tomorrow morning to get it off, otherwise I'm putting it all back together and hoping that something I did will make it run without overheating. I did actually do two things that might help, I changed a wire that was stretched a little too far and got that foot valve scrubbed of. Maybe that will make the difference. I doubt it. If not, it's pump shopping time.

Once again, I appreciate the helpful feedback and support.


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## KevC (Dec 27, 2018)

hey guys, looking to revive an older thread, and start to gather some information -

@ken-n-nancy hope you survived the winter and got your pre-emergence down with the recent forsythia bloom, exploring the idea of using a small pond(s) on property to help reduce the pull on my well for irrigation this spring during a spring seeding process, and wanted to get your advice since you use a pump system up at your camp in Maine(or anyones) on where to get started and best practices

@Fronta1 how has your experience been using pond water versus city/well water - hoping you finally got that pump running

@wardconnor should I have any concerns spreading "dirty" water on new seedlings, would fungus, bacterial or other disease issues arise ?


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

KevC said:


> @wardconnor should I have any concerns spreading "dirty" water on new seedlings, would fungus, bacterial or other disease issues arise ?


You would need to ask yourself one question... well maybe 2.

1.Who is in charge of your lawn? You are. Do whatever the heck you want to do.
2. Do you sit to pee?

Joking aside I would not think to be worried about the dirty water. This is basically the same thing as a water say that is running in a ditch or canal.

Dirty water will clog things up fast.. I do know that.


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## KevC (Dec 27, 2018)

@wardconnor 
Ha, well played - but you make a good point.
Looking forward to your triplex striping some dirt, post snow mold 😜


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