Pump Not Working

[rcosta]

Hi, I inherited my late father's pond and am tyring to learn a bit. I put in the pump this spring and while it hummed, it does not pump water. It is a Tsurumi 3L. Is this something that might be able to be fixed or should I replace it? If replacement is nessecary, is this a good brand or should I look elsewhere. This pump only worked for about 2/12 years (spring, summer, fall, not winter). Does that sound right?
Thank you very much.

 

[Waterbug]

I've bought and used maybe 50-100 pumps and I've never been able to see any pattern. The same model might last 10 years or 1 month. So I don't like to say "I use XYZ pump and it's great" because it's kind of meaningless. Even the number of pumps I've used really isn't a reasonable test. And unfortunately there is no kind of large scale consumer type pumps. My best pump was a cheap Fishmate. Raccoons dragged it out of the pond once and it ran dry for 6-10 hours, still kept working.

I don't know exactly what the Tsurumi 3L is, maybe you can post a link?

Tsurumi has been around a long time so I assume they're a fine company. They make a lot of different pumps so I would consider if the pump you have is right for the pond. Some pumps are submersible but aren't made to be underwater 100% of the time. I had a Little Giant that was cast iron and it rusted pretty fast and I saw the same thing in other people's ponds so I stay away from cast iron.

Pumps can normally be fixed but it's a chore. I've never had much luck with it. Can be difficult to find someone to do it. Could be as simple as a clog. Or something a cleaning would fix. A common problem is the impeller shaft breaking. It's designed to be a weak point in order to save the motor. Tsurumi probably sells a kit for that. Many pumps (Mag Drive) don't even have a shaft. Beyond that we'd probably be talking about the motor and that most of the pump so replacement would be the only reasonable choice. Many inexpensive pumps, like many Mag Drive, the motor is completely sealed and repair isn't an option.