Please help - pond pump & filter tripping circuit

mikeyw · 19 Jul 2009

Guys,

I've an outside power socket that runs a pump & filter for over a year now, recently the electrics in the house tripped out, i reset the switch in the main fuse box and 10mins later it went again.

I decided to start unplugging things to see what was causing it and starting outside with the pump, low & behold that was the cause.

I've tried a new plug on the pump, a new fuse, checked the wiring in the splitter to the pump / filter and everything seems fine. Running the lawnmower from the outside socket causes no problem at all.

What else could be causing this to trip out the circuit ?

The strange thing is the pump will work for a few mins before the circuit fails and i have to reset the fuse switch

Any ideas / advice on further checks here would really help.

Mike.

Steve69the69Gas · 19 Jul 2009

Perhaps the pump is getting 'sticky' ie starting to jam up, this will cause it to overheat and thermally cut out.
Have you serviced the pump?

ColJack · 19 Jul 2009

it's not a sticky pump, that wouldn't cause what we'll assume in an RCD trip since he said "the whole house".. and it's not the socket since the lawnmower ( a larger load ) plugged into the same socket didn't trip it..

your pump is likely leaking water into it somewhere..
time for a new one.. they're sealed and not user maintainable..

Steve · 19 Jul 2009

The pump's moving parts all come apart quite easily. But the electrical side is resin sealed for life.

I'm not sure if a stuck impellor would cause an electrical overload though, I dont think it would.

So as Col said, get a new pump. Maybe its been dropped and has a crack in it.

OOI, it could still be under warranty?

mikeyw · 19 Jul 2009

Thanks Guys for your help - the consensus seems to point to the pump.

I'll try the pump indoors in the sink and see if the same happens, if it does i'll replace it, if it doesn't i'll be a little confused

bernardgreen · 19 Jul 2009

mikeyw said:
I'll try the pump indoors in the sink and see if the same happens, if it does i'll replace it, if it doesn't i'll be a little confused

Take EXTREME CARE ........as the pump is suspect with a LIVE to water fault there is a risk of electrocution in your testing in the sink.

If the pump is damaged and the earth wire to the pump is damaged then the fault in the pump may may make the water in the sink LIVE. In a non metalic sink there will be NO path to earth so the live water will NOT trip the RCD.

If it is a metal sink then unless bonded to earth then the sink will become LIVE

mikeyw · 20 Jul 2009

Well i tried it in a plastic bucket instead and the result was the same - all the sockets in the house tripped out.

Pump is defo faulty - now have to try and convince my local pond shop to replace it as it has a3yr warranty and it's about 18mnth old.....no receipt though

ColJack · 20 Jul 2009

contact the manufacturer..

Steve · 20 Jul 2009

mikeyw said:
Pump is defo faulty - now have to try and convince my local pond shop to replace it as it has a3yr warranty and it's about 18mnth old.....no receipt though

Our local pond shop dont give reciepts (IMO they should for electricals), but the owner of the place (he has 3 shops) is always about, and he'd swap it for us. You never know untill you try.

mikeyw · 20 Jul 2009

Well guys - what a result ! took it in and they didn't bother testing it, had no equivalent replacements so gave me a 1500l/hr pump instead, mine was only 1000l/hr

...all this with no receipt !

All's well that ends well

Steve · 20 Jul 2009

Good stuff. Local businesses like this rely on word of mouth for advertising.

A happy customer tells one friend. An unhappy customer tells 5.

Beelzebub666 · 10 Jan 2011

Guess it doesn't matter now you've swapped it, but I had a similar problem which was a result of the UV bulb fitting which is built in to a pondmaster pump. I swapped the fitting out and it solved the problem. Didn't need a pondmaster part in case anyone with a similar problem is reading this, your local small electrical shop can supply one if it hasn't been driven under by B&Q.

Taylortwocities · 10 Jan 2011

Michale, please go back to the beach and smoke some more dope.

I know that rasta baccy can slow you down a bit but that topic was all closed out 18 months ago.

EDIT: Aah, now its becoming clearer I just read your signature line. So you have a shop that sells pond stuff and you are trying to advertise. What's the point California boy? this is a UK forum......

Beelzebub666 · 10 Jan 2011

ColJack said:
If you make everything idiot proof, evolution will just make a better idiot.

ha ha, I like that

ban-all-sheds · 10 Jan 2011

Taylortwocities said:
What's the point California boy? this is a UK forum

Like many Americans he is so stupid and ignorant that he doesn't understand the concept of "rest of the world".

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Please help - pond pump & filter tripping circuit

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