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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Submersible Pump Recommendation

16 years ago

My 1800 gph Beckett submersible pump just went out. This is the 3rd one I've been through. Each one lasted no longer than a year.

There is nothing plugging the pumps when they die. Usually, I take it out of the water when it stops, manually turn the impeller (with the power off, of course), plug it in and it begins working. Eventually this won't work and I take it back to the store for a replacement under warranty. Three strikes and you're out, so I'm giving up on Becketts.

I'm looking for recommendations on a replacement. Any suggestions?

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Comments (11)

jmorris271 Morris
16 years ago
Ive used the same 1800 gal submers, pump for 5 years.
You dont have heavy restrictions on your suction side in your tubing do you?
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railheadwitz
16 years ago
Hi wxman,
This is my third season with a magnetic drive submersible, 'Supreme Pondmaster Pond Mag 36'. No problems so far. KoW.
Witz
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After a little research I found a website, linked below. It appears to have a chamber for oil. Unusual for a sump type pump of that size. You normally don't have that until you get in to the higher HP range. I'm impressed that it would have that feature. It is there to lubricate and to protect the motor from damage if the bottom seal goes bad. It may have a bad seal between the motor and the oil chamber, and/or possibly the seal on the bottom. Most likely the bottom seal. If the bottom seal is bad it will push water into the oil chamber due to water pressure from the impeller, forcing the oil into the motor. Which will trip out a GFIC. The oil will come first since it will rise to the top. Once the oil is all pushed out the water will come in. "Is the pump toast or is it fixable?" It's a crap shoot, probably fixable, but probably not worth the time and money. Another note to mention, in case you buy another one, is the first reply on that site, " What no one will tell you is that this manufacturer recommends that the lubricating oil be replaced every 6 to 12 months" Here is a link that might be useful: pump
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I have one of each as well as a very handy husband. this is an excellent combination! The external pump is a ? is it a Sequel? 750, and it's ultra quiet. It's at the far side of the pond, there are a few plants in front of it, and I only hear it when I walk around to the far side of the pond. We have a double settling chamber in front of it, which catches everything and has an easy valve for cleaning. Much recommended! It's all ground level, so the pump uses hardly any energy. The submersible is a small one on the skimmer. That one zooms softly, but it's small, so no issue. Taking the filter sponge out of the skimmer is messy, but because it's at the surface it's not hard to do. I always switch the little pump off for cleaning (daily in spring and fall), but even so, after reassembling the sponge and the leaf basket, little bits of stuff often get into the pump or through the pump to the spitters, where it clogs the spitter outlet. We never have anything get stuck in the external pump. DH is the one who brings the external pump in for the winter and puts it back outside in spring. Our winter cold would damage the external pump. We also bring the little internal pump in, since it's at the surface. If we had a big submersible at the bottom of the pond, we'd be able to leave it in the water (although not running) in the winter. :) Mary
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ccoombs1
16 years ago
Another voter for Danner Pondmaster pumps. they are fantastic!!
0
wxman5
Original Author
16 years ago
jmorris271,

There was the usual algae that had grown on the surface of the pump, but nothing was restricting it. Do you use a filter on yours? I was thinking about wrapping mine in furnace filter material and cleaning it weekly.
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ccoombs1
16 years ago
please rethink your idea of using furnace material in your pond. a yound man on another web site just killed his entire collection by doing that. Seems that some furnace materials have anti-fungal chemicals in them. Quilt batting is much better, but products made for pond filters are the best bet.
0
wxman5
Original Author
16 years ago
ccoombs1,
I'm glad you told me about the furnace filter material and will try some other medium. If my problem is filtration (rather than the pump), what should I use for a Beckett W1800? It has no inlet other than about 8 slots directly below the intake. I see no way to attach an external filter. The catalog also says it can handle "large particles" ( for whatever that's worth).
0
pat_c
16 years ago
I really don't think you can beat Harbor Freight pumps for cost and durability as a submersible. I have been running one 24/7 for 4 years and the other for 3yrs in zone 5. I had a situation where the waterlevel got so low the pump quit and I just cleaned it good, refilled the pond and it started right up. I hear of all these expensive designer pumps quitting after a year and, I'd be really @$#%^ if that happened to me. Both my pumps are in homemade Adam's filters and keep on keepin' on. My two cents!
0
comettose
16 years ago
Supreme Pondmaster 2400 GPH used here for 4 years and still going strong. I run it year round 24/7.
0
Debbie Downer
16 years ago
Another vote for Pondmaster - mine's been going non stop, 5 years, 24/7 with no problems whatsoever. Previous one (Cal pump) was toast within 6 months.
0
buyorsell888
16 years ago
Pondmaster!

They are more expensive to buy but use less electricity. Can be found cheaper online than locally, usually.

They are magnetic drives so never leak oil. My first one lasted almost ten years.
0
magdaloonie
16 years ago
I bought a Pondmaster after lots of research, mostly on this forum. It wasn't that expensive and ponddepot.net had the best price plus free fedex shipping.
0

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