My Pond Pump Stopped Working - What's Wrong?

There are lots of reasons for your pump to stop running and many of these are easy to rectify.  It’s worth running through the checks and tests below before you plan to return a pump to the supplier for further testing, repair or replacement.  Resolving a small issue on site or at home will save you postage, time and stress.

Check the fuse.  This sounds obvious but we see a number of pumps which are returned unnecessarily due to a power cut or a fuse blown on another item in the circuit.

Disconnect the hose.  If for any reason the hose or the filter are blocked solid, this will give the impression that the pump has failed as no water is coming out at the other end.  Disconnect the hose from the pump and retest. If the pump now works, it’s likely to be a blockage further up.

Limescale.  If calcium deposits itself on the rotor shaft, this can gradually cause the rotor to slow down and finally stall.  This can be easily removed by submerging the pump into a bucket of kettle descaler or a specific pump descaling solution.  If the impeller feels ‘grindy’ when you rotate this, limescale may well be the cause.

Pump blockage.  If a piece of debris gets trapped in the rotor (i.e. a twig), this may cause the rotor to jam.  You may hear the pond pump running but not pumping water.  Certain pumps such as the Oase AquaMax series will automatically shut down until the blockage is removed and will then return to normal function.  Dismantle the pump and flush out any debris entrapment, then retest.  Try to clean the pump periodically rather than waiting for a failure to occur which could cause irreparable damage.

Dirty impeller.  If the impeller can be removed, pull this out and remove any debris which may be preventing the back bearing from rotating freely.

Electrical cable.  Check the entire length of the electrical cable for knicks, cuts and weirdly - bite marks.  Rodents rather like the warm rubber cable and often chew the cable sheath which will either cause a short in the circuit or water will ingress down the cable over time into the pump.

Words of warning.  Always switch off and isolate the pump from the electrical source before attempting any repairs or checks.  If in any doubt, consult a qualified electrician and/or a professional installer. Do not cut or shorten the original electrical cable as many manufacturers will instantly invalidate the warranty.

If you are still unsure why your pump is not working, feel free to Contact Us via email or call one of our technical support team on 02392 373735 for expert advice.