How to fix and replace a water fountain pump (a Tetra pump)
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Step by step fixing a faulty fountain pump. Taking the fountain apart, diagnosing the problem and fixing it. It isn't hard at all once you see how it's done.
This was a Tetra pump, but the same procedure applies to any fountain and pump.
Thank you for taking the time to do your video. It helped me get my water fountain working with the Tetra pump. What seem complicated turned out to be pretty easy. All the best. Stay safe!
Good for you! You are so welcome.
Your video helped me fix my fountain!! Thank you
Yay!
This was the only video I could find that addressed the issue of the pump plug being too large to fit into the fountain pipe. Brilliant resolution! Thank you!
Good for you! Glad to help!
I second that! That was exactly what I was looking for - genius!!! Thank you!
i have to tinkle now
Well…that's good to know! ;-)
Thank you for the video. We are considering putting in a water fountain to attract butterflies, among other pollinators. The video was helpfully lengthy, informative, and quite entertaining!
You are so welcome! I'm glad you got something out of it.
I haven't seen any butterflies at our fountain, but we have lots of birds that love to splash around in it. I wonder what sort of water fountain would appeal to butterflies?
We are planting lots of flowers seeds and even some milkweed this year (for the monarchs). Every little bit helps!
Thank you. You are the only one I have found so far that gave me the answers to all my questions! I am trying to make my own fountain. Now I know what I have to do.
Carol Schwartz You're welcome!By the way, I don't know if it was clear in the video, but the tube that hooks up to the pump leads to a large chamber and then in the top of that is a 1" hole that lets water out into the flat "bird bath" platform.I think having that in-between chamber allows it to fill up and then overflow into the top platform. That way the water doesn't shoot out the top too forcefully.Good luck with your creation!!!
I hope the extension cord is plugged into a GFCI outlet?
Yup, it is! It's code to have all exterior outlets protected by a GFCI.
No help. Trying to take old pump out.
i must have missed where you "fixed" the pump. All I saw was clean and replace. Oh well
"Fix" can mean "to put in good working order" and that is exactly what I did.
Fix does not always mean to replace parts. In some cases the problem is something that simply needs cleaning out.
I was thinking the same thing 🤔
Hi John,
You are so welcome! I hoped hoped this might be a worthy addition to the "knowledge pile" on the web.
You put a smile on my face for the day.
I watched the video mainly for a preventative measure if my pump failed at last the video was very helpful and the info was very clear thanks
so, just my opinion but, i dont think u woulda HAD to replace the pump with a new one.. u said the pump was “vibrating” or “humming”, so the pump was functioning.. just not pumping water through it.. so, if u woulda took the pre-filter cover off the pump im sure the filter was probably clogged up (especially after seeing all the debris that was in the bottom of the fountain to begin with) just a quick cleaning would have fixed the problem more than likely.. also, part of the title of the video said “how to FIX a fountain pump” and again, u didnt even attempt to FIX it.. ☺️ u shoulda just titled the video “how to REPLACE a fountain pump with a new one” bcuz THAT is actually what u did.. ☺️😂 im sorry, im sure ur intentions are good and im really not trying to bash ur video into the ground or anything, its just i see SO MANY youtube “dyi” video titles that mislead people into watching them.. just so that person can “technically” get as many “views” as possible for a video.. i dont think that was ur intention though, u seem like u genuinely wanted to help guide people that attempted this.. but for me personally, i was actually looking for a video of how to diagnose and service the actual pump itself, u know, like the inner workings of it. and, im sorry if i sound rude, im really not intending to be at all.. i guess im just being “mr. sarcastic” today bcuz i just had to comment on this video.. good luck to u and best wishes.. ☺️👍👍
OK, I understand your thought process.
I am not up for watching my video again right now, but suffice to say sometimes "fix" can be a broad term. I could only show what I actually did to get things going again. There are no replacement parts I am aware of, so anything beyond cleaning can involve replacement.
I'm not excusing me, I am just explaining my thought process.
Thank you so much for the help. I watched the video and it worked on my water fountain
This may not be the exact fix, but if you search for fountain repair, you should find something helpful.
Maybe so!
Thanks so much for this video -- it was very helpful, and fun to watch! The additional footage in between the pump replacement gave me a smile!
You gave me my big smile for the day! Thanks for that and I'm glad you got something out of the video!
Very helpful!!!
you can better use zip tyes to secure the pump
Zip ties could surely help hold it in place if your tube going up is long enough. There is probably a lot of variety between different fountains.
When I attach the pump to the tube, I have to push it up into the "column" in the upper half of the fountain because the tubing is so short. Then I bring them both down onto the bottom half. So I have nothing to zip tie the pump to!
I have a small statue of a woman pouring water from a pitcher into a cement basin - in addition to the pump in the basin, there is also a plastic tube sticking out that looks like it should be attached to something - Any suggestion?
You didn't fixed the pump. Just replaced with a new one. Thanks anyways...
At least I showed how to take it apart and what parts to fix if you want to do so. The real problem is getting parts cheaply enough to beat just buying a new one.
Often it is possible to simply take it apart and clean it out. Lots of people don't even know how to do that.
@@maximpulseI have to give you props for responding to a ten year old video.
@@tomg1432 Thanks!
i like the fountain too...
It has finally been retired because the painted surface was wearing away.
It's just plastic foam painted to look like stone. But it was pretty while it lasted!
i bought a fountain on craigs and the pump went out..it was a little pump like urs had no name on it or specs but the has little shoot to connect to the small hose...how do u find another pump that fits the small hose connector opening
These pumps usually come with adapters to fit various size hoses or tubing.
You can find them at Home Depot, Walmart, Menards, etc. Ours was around $15. Oddly, I don't see the Tetra brand available on Amazon.
Bring your old pump along to the store so you match the physical size…so it'll fit in there!
Here's an example of a Tetra pump like we use: www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-decor/fountains-accessories/tetra-reg-fountain-pump/19030/p-1444445562010-c-1487963432799.htm?tid=4209167531525251757&ipos=2
Thank you for your kindness and making this video. It was a great help From start to finish in the project.
You are very welcome! It's fun we can share information this way.
Glad to have company with my frustrations
Darn! I just realized I should've baptized myself after I fixed it!
I just keep the box and if it doesn't work within a year after the purchase I just take it back.... box and all. $50 plus is a lot to pay for a pump for a season of use.
I agree! A pump should last several years, unless one has allowed it to run dry or get clogged up. And even then most large stores will just allow an exchange for a new one.
Is it okay if the pump lays on its side because I have had 2 pumps fail on me now so
As far as I can tell it's perfectly OK for the pump to lay on its side.
Just be sure the inlet is unobstructed.
By the way, I have found placing a piece of screening over where the water passes through to where the pump is helps to filter out the larger bits that might clog it up.
Spent an hour fixing one of those pumps last night the one I had used electromagnetic force ( If thats what its called not a scientific person sry ) Anyway the plastic piece inside that is supposed to be adhered to the magnet that goes over the rod that emits the electromagnetic waves had become slippery due to the grime inside the water. If you simply flair the edge of the plastic so it is jammed inside the magnet while still being able to move smoothly on the rod it should work. Did for me
+16thlevel
I'm glad you got your problem figured out and fixed!!
thank you so much. this is the best video I have seen yet. answer almost all my questions. just need to find a flatter style pump 25 to fit ours. hopefully we'll be easy now. again thank you. Bret Hawkins, Indiana Hoosier
Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you found some useful info. It looks like you are thawing out 2 weeks ahead of us up here in Minnesota. Hopefully soon it will be warm enough to allow us to switch our heated bird bath for our fountain!
Tom Bodette?
…for Motel 6"
Gad, it's hard to believe there were ever $6 and $8 a night hotels!
Thank you very helpful vid you are the only one I found that gave me step by step instructions without many cuts in the video great video as always
Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad the video helped you. Us fountain folks have to stick together!!!
I love this video. They are honest and theyre sisters still close at that age
Thank you! I'm glad you liked the video.
Thanks, very helpful and informative video.
I'm glad it helped you. UA-cam is such a cool source for information…it feels good to add to the biggest library in history!
Don't use green tape, use zip tie amigo, will last forever.
Thanks for your contribution to the March of Knowledge!
@@maximpulse You are welcome Captain Crunch, I will give you more tips in the future. Keep on rocking in the free work 🤟
just try to spin the fan if you can't pry it open, there must be some buildup around the magnet so it stuck... the design of this pump is just like ordinary aquarium pump
my suggestion just open the pump and clean the magnet rod, it's easy trust me
Thanks for the suggestion! It's true that these pumps are mechanically pretty simple.
yep you're welcome
Hehe dimple
QUESTION: Do you still have the extension cord plugged today? If not, how long did the outdoor extension cord last?
I plan to use one on our fountain but everyone advices not to. I do not intend to have it on 24hrs. I will have GFCI outlet
Our extension cord is still in use today. Golly, I see it has been at least five years now. It is some sort of "all weather outdoors" extension cord meaning it remains relatively flexible in the cold winter. But it's nothing fancy.
Most of the run is buried under an inch or two of dirt. Grass has rooted over most of it. Come to think about it, we mow right over where it buried, too. Where the fountain plugs into it (under the base) I do try to put the connection in a plastic bag and sort of twist the neck of the bag to keep it reasonably dry. And we have some sand as a sort of raised base so it drains pretty nicely. And yeah, it's plugged into a GFCI outlet (which has never tripped).
When we do anything like changing from our summer fountain to our winter heated bird bath, we do unplug the blamed thing during the changeover. We're not completely mentally numbed yet.
Here is an Amazon example of such a cord: amzn.to/2KeWQr4
You can find them at Home Depot or Lowes or Walmart, too.
Here is an example from Menards: www.menards.com/main/electrical/electrical-cords-cord-management/extension-cords/smart-electrician-reg-1-outlet-outdoor-all-weather-extension-cord/ehcextc160350b/p-1444425967857-c-6410.htm?tid=4252287336166717497&&ipos=2
@@maximpulse Thanks. You keep yours on 24 hrs?
@@ybanag We try to remember to unplug it at night, but often we just leave it on. The main thing is we put in a screen over the water flow hole and we clear away the debris periodically.
We had a timer on it one summer, but somehow it proved to be too complicated. The pump uses very little electricity, so leaving it on is a waste, but not anything we notice in our monthly bill.
In fact I see here (amzn.to/2KsAgMA) this 75 gallon per hour pump only uses 8 watts (per hour)! That would be 8x6=48 watts overnight. Round that off to 50 watts and at $0.15 per kilowatt that's less than a penny!
Isn't 140 gallons/hour an awful lot for a recirculating fountain?
+Erin Dillon
It sounds like a lot, but that's in an ideal situation. In reality the farther en the water is pumped up, the slower it goes. I don't have a chart of how the gallons/minute decline but even pumping up a foot or two makes a big difference with a little pump.
Also, there is an adjustment on the pump to pump less than the max.
maximpulse you take the diameter of your hose our the output times 100 to get your gallons per hour or gph. I always go the next size up to make sure I get enough pressure to get the water pumped to the top. I've had about 10-different fountains in my lifetime including an eight foot triple bowl fountain. 😊
is it possible to replace the powercord for the pump if yes how?
I wouldn't risk repairing the power cord. I wouldn't want to risk any wires being exposed to the water.
If it is just the plug that is no good, that can be replaced, but even then I think I'd get a new pump instead.
You would have to disassemble the pump. I haven't ever done that before. I have replaced a lot of power cords on drills and circular saws and those sorts of things, but not where it would have to be water tight afterwards.
very helpful ! thanks so much !!
You are so welcome! It feels good to know a video helped someone else somewhere out there.
Any suggestions for a cement statue of a woman pouring water from a pitcher into cement basin ? Pump doesn’t work and there is also what looks like a cut off think plastic tubing that should be connected to something ?
Usually one can look underneath and there will be a hollow where the pump is accessable.
If not, then the statue should come apart and then you'll discover the pump.
Usually the parts separate by turning the top and then lifting up.
maximpulse Thanks -there is a hole but to remove the pump not working and put new one in , cord to submersible pump has plug attached and unable to get that thru opening /no way to open statue -solid cement
@@sandyubelhart388 Can you go to a gardening or other store and see the same statue or a similar one? They might show you what the secret is or let you look at a manual. I can't imagine anyone would make a non-repairable cement statue but I guess it is possible.
Usually there is a pipe coming up from the bottom that the extension cord has been slide down through. If you can slide a tape measure (or, if it is a tight fit, you could unbend a coat hanger, slide that up the pipe and then use that to measure) up that pipe it might give you a clue how far up the pump is located inside.
That might help you to detect where the statue separates into two or more parts.
So many repairs require a lot of looking at the darned thing from different angles and sometimes that results in realizations.
Right now I'm fixing the catch to the drawer of an antique sewing machine stand and it took getting on my back underneath to look up and then looking from another angle to see how it was made. Suddenly It was simple, but it sure wasn't at first!
maximpulse well-I am try -this is an old statue from 1999-will try to find a place here in Illinois -so disappointing
Maximpulse: I know the tubing that electric cord goes thru is a lot smaller than outside opening where plug is that connects to an extension cord . Seriously doubt that this statue comes apart . If I had your email , I’d send you the nightmare I’m dealing with
how is this video helpful? seems like you fixed nothing, you just replaced the pump..
motionless1 well he showed us how to replace the pump not how to fix the pump after all every one liked the video
Yes, I can see how my video's title might be ambiguous.
If I get the time and energy to re-watch my own video, then I can ponder on a new title. It takes a lot of time to record and edit videos and I have a pile of new ones waiting for me, so going back isn't so high a priority as new stuff. Hope I am forgiven.
maximpulse no problem we will forgive you
Yay!
motionless1
can 12 volts really hurt u when exposed to water?
It's 120 volts right up to the pump! The cord that comes out of the pump plugs right into a 120 VAC outlet, so yup, that can do you in if that wiring is exposed.
maximpulse so where's does d 120-12v happen? that pump doesn't run on 120! I'm wondering because I'm constantly messing with aquarium pumps and I've been neglectful then jiji I thought right at the adaptor(connector) is where the voltage changes
All I know is the 120 VAC cord goes right into the pump housing. I don't know where or even if it changes to any other voltage internally. The entire setup amazes me. If I invented this idea today I would think it was dangerously nuts, but apparently people aren't dropping dead.
It's not the volts that kill you it's the amps so if a 5v supply at 150A can kill you so you can kill people with a phone charger
Because it is rated at a 150A it will push 150A thru anything it is connected to so yes it can kill you
حلو النافورة
+عبدالله الدباش
Thank you!
شكرا!
+maximpulse
You're very welcome!
Hey I was wonder were I can get an adaptor like you have in the video
+Christian Mendoza
I'm not sure. We bought the fountain and there were already some adapter pieces included.
But the original hose was a bit floppy so it would collapse on itself.
I snipped and replaced part of the hose with some thicker vinyl tubing I had around the house. You can buy such tubing at any building supply stores in 10 foot lengths. Snip off a piece and it can act as an adapter. Obviously it helps to either measure or bting along the two things you are trying to connect, but life a beach.
هذي صورة في ديرتي
+عبدالله الدباش
أنا لا أفهم؟
I don't understand…
maximpulse what he means isn't the water dirty
Thank you!
maximpulse you welcome if you where wondering I am from Saudi Arabia but I learned English properly at school I am 11years old
Thank you so much for this. We got ours working again.
Nikki Keyes
Yay! I'm glad our little video helped!
very helpful, thanks :)