Pump maintenance for rural water, what to check and when
There is nothing quite like turning a tap on and getting nothing at all, and if you are on tank or bore water the pump is usually where the trouble started, so a bit of attention every few weeks is worth a great deal more than a call out once it has already stopped.
Walk around it every few weeks
It takes about two minutes. Look for water pooling at the base, and for rust or green staining around the fittings. Anything that has worked loose with vibration is worth a spanner while you are standing there. A pump that is slowly leaking has usually been slowly leaking for a while, and the stain on the slab underneath it will tell you that long before the pressure at the tap does.
Filters and strainers
A blocked filter makes the pump work harder for less water, and on a tank or a dam line it blocks far faster than people expect, because leaf litter and silt find their way in through every gap you did not know was there. Pull the strainer basket out, rinse it, and put it back. If it is full every single time, the problem is further upstream at the tank inlet rather than at the pump itself.
Air leaks, which is the fault most people get wrong
If the pump struggles to prime, or it cycles on and off, or the pressure comes and goes, the usual cause is air getting into the suction side rather than anything actually wrong with the pump. A leak on the suction side does not drip, because that pipe is under vacuum rather than pressure, so you will never find it by looking for water on the ground.
Brush soapy water over the fittings with the pump running and watch for bubbles being drawn in, and check the joints closest to the pump first, because that is where the vibration does the most work. Thread tape on a fitting that has been apart before is usually shot, so replace it while you have got the joint open rather than putting it back and hoping.
Listen to it
A change in sound is nearly always the first warning you get. A new rattle or a rising whine points at a bearing or something working loose, and the gap between the noise starting and the pump failing is where the cheap fix lives. Once it has gone quiet altogether, the cheap fix has usually gone with it.
Keep the weather off it
Direct sun and frost both shorten a pump's life, and driving rain gets into places you would rather it did not, so a simple cover or a small open sided housing helps a lot. Do not box it in completely though, because a pump makes heat and it needs air moving around it, and a sealed box traps moisture against the motor, which is the opposite of what you were trying to do.
Electrics are where you stop
Check that the wiring is secure and that nothing is sitting in water, and if the pump trips a breaker more than once, get a licensed electrician to look at it. That one is not a job to have a go at yourself, and a nuisance trip that keeps coming back is telling you something you want to hear early.
Flush it occasionally
If your water carries sediment or minerals, the inside of the system gradually furs up and the pump loses efficiency without ever actually failing, which is why nobody notices it happening. Running clean water through it now and then helps, and on a system with heavy mineral build up a mild vinegar flush will shift some of the deposit.
Have a plan for when it stops
Pumps stop, usually on a weekend, and the difference between an annoyance and a genuine crisis is whether you thought about it beforehand. A spare pump sitting on the shelf is the obvious answer, and a gravity fed tap low down on a tank will get you through a couple of days if that is all you have. If the stock and the house run off the same pump, that plan matters a good deal more than it does for most people.
Shop related products
- Plumma's Blue Glue Type N PVC Solvent Cement 250ml. For joining or repairing PVC pressure line.
- Plumma's Red Priming Fluid PVC Pipe Primer 250ml. Use it before the blue glue, because the joint is only as good as the prep.
- Renew 20mm Hose Cock Male Rough Brass. A brass replacement for a garden tap that has started weeping.
- Pope 12mm Brass Hose Joiner and Repairer. For the split length of hose you have been meaning to deal with.
Did you know we also stock thread tape, stainless hose clamps from 6mm right up to 60mm, low density poly pipe in 13mm, 19mm and 25mm, PVC pressure fittings and water pump pliers in store. Most of that is not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf, and if you are not sure what you need, bring the old fitting in with you and we will match it.
The rest of the plumbing gear is in our plumbing range.
More for a rural property
- Rainwater tank maintenance, keeping tank water clean
- Setting up a backup water supply for dry seasons
- How to spend less of your weekend maintaining a rural property
I am not a plumber and I have never pretended to be one, so if it is past the fittings, get somebody licensed in, and if it is only the fittings, bring the old one in and we will sort you out.
Candeece
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