Author Topic: Waterfall running slow. (Read 3017 times)

Jerry · « **on:** March 08, 2007, 10:17:19 PM »

I did the following.
1. Emptied the skimmer basket.
2. Emptied the priming pot (Sequence pump)
Something is slowing the flow. Where to look? Do I run a snake from the skimmer and see if I can hook an obstruction?
This is my first problem in 2 years, been trouble free since the Sequence and Skippy. I hope it's not an impeller problem.
Of course this happens when i must leave home!

Help!

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2007, 11:06:15 PM »

Not knowing anything about your pump I'm guessing it's not in the line. Most pumps are designed to be abel to feed threw anything that gets in. ie. able to handel what ever size the in and out take lines are. My uneducated guess would be something is going wrong with your pump????

mekoi · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2007, 01:40:46 AM »

Could be some air going in the pipe line, this can reduce the flow IMHO

emm · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:18:17 AM »

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. I discovered a dead minnow stuck in the riser stem of my submersible pump. Removed the minnow and back to full flow. Hope your problem is as simple as mine was. emm

Jerry · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:22:24 AM »

The pump is a wonderful Sequence pump. NOT submersible.
I was wondering about the check valve, maybe a toilet snake with prongs on the end can catch whatever it is, if anything. I don't mind having an extra pump, so i may just orfer anothe from Gene @ Koi Village.
Hey Gene, any ideas?

Johns · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:59:20 AM »

Jerry,

Youv'e probably got snails. 1. Remove your pump and diassemble it. This is an easy process and only involves a few bolts and nuts. 2. Inspect the rotor, and cavity, and clean out ay debris (probably snail shells).
3. Next, how are you feeding your pump? There is a good chance your feed pipes are clogged as well. Try to run a line through the feed pipe and pull through a chuink of foam rubber to clean it out. 4. Another useful trick is to back pressure the entire pump circuit (with the pump turned off) with water pressure from your utility source. This will remove a lot of gunk (but not snail shells).

Jerry · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2007, 08:47:13 AM »

Johns you may be right. I think because of certain pressures I am under, i will get a second pump and dissassemble the old one at my leisure.
I have not seen snails but have last year.
Thanks

Jonna · « **Reply #7 on:** March 09, 2007, 02:35:02 PM »

Snails were the problem with our Sequence last spring. Tons of snails gunked up on the blades, really gross. Took it apart, cleaned it and all was well. Although, I still have the problem there with the snails getting past the prime pot and into the pump. I think spring is the worst time as there are so many really tiny snails. I hate snails.

Jerry · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2007, 03:10:14 PM »

I am almost glad you have the same problem! It helps me immeasurably. At least I have someone with the same pump and problem!
Thanks
Adiós Amigo.
I lived in Guadalajara for 3 years................long long ago.

Jonna · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:20:25 PM »

I went on a snail picking frenzy last summer, every night I'd pick as many as I could reach on the sides of the pond. In the beginning I was getting buckets of them, by the end of the summer there would be nights I couldn't find any and when I did it was only one or two. I'm scared I'm going to go back and they will have returned in force. My friend tells me there is a lot of string algae in the pond now, she put in alfalfa cubes but it hasn't yet helped. I'm ok with that, the fish are fine and that's what is important. I'll fight the string if it's still there when I get back. I just hope the snails haven't returned. I wish I could figure out a way to get some kind of mechanical filter before the prime pot and the pump. I'm pretty sure the snails came in on some water plants I bought before I realized I had to clean them really well first.

Guadalajara is one of my favorite cities in Mexico. It's beautiful and the weather is hard to beat. I have some good friends who live there and we stop there for at least a few days every year. I went to the IMAC language school there for 2 weeks a couple years ago, I wish I could make the time to do that again.

Rocmon · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2007, 07:36:18 PM »

Lots of algae growing now. I'd back flush the pump if I could, simple w/o the backflow valve...

Could just do the quick release and hose it, plug it back in, and see. Have any filter mats to wash? How about bubbles somewhere upstream of the pump? Those are usually the solutions to mine when it backs off on flow...

Jerry · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2007, 09:27:41 PM »

I can backflush the Skippy and I do, but how do i backflush the pump?

Jonna, I left Guadalajara at 3, and have not been back LOL that was75 years ago!
I was born in Philadelphia.

I am playing an old Mexican with a serape in a film next week. Must be in my blood.

Joyce · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2007, 06:16:01 AM »

Jerry, sometimes mine slows because of gunk buildup in the hoses.
Usually backwashing helps, but what works best, is to replace the hoses.
Since it's just the little pondsai, $5 worth of hose (or less) solves the problem.
I've looked inside hoses that were recently backwashed, and there is still a LOT of buidlup,
like a dark green, almost black algae. Sometimes it's just some kind of grayish-green gunk, maybe dead algea? Some kind of organic or bacterial growth?
Backwashing only yanks off the big chunks, while the base coat of gunk clings on and starts growing again.

Have fun in your serape.

Jerry · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2007, 08:08:29 AM »

SI !

Rocmon · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2007, 08:37:35 AM »

Wow! the sarape still fits? Have any memories of Guadalajara?

For me backwashing consists of turning the pump off, as I didn't put in a back-flow devise in. You could just remove the pump with the unions, spray with the hose in the outflow port, and see what comes out. I've had a small chunk of mat come out of mine once.

Jerry · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2007, 09:48:19 AM »

Thanks Roc.
No memories, but I have baby photos. The production company supplies the serape.
Like I'm not old enough they plan to age me more!
I knew the wrinkles were good for something.

Jerry · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2007, 02:15:04 PM »

I do have more luck than brains. Though not 100% the falls are now flowing much better! Why? No idea. obviously something got freed.
I will still do the need chore soon, but the pressure is off. i need to leave town and was worried.

Johns · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2007, 08:13:50 PM »

Ah, Yes, MEXICO!

Anyone want to guess what is going on here? Fuzzy picture to make you guess!

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2007, 08:24:41 PM »

Well there's a pinyotta(sp) so it's a party of some sort? What appears to be smoke? could be a BBQ? $:-\$

Johns · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2007, 06:30:23 AM »

Here's a clearer look. My neighbors in Charlotte...

a pinata that began looking like a front end loader! Took em over an hour to bust it cause the guy leaning against the tree kept jerking it up out of reach of the pint sized demolition team.

Jonna · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2007, 08:00:24 PM »

Somebody's birthday! I'm amazed at some of the shapes they make the piñatas in, I've never seen a front loader though! The guy on the rope is key. They try to let the littlest kids get a better shot at it and keep the bigger ones from smashing it too soon.

Jerry · « **Reply #21 on:** March 13, 2007, 08:20:38 AM »

Backflush? No wonder i was confused. here Is a letter from the Sequence rep.

Hello Jerry,

I’m not sure what you’re asking here. We really don’t back flush our pumps. We have a drain plug on the volute to provide an exit for all the water in the pump for such tasks as winter preparation. This allows the user to effectively drain the pump-end without having to undo all the plumbing.

Is there anything you’re trying to purge from the pump-end?

Benjamin Ashe

RepOne Sales

316 N. Sierra Madre Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107

888.584.7124 (toll free)

626.486.0536 (fax)

www.reponesales.com

bashe@reponesales.com

Shae · « **Reply #22 on:** March 13, 2007, 06:09:21 PM »

Jerry, I had the same problem Sunday morning. Saturday the pond was fine, the pump was fine. Sunday morning DH gets up and there's barely a trickle coming out. Bless his heart, he turns off the pump and waits for me to wake up to tell me the bad news. I hadn't even had my cup of coffee yet. I'm thinking oh no the pumps dead, gonna cost more money. Went outside, turned the pump on....it sounded just fine, but no water coming out. So I figured it was clog somewhere. Took the pipes apart at the skippy going from the pump and everything was fine. Next I started taking the pipes apart from the ball valve. Water was flowing just fine from the skimmer, so I knew it had to be from the ball valve to the pump. Took the pipes off at the pump and lo and behold guess what I found. Not 1, but 2 frogs had gotten sucked into the pipe going from the skimmer because dummy me didn't put the strainer back on. Poor frogs were dead, but still intact, just rammed up against the impeller. DH took care of them for me, cause I can't stand to touch frogs, I put the pipes back together and everything is fine. But I never would have guessed it was frogs. I've seen lots of frogs since it's started warming up. In fact tonight, they were serenading me. I heard 2 different sounds and I've got to look it up and see what kind of frogs are visiting now.

Jerry · « **Reply #23 on:** March 13, 2007, 06:36:30 PM »

Thanks Shae!

Will post what I find. I am getting a pro vacuum tratment too, in about a week. A pro will do it.

Mikey · « **Reply #24 on:** March 14, 2007, 09:27:40 AM »

Quote

I am getting a pro vacuum tratment too, in about a week.

Hey Jerry. I would hate for that guy to mess things up on your pond. Why not first send him/her over to my place just for a trial run to make sure he/she does it right?

Jerry · « **Reply #25 on:** March 14, 2007, 09:56:58 AM »

She is Barbara "the fish lady". She was a member here before we crashed. She has a big crew and the right equipment. I'd but the good vac, but I have no room for it.
This will be my first vacuum clean out.
I will post a report and photos!

Rocmon · « **Reply #26 on:** March 14, 2007, 02:18:03 PM »

Sorry for the confusion... Backflush is to run the water backwards. They do it to clean pressurized filters, not sure if your sequence rep is just clueless or

Yes there is a drain plug on the pump, not the way to backflush. But sure if you want to mess with it you can take it out and see if anything comes out. The plug is only ~1/2" so a 2" pipe will let a lot more crud into the volute than will come out through that tiny little plug hole.

For my pump I have an 8' incline to my upper pond from the pump. When I shut the pump off all that water that is above the pump level runs backwards in the pump and back to my skimmer filter. Hence gunk, algae, filter mat, anything that is loose in the pump volute or pipe prior to the pump but can't get past it, is pushed back down stream so to speak. Not often stuff gets in there, but sometimes.

To back flush it with an anti-backflow valve you would need to pull the pump out—easy with the PVC unions hand tight, just take the pump out and spray your garden hose in the output side of the pump. If you have algae all wrapped around in there you'll have to do what someone else suggested, and take all those screws out of the volute cover, pull the cover, and clean it out. More involved job...

Jerry · « **Reply #27 on:** March 14, 2007, 03:52:50 PM »

No problem Roc, sorry I made you do all that typing.