Fish Mate 4000 pump control valve needed

Mom and dad bought a Fish Mate 4000 pump on clearance last year. They didn't realize until setting it up this year that the single control valve is missing (see #1 on the below image from their site). I've written to them via their website http://www.pet-mate.com/Fish_Mate/Pumps/Medium_Pondpumps_UK.htm but have never received any reply.

Per their site:

I've not had any luck finding replacement parts online, either. Do any of you have any suggestions for work-arounds or maybe even have a spare control knob hanging around, leftover from a burned-out pump?

Without a control valve, the thing is so powerful it sucked fish up against it. LOL

This message was edited Jul 9, 2007 7:55 PM

I have a Fish Mate but it didn't have the control knob on it, mine looks like the 12000 or 15000. The control knob won't affect how much suck it has, it will only divert some of the outflow to an alternate feature. You are not supposed to inhibit the intake, you can inhibit the outflow ok though. Could you put something around the pump to keep the fish from getting so close? Maybe a milk crate thing or something like that, maybe put some plastic netting around the milk crate, that would keep the fish away from the intake?

That's what I was thinking, too. I gave my folks a pond plant basket and some filter media from a pump enclosure we got at Lowe's, but no longer use. Maybe that will save the fish. LOL

So, could they just get some kind of valve from the plumbing section at Lowe's, you think?

I'm sure if they are creative enough they could figure out the configuration they want for the diverter. What size is the outlet on their pump and what do they want to run with the pump? Some Lowes employees are very patient and look at it as a challenge, some just don't want to be bothered. I have gone into stores before dragging what ever it is I am working on. Some of the stores I frequent for parts just say "What are you working on now?" I took a large filter box into a farm supply store and the workers sure looked at me weird, I didn't care, I got the parts I wanted on the first trip.

Peggy

The outlet is 1 1/4 inch and they want to run a waterfall on it plus have a small fountain. The thing is, the ponds they are going to use this thing in are small, so they're going to have to control the pressure. Will that burn out the pump? I know going from a larger hose to a smaller one can burn out a pump, but what about controlling it right at the valve? Is that the same thing?

Thank you Peggy and Kimberley. We took the pump with us and made the rounds....Lowes, Home Depot, hardware stores. When we're in Columbus the next time we will go to the store where we purchased it and see if they can order the part or have one that would work in stock.

DH and I don't know much about pond pumps, but our gardens and yard are gorgeous (if I do say so myself.....LOL!!!!).

Lotus,we would love to see pictures of your yard. Probably one of the best features of DG.

You could do that with a small ball valve or 2. This is the creative part, could you run it out of the pump full force and then split it off with a T, if that doesn't get you enough cutdown, then you could add a little ball valve and control the flow to each feature with the ball valve.

My husband works with metal so it was hard for him to get the concepts of working with water, we have some very creative set-ups in parts of my pond. DH wasn't used to how easily water leaks, if it is in the pond I don't care about a small leak but if it is out of the pond sometimes it's a booger to get sealed.

This it?

http://www.ketteringkoi.com/acatalog/PondPumpSpares.html

Thanks, but no.........................it's the knob marked 1 in the diagram GW posted at the beginning of this thread.

Awe, Darn it. I should have read the post more carefully.