I have a Cal pump, 3500 gph and it's only been in use since April. It's failing already under constant use, which is recommended. There's a short or something wrong. It's under warranty but it takes about 30 days to get it fixed/replaced and back to me. I can't go without a pump for that long at this time of year. So now I need to buy another one to use while this one is being fixed.
Your thoughts?
Kathy
what brand of pump do you prefer
We had TONS of problems (exact same as you) with Calpumps, I try to tell everyone I can never to buy them, such a waste of money.
I prefer Sequence, they have an awesome track record and among the better pond pumps are among the more affordable and they are very efficient pumps (cheap to run). You can usually catch a great price along with free shipping from 123ponds.com. I order from them a lot and always get my stuff super quick.
Great. Thanks for the info. So your Cal pumps has shorts too? It would trip the breaker after we cleaned out the pond and refilled and plugged it in. We ran the extension cord to the house and it worked for a week or so and just stopped the other day. Bestnest.com is where I purchased everything. They have been a great company to work with and fast. This Cal pump at 3500 gph was only $114 and free shipping. It's still under warranty and as long as they don't give me a hard time it will be fine.
Thanks for the input.
Kathy
Yep, shorts. They progressively got worse until they eventually stopped. We bought them because for the GPH they were cheap, but now realize over the long haul that the energy they used would quickly outweigh the cost of a better pump. We had ours replaced under warranty as well.....but then the replacements went bad, too, so there was no winning.
Posting so as to bookmark this page. We'll be sure
to savor this information in spring when we buy new
pumps.
Many thanks!
When you do shop for pond supplies I found Bestnest.com is by far the cheapest and most reliable company with tons of knowledge.
Kathy
i just bought a pump last night with the brand name Garden Treasures. I have a sneaking suspicion it's a piece of junk...but I needed something before my new pond turned to swamp and then to ice skating rink. Anyone know anything about this brand? It's from Lowe's and for pump filter and fountain head it was $99.
I'm glad to know about Cal pumps and Bestnest.com though-good info!
Never heard of it. I also don't shop smaller pumps though, so that doesn't mean anything.
Danner Mag Drive pumps are also efficient and reliable. I've had cose to four years of March to November use of my current 3600 gph submersible. I did lose the first one in the third year. The impeller strainer guard somehow broke and partly fell off. A toad got past the skimmer and firmly lodged in the impeller. I discovered this at about midnight by accident when I let one of the dogs out. Try sawing a toad out of an impeller in the middle of the night. The pump barely worked due to the impeller damage. So we got a new pump and a spare impeller just in case. Also put a wire guard over the skimmer entrance during toad season. Easier to clean debris off the wire guard than toad sawing.
http://www.123ponds.com/
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm
I've found good prices and service at both above sites.
I have been through several different pumps in the life of my pond. Currently, I am running Savio.Ihave had that one now for a couple years and it is still working as well as the day I got it. I also like it because solids dont slow it down either. Typically, as a pump gets older, I have watched the output/force get slower. But the Savio takes and lickin and keeps on tickin.