I keep killing 12V pumps. Are they all garbage?

[bobw53]

Or am I doing something wrong? They work fine, and then all sudden they decide to stop working...

The pump that came with the gold cube, and then the pump that comes with the Black Magic Fine gold sluice.

They still work, but they aren't moving much water, and I can stop the impeller easily with my finger, and one of them
was spinning so slow that the little kid in me took over and I easily stopped it with my tongue. Charged battery, WITH
a charger on it... I tried just a battery(several) and just the charger(several) and get the same results....

My first thought, I'm just cursed...

Second thought... All pumps are garbage...

Third thought... When I'm done with them, I usually just leave them in the dirty silty water... They are submersible after all...

This next round of pumps, when I'm done with them, I'm going to run them in some clean water, and then take them out of
the water.. See if that helps my pump problem..

Any thoughts?

 

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[triple d]

I use a sump pump. Have had no problems. There made for dirty water. More money but last longer. And can get more water flow.

 

[russau]

these small pumps have a fine filter inside of them. open it up and check for muddy debris! ive seen a lot of these in the trash because of it ,when all it needs is a good cleaning of that filter BEFORE the motor gets burnt up! I made a alum bracket to hold my 12vdc pumps off the bottom of my tub!

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I have the one that came with my Blue Bowl. I've used it for several years on my jigs, and shaker table. Never had a problem, though I do clean it when done, and don't leave it sitting in the water when not being used. I also use window screen filters to keep the heavy crud out of it.
Jim

 

[Hoser John]

Go to any hardware store and buy a paint sack filter-2-4 for a couple a bucks. Works like a charm and always rinse good when done and keep out of the sun as much as possible. John

 

[goldenIrishman]

Some other things you need to do:

1. Remove the pump from the water and rinse it out with clean water after your done. Back flush it if it does have an internal filter. Leaving dirt in it will cause ti to wear out faster.

2. Make sure the pumps you get are rated for continuous use. Many are not! If you're running your system for long periods of time a pump that isn't rated for continuous use will burn out quickly.

3: Place it inside a filter of some type like John suggested. The more crud you can keep out of the pump the longer it's going to last. If not a paint bag, then you can make up a filter box from hardware cloth and window screen.

4: Make sure you get a good brand like Johnson, Rule etc. Some of them even come with a warranty which is always a good thing.

5: Get a pump that will pump at least twice the amount you need for your system. You can cut the flow back to what you need with a valve setup.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Go to any hardware store and buy a paint sack filter-2-4 for a couple a bucks. Works like a charm and always rinse good when done and keep out of the sun as much as possible. John

Good idea, John...thanks.
Jim

 

[Timberdoodle]

Many of these pumps do not have that great of seals around the electric input and may leak over time causing corrosion in the wires and motor. Take a bad one and give it a little shake while listening for water inside the housing. I'd recommend to remove pumps from the water when not in use and rinse them.

 

[Doug Watson]

Make sure you've got the polarity right as they will pump when reversed but not very good. Easy to check as you can just reverse it and see the difference.