How to Check and Clean a Pump Impeller

How to Check and Clean a Pump Impellor

Looking after your pump's impellor could save you money long term

The impellor or rotor is the vital part of your pump which spins “day in and day out” moving the water around your pond, or water feature. In most ponds it clocks up a huge number of hours and this work inevitably leads to wear and tear, which can lead it to failing.  Rather than it fail in the height of the summer it is better, despite the temperature, to take it out in the winter and give it a clean and check it over. 

If you find too much wear and tear on the impellor it can cause reduced performance and might indicate imminent failure. Replacing the impellor as soon as possible could not only save you money on a replacement pump (if the impellor damages the rest of the pump) but also the panic which can occur if it fails on Friday night in the middle of summer and you can’t get a replacement for several days.

A common cause of damaged rotors is limescale.  In hard water area’s we are all familiar with limescale build up in our kettle, but despite the moving parts it can also build up on the pump impellor and on the motor body, this can lead to a reduced gap between the casing and the rotor which can cause friction and over heating.  If the limescale breaks up it can be an abrasive material scoring the impellor and casing, wearing them down. It is therefore a good idea to remove any limescale build up, but do not do this with any of the kettle descalers as these will not have been tested to ensure that they are safe for fish. Vinegar or Lemon Juice can be used to gradually break it down or we can supply a fish friendly versions such as Oase AquaActiv PumpClean and Tap Pond Pump Reviver

In most cases because the impellor is a moving part which will wear, it is not covered by the manufactures guarantee so a replacement will be chargeable and you will need to find somewhere which stocks them. Not always an easy task! To help you get the most out of your pump we stock most of the replacement impellors for the pumps that we sell. These can be found in the Spare Parts section of our website.

Below are some image of damaged impellors which we have found in pumps that have been returned as “faulty”, in most cases they simply needed a replacement impellor, but in some cases the damage has effected the rest of the pump leading to the whole pump being written off.