3152 Pump not Pumping

ShanePike · Jul 23, 2024

I bought a used 3152. Hooked it up, and it worked great — for a few days. The pump was turning on when the float switch tripped, but it wasn't pumping any water, even when I removed the tubing.

Figured it was a bad pump (again, it's a used system), so I bought a new one. Same exact behavior.

I have shaken them vigorously, turned them upside down and sideways, whacked 'em on the side, let them run for a long time laying on their side ... nothing has worked.

Could the control unit be bad, even though the pump is turning on?

rvitko · Jul 23, 2024

If the pump is twitching every 10 seconds, that is the normal time out, the key will be to make sure that you set the safety time limit correctly for your tank size. The pump can handle 5ft of head pressure so pumping too high might be an issue. The other thing to check is that there is no break or kink in the hose or hose fitting and the only real way to get the air out of the pump so it will prime is tip it upside down, shaking and the rest of it doesn't do much. It is possible it is the controller, I have seen old controllers just not put out enough power so the pump runs slow.

ShanePike · Jul 23, 2024

Thanks for the fast reply!

It's not twitching. It's turning on and staying on. I'm assuming it's trying to pump. However, no water is pumped through it even when I completely remove the tubing. If I raise the float switch, it turns off.

Can the controller itself be replaced, or am I looking at having to buy a whole new system?

rvitko · Jul 23, 2024

That's strange, normally if it is the controller, the pump will pump water without the hose on, it works, but is weak, 2-3 feet head pressure. Try the pump with just a 9V battery by itself, polarity does not matter, just touch the wires to the battery, also try looking through the bottom when it is running and see if the impeller is turning. You can get just a controller but its 75% of the cost of a complete unit, it rarely makes sense. Lets see what you find with the battery test.

ShanePike · Jul 24, 2024

Yep, works perfectly with the 9V battery. I touched the wires to the battery, and the pump came on instantly and pumped water just like it was supposed to.