Some of you will remember the exciting time my little guy and I had last Christmas playing with our water pump. For those who don’t, see http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=38175.1
Well, it’s less than 6 months later, and all things considered, that’s about standard delay to get to those ‘Urgent’ jobs around the ol’ homestead. So yesterday after lunch, being alone in the house and having too many things to get done in not enough time, I happened to notice the water pump taking a really long time to shut down after the faucet was closed. Like 5 or 6 minutes. Whoops…! Now where did I put that brass nipple I so dutifully bought only a week after Christmas…?
Okay, we all know our own houses get last shrift on the schedule when there’s paying work elsewhere, so why should I be any different? But it was definitely time to get this nasty job out of the way. But did it have to happen on a Saturday? But– But– But–
I called my plumber on the faint chance he was not fishing (he was); then I called the ‘retail’ plumber in our little town who keeps the showroom open on Saturdays so Mrs. HO and Mr. DIY can browse bathtubs and hose bibs…. Drove on down a bit later and asked for a re-build kit for my pump.
I got the raised eyebrow routine from the plumber who was stuck doing counter duty. (I haven’t done business with this shop in about 15 years, so he didn’t recognize me.)
“Well, we don’t carry ‘kits’ for that pump. What seems to be the problem?”
I don’t much like being treated like an ignoramus just because I happen not to be filthy dirty and am wearing shoes instead of my workboots. So my reply was a bit terse. “Galvanized nipple causing rust build up clogging the impeller and probably the pressure switch tube as well. You got a diaphragm and a jet housing gasket? Or is that too technical?”
This got me led over to a floor display of a cut-away jet pump, where the plumber then proceeded to lecture me about why using galvanized fittings on a cast-iron pump was a bad idea. Then he asked me, “How old is the pump?”
I started to figure it, when suddenly I had a memory flash–I knew exactly how old that pump was…and I also knew where I’d bought it AND WHO HAD SET IT UP FOR ME WITH THAT GALVANIZED NIPPLE.
The pump was 15 years old.
And I’d bought it at this plumbing shop.
And the man who was lecturing me about the evils of using galvanized fittings–as if I were the one who’d put them in the system–was the very same plumber who’d sold me the pump and then set it up with inlet and outlet nipples while I watched.
Well, contrary to my usual nature, I kept my mouth shut. I let him babble on, I even let him sell me a shaft seal which I was pretty sure I wouldn’t use. And I promised myself that when the job was done, I’d bring him in a few pictures of the inside of that pump–and then ask him sweetly if he’d mind looking up my account from 15 years ago to verify that I had indeed bought that pump from him….
So here are the pictures. I’m going to print them out and take them with me when I return that shaft seal tomorrow morning. I’d take pictures of his face when he sees them, so I could post them for you all, but I don’t think he’d find that too funny….
This is the culprit (well, one of the culprits–the main inlet nipple has to be changed out too). This nipple was cleaned last Christmas down to bare metal. What you’re seeing is less than 6 months ‘growth’. Hmmm….
That’s the impeller housing under that crud.
That’s the back side of the diaphragm in the bell housing. Below is the inside of the bell housing of the pump chamber with the diaphragm pulled back.
That’s the inside of the impeller housing. Note the rust completely blocking one of the ports. I swear, this pump was delivering useable water at useable pressure 45 minutes before this photo was taken. That’s an amazing testimonial to the quality of the design. The pump is a Goulds, BTW.
The impeller I decided to clean around instead of removing it. I didn’t have a spare one in case I busted it, and if I didn’t get the pump back on line last night, it would be at least Noon Monday before I had running water again. Discretion is the better part of valour in cases like this.
Lots of scraper work, a bit of Dremel with a mini wire brush on a cable wand, and a good bit of high-pressure air can do amazing things in a relatively short time.
It was all buttoned up, primed, and I had the lines purged and the tools cleaned up by Midnight. Say a total time of 3 hours, plus the time it took to go get the parts in the afternoon.
Nice way to spend a Saturday night, don’tcha think…?
Dinosaur
‘Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Replies
i remember the story, on christmas day or around then i think.
i've got a drip coming from my boiler drain valve, i can't be a**ed to do anything about it for a few more weeks so its got a bucket under it!!!
In the Merchant Navy, that bucket is known as 'Kings Point Gasket'....Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
"In the Merchant Navy, that bucket is known as 'Kings Point Gasket'...."
only by those who are jealous
Marine Engineer
Kings Point '91
If I remember correctly, I was taught that term by some squid from SUNY Maritime, back about the time Christ was an ordinary seaman....
And as a matter of fact, you're right; I always was jealous of those lucky enough to attend KP. I had to climb to the wheelhouse from the decks of a series of very old and dubious tugboats, starting with the Frances Turecamo (1959; single-screw EMD 1800hp, IIRC). But they all looked beautiful to me at the time....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Hey galv is so much cheaper than brass... Overhead... Overhead.... Overhead.. Not to mention margin...
Why wouldn't you have gone with a rebuilt pump less motor for 125$ TT&T... 50$ core. Sme pump. Comes with a warranty and ready to rock and roll... No fuss no muss..
BTW... "Well" done item...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming....
WOW!!! What a Ride!
ROAR!
But it's not a well pump; I'm on a lake. This puppy sits on a table next to the slop sink in the laundry. It's a real sucker--pulling uphill about 18 feet through 200 feet of 1¼" 100# flexible pipe. It's not real noisy--but next time I design a potable supply system using a lake as the source, there will be two changes from what I built for myself.
1. The pump will be in a dedicated pumphouse, just outside the 'untouchable' 15-meter shore easement. Pumphouse to be half-buried, super insulated, and contain telemetering for status reports to a panel in the machinery space in the house basement. There will also be auxiliary power and heat in there. And a beer fridge....
2. There will be a complete ready-to-go spare supply pipe run parallel with the live one but totally separate from it and capped on the uphill end awaiting mid-winter failure or freeze up out in the lake. It costs so very little to install when the ground is already dug up and the water is warm enough to dive in without a dry suit. Makes no sense not to do it if you've ever seen the bill and the mess this job entails when the lake is frozen over 3 to 4 feet thick. Did one job like that for a lawyer who just 'had' to have running water in his cottage for a one-weekend rental. My bill to him was close to $2000. Plus parts.
Coulda bought a helluva lot of Perrier for that, LOL....
As for swapping out the pump instead of doing the rebuild, that's a Goulds pump--dang near as expensive as a Grundfos, and just about as tough, by the look of it. Replacement cost here is in the vicininty of $450 including new motor. That model is running on a Franklin 1/3 HP; they no longer make 'thirds, so it'd be a half horse.Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I'm talking about just the pump.... Use yur old motor. Yur old one should be a C face... 5$ for a ready to go pump I would think is a deal..
And it would be a Gould or a Teal yur choice... The Teals are brass housings...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Can you imagine the clown I was dealing with giving me anything near the kind of deal you're talking about? For that, I would have had to wait till Moday--when I wouldn't have had time to do it, anyway.
Besides--it keeps me in practice for when I get an emerg call from a client at 11pm on a Saturday night and my piston pump is out somewhere else (like it is right now, LOL...).
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Edited 5/18/2004 12:13 am ET by Dinosaur