Flojet Shower drain Pump

[Barry]

Good morning all. I seek the collective wisdom and technical knowhow of you boaty boffins

 

The problem is this shower drain pump

 

 

It does not turn. I've had 12 volts across it and it hums a bit but it is locked solid. I've stripped it down as far as I can and I think I should be able to hold the pump casing and turn the motor and the pump internals but it is locked up solid.

 

It looks a lot like one of these which is a R4105143A self priming diaphragm pump 12V dc.

 

The label is not in good nick but it is here

 

 

So far I have managed to strip it down as far as these two photos show

 

 

 

My quandary is this....Why is it locked up solid? Can I strip it down further to see why it is locked up?

 

Is it worth saving or shall I just replace it, given its age and the fact that it has come to a grinding halt?

 

If I can continue to dismantle it how do I do that exactly? I can put a pair of screwdrivers between the plastic pump casing and the aluminium end plate between the pump case and the motor, and as much leverage as I dare exert will not force the shaft and aluminium end plate to separate from the pump casing.

 

I see from the link that I can buy a valve kit and a diaphragm kit if I can actually split the thing and find out that it is repairable.

 

Over to the boffins - what do you think?

Edited October 9, 2012 by Bazza2

[OldGoldy]

Good morning all. I seek the collective wisdom and technical knowhow of you boaty boffins

 

The problem is this shower drain pump

 

Over to the boffins - what do you think?

 

Not familiar with this, but, is the white plastic part removable? Are there screws beneath it?

 

ETA you've added another pic! Most likely the bearing on the RHS of the pic is seized. I would think even if you can free it, and lubricate it, it would be very noisy. OK to keep as a spare tho'

Edited October 9, 2012 by dave69700

[Barry]

The white plastic part is flexible but I can't see any screws beneath it

[OldGoldy]

The white plastic part is flexible but I can't see any screws beneath it

 

I'd asked the question as a possible route to dismantle, but then noticed you'd added another pic, making the question irrelevant!

[Naughty Cal]

We had a similar issue with ours and in the end just replaced it. Wasnt worth messing about for what it cost.

[smileypete]

You might be able to carefully peel back and pull off the yellow membrane, squirt some WD40 onto the bearing - but not the membrane. Sounds like water has leaked into the bearing from outside and it's rusted solid into it's surround. They're usually £4-5ish and have a number like 6203Z or something like that.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[blackrose]

We had a similar issue with ours and in the end just replaced it. Wasnt worth messing about for what it cost.

 

I tend to agree. You can buy a decent Whale Gulper 220 for about 70 quid on ebay, then you could carry on messing about with the Flojet and if you manage to fix it you could use it as a manual bilge pump.

Edited October 9, 2012 by blackrose

[nbfiresprite]

I had the same problem with my drain pump, Turn out be the result of trying to pump hot water (Do like hot showers),

which caused the different parts of the valves assembly to expend at different rates, which then jammed, locking the

pump up. The pump worked all right when pumping cold water.

 

The swindler who supplied pump had placed a new label on top of old label (Water pump to drain pump)

[Barry]

I had the same problem with my drain pump, Turn out be the result of trying to pump hot water (Do like hot showers),

which caused the different parts of the valves assembly to expend at different rates, which then jammed, locking the

pump up. The pump worked all right when pumping cold water.

 

The swindler who supplied pump had placed a new label on top of old label (Water pump to drain pump)

 

This shower pump has worked only intermittently for the past few years. Sometimes it would, sometimes it wouldn't.

 

Since this one has not been reliable I wonder if its time to bite the bullet and replace it.

 

My feeling would be to replace it with something reliable i.e. with simpler, less complex internal components.

 

 

Blackrose's suggestion of the Whale Gulper 220 might fit that bill. Plus it has larger diameter fittings so the present reducers could be done away with (19mm internal diameter hose fitted). Do Whale Gulpers need strainers or do they shift shower hair adequately?

 

Edited to add - I see by looking at the amazon review that it says no strainer is necessary

Edited October 10, 2012 by Bazza2

[Naughty Cal]

If you can I would fit a strainer anyway in an easy to get at location.

 

Our shower sump has a filter but it is a pain to get to and we dont check it very often. Wellw e dont check it until the water starts backing up and appears in the galley floor

[bizzard]

All your muck filtering problems will be over if you roll up a strip of green Scotch pad and stuff it in the drain hole, makes brillo filters. Much more effective than buying a so called purpose made one.

[Barry]

All your muck filtering problems will be over if you roll up a strip of green Scotch pad and stuff it in the drain hole, makes brillo filters. Much more effective than buying a so called purpose made one.

 

Yeah - thanks

[blackrose]

Blackrose's suggestion of the Whale Gulper 220 might fit that bill. Plus it has larger diameter fittings so the present reducers could be done away with (19mm internal diameter hose fitted). Do Whale Gulpers need strainers or do they shift shower hair adequately?

 

Edited to add - I see by looking at the amazon review that it says no strainer is necessary

 

That's correct. I've had a Whale Gulper 220 fitted to my shower drain. It doesn't have a strainer and I've never touched the pump since I fitted it 7 years ago

 

All your muck filtering problems will be over if you roll up a strip of green Scotch pad and stuff it in the drain hole, makes brillo filters. Much more effective than buying a so called purpose made one.

 

Except that you don't need to do that with a Whale Gulper.

[George94]

Not only are Whale the best, but all their pumps are still made in Britain, so you'll be helping the economy, unemployment, family life, tax revenues, etc., if you buy a Whale.

 

And they definitely ARE the best.