# Why would a submersible fountain pump stop working in less than an hour?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 14, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498 "2014-08-14T07:16:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/1 "2014-08-14T07:16:17Z")
Topic, it couldn’t possibly have burned out right? These things are rated for like 300,000 hours.
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/2 "2014-08-14T07:29:19Z")
Defective manufacture? Short circuit? Fused? Somebody hit it with a sledgehammer?
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### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/3 "2014-08-14T07:31:46Z")
> [@UDS](#):
>
> Defective manufacture? Short circuit? Fused? Somebody hit it with a sledgehammer?
No the sledgehammer, I’m not sure on the short circuit because it is still producing a vibration although not pumping any water when plugged in. Also there are some submersible LEDs on the same circuit/plug built into and they are still lighting.
It just stopped pumping in less than an hour of use.
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### Author:  [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/4 "2014-08-14T07:43:28Z")
Gunk in the fountain that jammed it?
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### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/5 "2014-08-14T07:46:28Z")
> [@lawoot](#):
>
> Gunk in the fountain that jammed it?
It was filled with fresh tap water but I guess it is possible, I don’t see any gunk on the intake filter. Any way to clean it out if there is?
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/6 "2014-08-14T08:16:20Z")
Failed component? Only way to test for that is to dismantle it. Easier just to bring it back to the shop and demand a new one, since it’s clearly not fit for purpose.
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### Author:  [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/7 "2014-08-14T12:43:09Z")
Electronics tend to fail very quickly or last many years.
There are clean and dirty water submersible pumps. A fountain should have clean water as opposed to the bottom of a pond though.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/8 "2014-08-14T12:48:37Z")
Plugged with dead tadpoles?
(Too soon?)
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/9 "2014-08-14T13:14:05Z")
it’s broken.
things tend to fail soon. there might be spot checks in quality control but that might be minimal (does it turn on and run for a few seconds). so it might have just died mechanically or electrically.
are there instructions to clean and flush?
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### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/10 "2014-08-14T18:49:32Z")
Electric pump motors have to be sealed against water, so the rotor shaft usually has a pretty tight tolerance between “free” and “stuck”. I successfully recovered one of my fountain motors by dismantling it as far as I could, plugging it in so it was vibrating and trying to turn. I sprayed some WD-40 around the shaft and then manually turned the shaft with some pliers while it was powered. It eventually loosened up.
These are also a situation where “smack it with a hammer” has a good chance of success to get it unstuck.
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### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/11 "2014-08-14T21:22:03Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#):
>
> Electric pump motors have to be sealed against water, so the rotor shaft usually has a pretty tight tolerance between “free” and “stuck”. I successfully recovered one of my fountain motors by dismantling it as far as I could, plugging it in so it was vibrating and trying to turn. I sprayed some WD-40 around the shaft and then manually turned the shaft with some pliers while it was powered. It eventually loosened up.
>
> These are also a situation where “smack it with a hammer” has a good chance of success to get it unstuck.
This worked, well not the hammer thing but the other. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-a-submersible-fountain-pump-stop-working-in-less-than-an-hour/695498/12 "2014-08-15T05:57:44Z")
Made in China :rolleyes:
If it’s “vibrating” (meaning, it tries to do something or makes a little noise), try sticking a slender rod down there to attempt to free up the impeller. Its most likely a throw-away, however.
If you take it apart, it will never seal up properly and now becomes a shock risk.