Pond pump

[Marthe48]

I'm staying at my friend's house. She has a water feature, with a circulating submerged pump. The liner is old, probably leaks, because the water level drops quickly after filling with a hose, attached to a faucet inside. The setup is another whole story. I filled the pond Sun. and thought I'd be clever and leave the house in the pond for the next fill. In my opinion, starting a siphon is one of the harder tricks to pull off, but by golly, I did it. I never thought by leaving the house in the pond, I'd drain it. I don't know how fast the water drained or much about the pump, or if it automatically shut off or burned up or is clogged. I unplugged it, tried to relocate a reset button, no luck, but I was in panic mode.
When I go back to my house Monday, I'm going to check the information about the pump, and come back next week, will recheck the health of this pump and get it going, or buy a new one and fess up. I haven't told my friend yet. She's in rehab right now doesn't need to hear how stupid I was.
Does anyone have any basic tips to check if the pump is repairable?
I unplugged it, checked the breakers, plugged it back in. The only upside is that without the pump running, the water level stays higher.
Thanks for any help.

[Nittersing]

1. Sump pumps usually have a float that will shut it off if the water level rises

Basically, the same way a float works in the back of your toilet.

If the sump pump has a float, it likely ran until the motor burned out.

Which means a new pump.

[Marthe48]

2. I was able to check the order

The pump has an automatic shutoff if it overheats, so I hope it might be salvagable. I'll try to find some YouTube videos how to open it and make sure it isn't clogged or jammed. But not today. It has some other features too that might have protected it. Fingers crossed.
The goods news is, a new costs less now than when she bought this one.
Thank you!

[Kali]

3. If the hose was hooked to a faucet that was shut ofg

Last edited Thu Sep 5, 2024, 01:18 PM - Edit history (1)

It was likely not siphoned out unless you see obvious signs of where water went. My guess is leaky liner. Don't waste time on pump until that issue is solved.

[twodogsbarking]

4. Have a small pond off the patio. Last pump konked out this summer after 15 years. Just age.

Had a lower capacity one that works well. Not sure they cost now but then they were about $80. at Lowes or online..
The first ones I had only lasted a year or two but cost twice as much. Leaks are not always in the liner but you can buy pond foam for other leaks.

[RainCaster]

5. Submerged pumps don't overheat

But they do wear out. I've replaced several in my pond over the years. Mine has 4 pumps running 24-7 and occasionally they die. Not hard to replace.