# Forum Home Renovation Plumbing  Rain tank pump not working

## chriswarr

Hi, I recently had my house renovated which included moving the rain tank from one side of the house to the other.  Since being moved the pump doesn't work any more.  The plumber reckons it's hooked up right, it looks hooked up right, but no go.   
The pump is a RivaFlow TF30, the controller thing on top is an Onga Presscontrol.  The lights come on and say Failure, I press the restart button like the manual says, but no go, it's like the pump itself just won't go.  Water passes all the way through when you turn the tap on so there's no blockage.
I've attached a couple of photos of the setup. 
Any ideas for things I can try before I resort to calling in a professional, not even sure what kind of person to call if the plumber is at a loss. 
Cheers,
Chris.

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## watson

G'day Chris,
In your pic 2 it shows a connector coming from the controller and going around to the motor.
If you get a "qualified person" to disconnect that connector....and measure if there is voltage present between the terminals coming from the controller when the restart switch is pressed that will indicate that the controller is OK and that the problem lies with the motor itself. 
If there is no Voltage present (240 V AC) then the controller is the problem.

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## Danny

Have you tried taking the fan cover off and turning the fan blades to make sure they are not stuck?  
Did it come with a trouble shooting guide?   

> not even sure what kind of person to call if the plumber is at a loss.

  There are pump repairers around. What area are you in? 
You would have to take the pump to them.

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## chriswarr

Oh you guys are all fricken awesome!  It was the fan thingy.  I couldn't work out how to get the cover off so I just poked a screwdriver through the grill and surely it was stuck.  Gave it a tap and it came lose.  Fired it up, puff of dust and away she goes.  I've been stressing about how to get that fixed for weeks, should have posted ages ago. 
Thanks so much guys, particularly Danny!!!!!!!!!! 
Cheers,
Chris.

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## Danny

Glad it was an easy fix. 
It looks like the pump is exposed to the elements. While this would have nothing to do with your previous problem, it would also be a real good idea if you bought a cover for it.

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## chriswarr

Yeah, it does have a cover.  It was out in the open for a few weeks while the builders were doing their thing, I'd say it got filled up with crap during that time. 
Do these pumps require any maintenance do you know?

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## Danny

The secret to a pump's longevity is to... 
Not have the tank's draw off valve fitted at the bottom of the tank. Having it fitted 80-100 mm above the bottom will provide clean water to the pump and not have the pump ingesting sediment which can cause erosion corrosion amongst other issues. It will also provide for a minimum weight 'anchor' during times of high wind. 
Not have a 90 degree elbow fitted to the pump's infeed line within X10 the pipe's diameter from the pump. This is particularly important for the larger high flow pumps and pumps connected to small diameter pipes. Note that common use Blue Line poly pipe is measured as a 'nominal' size; 25 mm Blue Line is generally about 20 mm internal diameter, the actual I.D. will depend on its pressure rating. This pipe holds 1 litre per 3.18 metres of pipe. If the inflow was 30 litre per minute, the water needs to flow at 95.5 metres per minute! I have seen pumps fed by 13 mm copper pipe which holds 1 litre per 7.5 metres that had been connected to a 90 degree elbow that was virtually next to the pump. A recipe for early pump failure! 
Use a large stand alone pressure tank to substantially reduce the number of pump start ups. This also reduces energy use and the savings will on average repay the cost of the tank within 3 years. It also allows the pump to operate with maximum efficiency in its 'sweet spot'. The (water) draw down is generally about 35-40% of capacity and they are available at good prices on eBay. 
For garden use, reducing friction losses by using a larger hose will also give it an easier life. 
If connected to the toilet, use a low restriction cistern valve and a separate cistern valve for the mains.  
Fit a filter between the tank and the pump. These don't cost much, are easy to fit and will provide long use if you are not drawing off the bottom of the tank. 
Fit some type of filtering system between the collection area and the tank. The method chosen will depend on the harvesting infeed system you have. 
Over 90% of the (rain harvesting) installations I see are sub standard and a lot of people have pump problems as a result of poor installation.  *NOTE:* Most of the above has been reproduced from my website which is subject to copyright.

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## chriswarr

Thanks Danny, that looks pretty comprehensive.  Pretty sure my tank outlet is a bit off the bottom, can't do much if it's not anyway.  I'll check out the other things. 
Cheers,
Chris.

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