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Troubleshooting Guide
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Troubleshooting Guide: PDF (15k)
FOUNTAIN RUNS FOR 20 TO 45 MINUTES AND THEN STOPS:
(OR IS VERY NOISY WHEN RUNNING)
As assembly problem near the impeller is the likely cause of this. Check for the following 5 assembly problems:
- Make sure supply line, which is screwed into the plastic
housing, is not screwed in too deep. Remove housing with supply line
still attached and run your finger along inside of housing. If you can
touch the steel supply line then unscrew the supply line a few threads
until it is even with the plastic and does not protrude at all.
- Make sure clear plastic upper and lower rings are where
they belong. The upper and lower ring assembly is designed to insure
that all of the liquid that reaches the impeller comes through the top
of the screen rather than underneath the pump housing. The lower ring,
which has a hole in it the size of a nickel, should be underneath the
impeller. The upper ring, which has a hole in it the size of a silver
dollar, should be on top of the pump screen and housing. The 3 wing
nuts should be tightened very firmly on top of the upper ring to insure
there is an airtight seal between the pump housing and the lower ring.
(A schematic showing the ring assemblies is available on this website)
- Make sure that the impeller is not up too high and
rubbing against the top of the pump housing or down too low and rubbing
against the lower ring. After you have firmly tightened the 3 wing nuts
over the upper ring, plug the fountain in and turn it on before adding
water or further assembling the fountain. (While a fountain should never
be run dry for more than a few minutes to avoid damaging the motor,
running the motor for 15 - 30 seconds to test the impeller placement
will not harm it). Make sure that the impeller is spinning and that
you do not hear any rubbing noise. If the impeller is rubbing you will
need to remove the housing and adjust the impeller. The impeller can
be raised by pulling slightly up with pliers on the center of the impeller
or lowered by pushing down with your thumbs. Ideally, the bottom of
the impeller should be the width of approximately 2 business cards above
the lower ring. If the impeller is rubbing you should not remedy the
problem simply by loosening the wing nuts as this will cause the problem
described in #2 above.
- Check to make sure that the 8 intake holes on the bottom
of the white plastic column are at the bottom of the bowl.
- Make sure that the motor is not installed using silicone
or any other adhesive. Use of silicone or other adhesives may prevent
the liquid in the fountain from acting as a coolant for the motor by
obstructing the amount of motor surface exposed to the liquid. Scrape
off all silicone. You may need to replace the cork gasket on the motor
if it is covered with silicone. You can prevent leakage without silicone
simply by firmly tightening the 8/32" nuts at the bottom of the
bowl. We recommend using a nut driver, which can be obtained at almost
any hardware store.
- Check the size of the hole in the bottom of bowl where
the motor shaft protrudes. That hole should have a diameter of approximately
1 1/4" - 1 1/2" (approximately the size of a half-dollar).
On a few of the older models the hole is approximately the size of a
dime. Unfortunately, this hole does not allow enough liquid to cool
the new, more sensitive motors. If you have this problem, please call
concerning enlarging the hole.
Finally, if none of the above is the problem, you may need to replace your motor. To test for a bad motor remove the upper ring, pump housing and impeller (with a pliers) and fill the fountain approximately 1/2 full with water at room temperature or cooler. Turn the fountain on (a whirlpool will be created) and let it run for approximately 2 hours. If the motor shuts down at any time during those 2 hours, the motor will almost certainly need to be replaced. If the motor does not shut down, check more carefully for the above assembly problems.
BEVERAGE FLOWS TO THE MIDDLE OF FOUNTAIN BUT NOT TO
TOP:
This problem is generally caused by the assembly problems described above
and is usually not caused by a bad motor. Check suggestions 1-3 above.
OTHER PROBLEMS:
If the fountain flows for a minute or two and then stops, the plastic
column is probably upside down. (See suggestion #4 above).
If beverage sprays well above the fountain the flow coupling is probably
upside down. When you look through the center of a flow coupling the small
pin size hole should be facing toward the top of the fountain. (On models
more than 10 years old it is possible that the piece in the flow coupling
which creates the pin size hole has worn away. If so, the flow coupling
needs to be replaced).
If the fountain is splashing, the splash-guard or one of the chains is
missing, or one of the nozzles is not properly aimed back at the plastic
column.
If there is insufficient flow coming from one or more of the nozzles but
the fountain is flowing properly to the top, the overflow tube is missing
or down too low.
If the beverage is spilling over the sides of the nozzle tray and/or the
decorative collar, the overflow tube is up too high.