“Hubby and I installed this pump to replace an older version “Little Giant†that wouldn’t shut off. I also bought 50’ of vinyl 3/8†I.D. tubing for our 6’ vertical, 35’ total run and an extra check valve. I ordered the pump from plumbingsupplyandmore on a Saturday for $30 retail with free shipping and it arrived Monday afternoon, which was great except it was shipped unsealed in its product box, only. All the parts including manual were intact and undamaged, which was a marvel. The new pump measures a bit larger than the old, so hubby had to drill new mounting holes. A tip we learned from a FB video only after having considerable trouble measuring and drilling in a low, cramped, and dim location (we’re both old and arthritic 🙂), is to affix a long strip of painter’s tape across both mounting brackets on the rear of the unit and poke holes through the tape at the two brackets. Remove the tape and apply it to the mounting wall at your desired location, ensuring that the tape placement is level. Drill through the two holes in the tape. Remove the tape and insert your mounting screws.Being a thrifty DIY person, I investigated why the old pump failed to shut off. I suspected a stuck float or a clogged check valve. I disassembled the old pump tank and check valve and discovered the tank bottom was covered an inch-thick with nasty-looking rust-colored debris that also clogged the pump underside and the check valve. After scraping out as much of this crud as possible, I filled the tank with an Iron-Out solution, set the unit in place on the tank, soaked the rust-coated pump underside and check valve for several days, cleaned and re-assembled the unit. Several test runs confirmed that both the old pump and the check valve now operate good as new, so we’ll keep the unit for emergencies. Both the new and the old pumps discharge in about 10 seconds each, leaving about an inch of water in the tanks. Lesson learned: I’ll put the new pump on a regular cleaning schedule. The manual recommends a cleaning with every furnace filter change.”
“This was an exact replacement for the original one installed on our geothermal unit 9 years ago. It had begun making loud grinding sounds… announcing that its days were numbered.”
“These little pumps have a very long life(10 years or more). My repair man instructed me to put a little bleach in the box monthly to keep the drain clear.”
