Rule Recent Questions, Troubleshooting Help & Support

Make sure the pump is not filled with debris

My first 2 thoughts; is the outlet and cord working? Is the pump in enough water to activate it?
www.cpo2go.com

Yes, but some extensive education is involved if you want to do it. It would take 5-6 pages for me to explain. Here are some links to the math and ideas involved in calculating NPSH.

http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/11-html/11-12.html
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/npsh-net-positive-suction-head-d_634.html
http://www.pumpworld.com/centrif5.htm

If you have alot of time on your hands, and you llike to read, this will help.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the pump...Thanks to www.automaticpoolcovers.com for pulling this rule warranty information together. They sell many of these with the pool cover systems and their site tells you all you need to know about dealing with Rule warranty issues. You can find that information at:

http://www.automaticpoolcovers.net/pdfs_new/Rule%20Pump%20Warranty.pdf

John

The number I have for them is 978-281-0573.

John

I did a quick search online and found one for $5 at http://www.poolsupplies.com/cgi-bin/Commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=561883&gdftrk=gdfV2589_a_7c692_a_7c2615_a_7c561883
another location is http://www.marine.com/rule-garden-hose-adapter-p-40359.html?osCsid=b9cd99da738af12437c9c5703d105745
hope that helps.

No you will probally plug the pump and may hurt it when that happens.

Try the online store at www.thepoolman.com

The motor on this unit is sealed and not accessible for repair, only replacement.

You are probally just getting an air lock and can fix this by taking the hose off till it's under water or hold it upside down in water till it starts. If you hold the cord while it's in the water an just make sure it's taught you should be able to feel the vibration through the cord to tell if the pump is indeed running while under water.
If this does not help you may have to take the bottom end apart and check the impeller for clogs.
I hope this helps and good luck.

We have the same pump and problems. I have attempted a few fixes with PVC sealant and hose clamps to the current adaptor, however the adapter is still continuing to crack. The adapter is removable- carefully so as to not damage the small eyelet it attaches to, (or in our case, it came off on it's own) and can be replaced by any adapter that fits- they can be found all over at lowes or home depot. I am personally going to try using a broken hose and clamping it directly to the eyelet. This is not a good reason to buy a new pump- they fix too easy!

you should be able to pick it up at a local pump supply store look under pool repair .

If this can be replaced it will be a 3/4"pipe x hose adaptor. If it can't be replaced you may be able to drill it out and tap it to fit this reducer.I hope this helped.

Hello. There are several possible issues here which are all fairly easy to investigate. Begin by bringing your pump, cord and hose into a warm space for 24 hours to thaw everything out, warm it up and dry it out. Then try it. If it works, you know you have one of the problems described below:
1. Sometimes a circuit breaker wears out and needs to be replaced. Try your pump on a different circuit, insuring that you are using a different circuit breaker. IF it works there, the solution is to replace that worn circuit breaker. 2. Check the impeller and remove any clog, blockage, debris or residue. 3. The 24 foot cord on your pump might have a cut, or a scrape on it. If it does, water is getting into the insulation and causing the circuit breaker to kick. Check your cord thoroughly and if you do have a break in it replace the cord or repair it with a waterproof repair. 4. Your pump motor may be worn or faulty or have a water intrusion. In that case the only fix is to replace the pump. 5. The drain hose could be frozen. If it is, that blockage could cause the breaker to kick. Always ensure that the hose runs consistently downhill.
If you would like to contact Rule, you may do so at the following link: http://www.rule-industries.com/
Regards, Joe. Please rate my answer. Thank you and happy holidays.

The manufacturer is not going to provide a detailed PCB layout for there product with that sort of information. If you can not get it from the old part your only other option would be to try and get the info off a new pump.

You should also realize that the resistor did not just fail on it's own. They fail due to high current and/or heat which would suggest a more significant failure.

The pump motor is likely grounded causing the GFI to trip. Once the seal inside a submersible pump fails, water enters the unit and the motor will fail. The low cost of those pumps makes them not worth fixing and you will most likely need to replace it.

It sounds like the pump motor has shorted. Probably time to invest in another one.

The motor may have a thermal cutoff if the motor draws too much current. Do you have a sufficient large gauge circuit supplying the motore? If not the actual voltage at the motor may drop, causing it to draw more current to make up for the loss of voltage, thereby tripping the motor's protective breaker. I assume the motor will start again after serveral minutes of cooling down.

Curtis

GFI devices are prone to degrade over time. Also, when used outdoors there are additional moisture issues that may cause sufficient current leakage to trip the breaker.

I had a similar problem this Spring. I was using a 20 amp GFI "master" outlet that protected two additional outlets 'downstream' of it (wired to the 'load' terminals on the GFI outlet- I'd have the check the doc. to see what terminology was used here). The pump was plugged into one of the downstream outlets.

Replacing the GFI seemed to solve the problem. I did ante up $20 for an 'outdoor' model of the 20 amp GFI unit, several bucks more than the standard 'indoor' unit - have no ideal if that represented additional value or not.

Note also, that this is the third such pump I have used for my pool cover. The other two failed to come on at all after about a year's use. The mfg replaced them under warranty (I may have had to send back the old pump - I forget!).

Curtis