Pumps rarely fail without warning. A seal starts weeping, a bearing changes note, a pressure gauge sits a little lower than it did last year. Ten minutes of attention a month catches almost all of it while it is still cheap to fix.
Monthly
Quick visual and audible checks. No tools needed.
| Check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|
| Listen while running | Smooth, consistent note. Rattling, grinding or a gravelly sound is a problem |
| Look for leaks | Drips at the seal, the joints, the priming plug. Any water where there should be none |
| Feel the motor | Warm is normal. Too hot to hold your hand on is not |
| Watch the pressure gauge | Reaches its usual cut-out pressure and stays steady |
| Check for vibration | Excess vibration means loose mounts, misalignment, or a damaged impeller |
| Clear the surroundings | Vegetation, debris and stored gear blocking motor ventilation |
| Check the strainer | On drawing pumps, clear leaves and silt from the foot valve strainer |
A change is more informative than an absolute reading. A pump that has always run warm and still does is fine. A pump that suddenly runs hotter than usual is telling you something.
Quarterly
| Task | Detail |
|---|---|
| Test automatic operation | Open a tap, confirm the pump starts; close it, confirm it stops within seconds |
| Check cut-in and cut-out pressures | Compare against the settings you recorded at commissioning |
| Inspect electrical connections | Cable damage, chafing, corrosion at terminals, loose glands |
| Test the RCD | Press the test button on the protecting RCD |
| Check the mounting | Bolts tight, base sound, no movement |
| Inspect hoses and pipework | Cracks, ballooning, hardened PVC, weeping joints |
| Exercise valves | Open and close isolation valves so they do not seize |
Every six months
Pressure tank pre-charge
The most important scheduled task on any system with a pressure tank, and the one most often neglected.
- Switch off the pump.
- Drain the water side completely.
- Check pressure at the air valve with a tyre gauge.
- Adjust to 2 bar — the Rural Max pressure tank pre-charge.
- Refill and restart.
If water comes out of the air valve, the diaphragm has failed and the tank needs replacing. Full detail in Pressure Tanks Explained.
Run-dry protection
Test it deliberately. With the pump running, close the supply and confirm the controller or probe shuts the pump down. A protection device that has never been tested is an assumption, not a safeguard.
Annually
| Task | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full flow and pressure test | Measure actual delivered flow and compare with commissioning figures |
| Inspect the mechanical seal | Any weeping means the seal is on its way out |
| Check the impeller | Where accessible: wear, erosion, debris, corrosion |
| Clean the strainer and foot valve | Remove, clean thoroughly, check the valve seats and seals properly |
| Check earthing and insulation | Have an electrician verify earth continuity and insulation resistance |
| Review the whole system | Has demand changed? Are outlets or pipe runs still appropriate? |
| Update your records | Flow, pressure, current draw, date, work done |
The value of records
Keep a single page per pump: model, serial number, install date, commissioning flow and pressure, current draw, and every service since. Declining flow at constant head is the clearest early warning of impeller wear, and you can only see the decline if you wrote down the starting point.
By pump type
Surface pressure pumps
RM-JP100, RM-SJP800, RM-DJSM1025 and similar.
- Keep sheltered from sun and rain, but never block motor ventilation.
- Check the suction line for air leaks — soapy water on the joints while running.
- Confirm the pump holds prime between runs. If it does not, suspect the foot valve.
- Drain the casing if the pump will be idle through a freezing period.
- Cast iron bodies: watch for external corrosion where paint has chipped.
Submersible drainage pumps
- Lift and inspect at least annually. Clear debris from the strainer and impeller.
- Check the cable along its whole length for abrasion and cuts.
- Confirm the float switch, where fitted, moves freely and is not fouled.
- Never lift or lower by the cable. Use the handle or a rope.
- Observe the limits: pH 6–8.5, fluid below 40 °C.
Macerator and sewage pumps
- Inspect the cutter or impeller passages more often — these pumps live in the worst conditions.
- Flush the pump and rising main with clean water after heavy or unusual duty.
- Check for rag and fibre build-up, the usual cause of blockage.
- Follow proper hygiene precautions when handling. Gloves, eye protection, wash thoroughly.
Bore pumps
Pulling a bore pump is a major job, so annual maintenance is mostly measurement from the surface.
- Measure and record standing water level and pumping water level. A rising drawdown means either a declining aquifer or a fouling bore.
- Measure delivered flow. Falling flow at the same head indicates wear.
- Check current draw against the motor’s rated value. Rising current means the motor is working harder.
- Inspect the control box: clean, dry, ventilated, terminals tight, no scorching or swelling of capacitors.
- Check the bore head seal is intact and surface water cannot enter.
- Verify the safety rope is secure.
Compare all of it against your commissioning record. Drift is the signal.
Seasonal preparation
Before summer
- Confirm run-dry protection works. Tanks and dams run low in summer, and this is when pumps die.
- Check shading and ventilation. Ambient heat plus motor heat is what pushes a motor over its thermal limit.
- Test the system at full demand before you depend on it.
- Clear vegetation from around the pump — for cooling and for fire risk.
Before winter
Frost damage is preventable and expensive.
- Drain pumps and exposed pipework that will not be used. Water expanding as it freezes cracks cast iron bodies and splits pipe.
- Insulate exposed pipework and pump bodies that must stay in service.
- Fit a drain point at the lowest part of the system if there is not one already.
- Drain, roll and store lay flat hose under cover.
- For pressure tanks, drain fully if the system is being shut down for the season.
Returning to service
- Inspect for damage before applying power.
- Re-prime surface pumps fully — never start dry.
- Check the pressure tank pre-charge before restarting.
- Run briefly and check for leaks before leaving it unattended.
When to call for help
Some things are not a maintenance task:
- Burning smell or scorch marks — stop, isolate, call an electrician.
- Repeated tripping of the RCD or circuit breaker — an electrical fault, not a nuisance.
- Water at the electrical connections.
- Grinding or knocking from inside the pump — bearing or impeller failure.
- A bore pump that has lost output suddenly — likely needs extraction.
- Any work on fixed wiring — licensed electricians only, under AS/NZS 3000.
If something is wrong but you are not sure what, Troubleshooting Common Pump Problems works through the symptoms.
