Hello guys!!
I got an AG deluxe and today the pump stopped working.
I've been reading the instructions to clean it. They talk about taking the plants off and emptying the water container.
But with the roots reaching everywhere I found that it is going to be impossible for me to do it without damaging the plants.
The plants need 6 weeks more as they just started flowering.
Is there anybody out there with some advice, please?
Can the plants make it without the pump?
Thank you very much!!!!!!
Two things: one, always have a spare pump on hand. They're ten bucks and only expected to last a year. When this happens, if you have one handy, it's no crisis.
Two: Big P gave you good advice. If you've been doing your homework you should already have a 5 to 10 gallons size aquarium air pump hooked up to an air stone and that should keep things normal until your new pump arrives from A/G. By the way, a word of warning: they'r not famous for fast delivery and the extra ten bucks they want for expedited shipping would be better spent on beer or cheap wine.
For what it's worth, I've disassembled, cleaned and reassembled my pumps between crops for the past five years and some worked and some didn't. And they were all working before. I've discussed this with customer service and they can't give me a rational answer why, but some fail after reassembly and some don't. All the more reason to have spare parts. They aren't things you can get at Wal-Mart or even at your local hydroponics store. there they've got us by the short ones.
Now for why it happened: what did you see inside the pump besides algae? Were there roots involved? That's what killed one of mine. Again, customer service and I talked it over and agreed the filters will only keep out big pebbles and boulders but they're still necessary. He tipped me off to the fact that a lot of A/G growers were wrapping their pumps in panty hose but I thought that was too much. My wife gave me one of her little nylon socks, like they wear with flat shoes and it covers the pump and tower assembly nicely. I've had no root related pump problems since. You can get a pump sock from the hydroponics store for five to ten dollars if you want to go first class but this works just as well.
Just be patient and careful and you'll untangle the mess of roots. If you're a fisherman it's no big deal as you've likely had worse back lashes with your reel. How many plants do you have in your A/G? More than three is asking for it. Let 'em soak in a bowl of nutes while you're cleaning the reservoir. Good luck.
