Spent 3 hours clearing a clog that turned out to be just a big rock

Had a job on a pond in Georgia where the pump kept choking out... checked the screen, the line, everything I could think of for almost 3 hours before I finally pulled the cutter head and found a fist-sized chunk of granite wedged in there. Anyone else ever chase a phantom clog that turned out to be something stupid simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jake14d ago

Man that reminds me of a time out in Alabama where I was fighting a pond pump that kept surging for like 2 hours. I had already pulled the strainer, flushed the line, checked valves twice. Finally I just sat there staring at it and noticed the pressure gauge was bouncing weird even when the pump was off. Turns out a damn crawfish had crawled up into the discharge pipe and was blocking it up like a little mud plug. Just a dumb crayfish. I pulled him out with a wire coat hanger and it ran perfect after that. Sometimes the simplest stuff gets you good.

danielm8014d ago

And the wild part is that thing probably crawled in there looking for a place to hide or cool off, not even realizing it was causing all that chaos. I've had similar stuff happen with well pumps where a little plastic bag or a leaf will get sucked in and make the whole system act like it's possessed. You check all the expensive complicated stuff first because that's what makes sense, but nine times out of ten it's some dumb little thing like a rock or a bug or a piece of trash. It's almost like the universe just wants to humble you every once in a while and remind you that you're not as smart as you think you are. Plus now I bet you'll never look at a pond pump again without thinking about that crawfish, right?

williamhenderson14d ago

You ever notice how ponds and creeks have a way of throwing the weirdest curveballs at you? I've pulled enough junk out of pump intakes to know that nine times out of ten it's something dumb like a mud dauber nest or a clump of grass that's causing the headache. That crawfish story is classic though - they love hiding in tight spots and will wedge themselves anywhere they can fit. Next time you're chasing a surge in a pond pump, take a good look at the discharge side too. A lot of guys only check the intake and forget that critters can crawl up the other end when the pump is off. Might save you from digging around for two hours like that poor guy in Alabama.