Aerobic pumps good service

[Peter Crosland]

The aeration pump on my aerobic sewage treatment plant failed so I phoned the pump manufacturer for details of my nearest stockist. They could not tell who to go to but said you can buy direct from us. So I asked how much and was quoted £345 including carriage and VAT. After quite a lot of searching on the net I found the same pump listed at £190. The amount of the rip-off pricing by the manufacturer was not the real surprise but the stockist was. I found out that koi carp keepers favour them for reliability. Fantastic service from Absolute Koi who got it to me by the next day and only charged £5.95 for the carriage.

Peter Crosland

[Andy Dingley]

Lift pump on our septic tank for years was an old pub beer pump. It replaced two very expensive Stuart Turner pumps that had failed in very short times.

[Peter Crosland]

My aeration pump is a Medo and had run non stop, apart from power cuts, for eight years. Not bad in my opinion with the only maintenance required was a filter change. When I get to dismantle the faulty one it will be interesting to see what has failed.

Peter Crosland

[Andy Dingley]

Indeed. There's no good reason for an aeration pump to fail (it's a benign environment, compared to a lift pump), if adequately constructed. I'd guess at bearing lubrication failure, but if I can have a cheap bike where I can easily service the the bearings, why is a few hundred quid of pump built as a throw-away?

[Peter Crosland]

It is best not to jump to conclusions without first checking the facts. The Medo pumps are not a throwaway item as you would know if you looked at the design. It is quite interesting because there are no rotating parts, no bearings and no gears. There are two pistons that incorporate a linear motor that alternately push against springs which return the pistons to the start position. The manufacturer sells a service kit that includes replacement pistons and gaskets. Assuming the pump is serviceable I shall buy a kit and thus have spare ready if I need one in future

Peter Crosland