Beckett CB151UL Condensate Pump

Jul 01, 2008 33 Replies

Hi,



I am trying to trouble shoot a Beckett CB151UL condensate pump. I found a pool of water next to my furnace and I suspect it is from the condensate pump. The water level in the reservoir was fairly high, close to the brim.



I do not have experience working with pumps but while the pump was on I removed the clip connecting the hose and there was enough pressure for the water to shoot out like a fountain. I was able to put the tube back and the duckbill value correctly.



I have turned off my AC, and manually poured water into the reservoir. This started the pump but I don't see it pumping the water out (I did see it pumping water out before I removed the tube).



I would appreciate if someone can help explain the puddle of water and why I the pump is not pumping water out of the reservoir? Also, is there a owner's manual/troubleshooting manual I can locate online? What other checks can I do?



Thanks.


A condensate pump is a VERY simple machine. If you cant troubleshoot something as simple as it, you should carefully BACK AWAY from the machine. Bubba

It only has 2 moving parts and apparently its beyond your comprehension. Maybe the next check should be the one you write to the tech you gonna call.

Your welcome

Mark, I don't think the hose is clogged, but I'll take a look at the portion which goes into the crawl space to verify the hose is ok down there. The water level in the output hose rises a little bit but I don't see it being pumped out. Its as though the pump is not pumping the water out even though I can hear the pump running. I did not want to unscrew the pump and disconnect the hose. But it seems that might be the next step.

Thanks for provid> >

I would suggest that you call a HVAC company, if you can't troubleshoot a simple pump without making the situation worst.

Did you drop a quarter in the coin slot?

** Posted from
formatting link
**

You've got to be kidding that you dont have the comprehension on how to get a rubber/vinyl hose off of a barbed plastic fitting to see if the problem is at the pump or the hose? How do you get by in your daily life? How do you know how to brush your teeth in the morning? Pittfull, just plain pittifull Bubba

Do you have a dog?

and

Open up the pump, inside will be a brass tube that goes down toward the bottom. At the bottom it flares out. That wide section is where the impeller is. The bottom portion below the impeller is usually connected to the main body with 6 or so bolts and a gasket.

Note: On the newer pumps, everything is plastic, but if you have one of the older pumps that still has brass... see below.

Over time the bolts rust and fall off, or the gasket falls apart. The perimeter that the gasket seals must be 100% sealed, if not the impeller can't pump water as good, and what happens is the pump just runs forever, and it can't get enough lift pressure, then the motor overheats and the unit shuts off, it fills with water, etc.,.

Its actually easy to repair, but to be honest, I would buy a newer plastic one. A new 460V becket condensate pump is like $380, less for

230/208V.

-John

That's nice, but the "Beckett CB151UL condensate pump" is a 120 V model.

IIRC "lift" has absolutely nothing at all to do with submerged pumps, your refrence to "lift pressure" above apparently being something you've pulled out of your ass...instead, the distance above the water surface is what ismore important here, iow you have the resultant pressure of gravity caused by a static water collumn--which is added to your system pressure...the resultant value being referred to as "total head pressure"

ai had written this in response to

formatting link
: Good morning. It is a shame when home owners look to the web for some basic info re: CB151, and those in the know can only be sarcastic. Once you've disconnected the pump and taken it apart, try flushing the chamber with a mixture of vinegar and water. Aggitate left and right, trying not to wet the electronics. Rinse. If this doesn't take care of it as it did for me, then you have to look into replacing seal. At any point, if you have no luck, look into calling for help. I don't think the members here are looking to help, only to chastise you for not hiring one of their kind. The days of helping an inquiring homeowner died on the prairie.

------------------------------------- snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

##-----------------------------------------------## Delivered via

formatting link
Construction and Maintenance Forum Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup - alt.hvac - 25054 messages and counting! ##-----------------------------------------------##

That's only because they have a family to feed and a house payment, which from what I can tell, most people aren't sending in as of late.

Sounds like your tube is clogged. Replace tube. Regrets, I've got gmail users blocked, so saw your question through someone else.

God forbid him to replace a $40 pump... Geez...

formatting link
> :

Some folks just don't realize that their most precious commodity is their time. If they want to waste theirs screwing around with trying to resuscitate an old POS pump instead of spending a couple of dollars, thats on them. I gotta wonder just how many hours they have spent on this little project, and how much their time is worth.

formatting link
> :

Amen to that. Its a freaking plastic pump. Clean it out. If that doesnt work, toss it and get a new one. Bubba

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required