[SOLVED] Soap pump not pumping

[Laurie]

Stainless steel Price Pfister kitchen faucet with separate pump soap dispenser. It just stopped pumping... any ideas what is causing it and how to fix it? TIA, Laurie

[Steve]

"Laurie" wrote on 30 Sep 2007 in group alt.home.repair:

Possibilities:

1) You're out of soap. Add more soap. 2) The pump is clogged with thickened soap. Take the pump out and soak it in the sink overnight. Pump it with both ends under water. Eventually, the water will soften up the soap in the tubes. You may have to use boiling water on the stove, but remove all the plastic parts first. 3) The pump is clogged with dried soap. Disassemble it, clean it, and reassemble it. See 2). 4) The pump is broken. Install a new one.

[Caesar Romano]

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:57:30 GMT, "Laurie" wrote Re Soap pump not pumping:

Might be some dried soap blocking the check valve. Remove the pump and soak it in water overnight. Then try operating the pump while it is submerged in water.

[Art Todesco]

I've had one of these for many years. They never last long. If you buy the brand name units, expect to pay $30 to $60. When my last expensive one died, I when to the home store (Menards) and bought the el-cheapo unit for about $15. It was probably made in China or somewhere like that. It has worked just as good as the Grohe, etc. I suspect it will die after 5 or 6 years, just like the previous Grohe unit.

[Laurie]

Interesting. No clogs AFIK, but not knowing what a check valve is, I will soak it overnight and see if that helps. Water runs freely thru all disassembled parts of it (stem - pump - dispenser), when I reassemble the remaining water will shoot out with a few pumps. SO I drop it back in the soap container and nada - a few foamy bubbles.

That (&% soap dispenser lasted less than 3 mo with less than daily use...it acts like it doesn't create enough suction to suck up the soap - I don't know if it gets *into* the plastic middle section and if so, why it doesn't get pushed out the dispenser.

I know it's a small thing compared to some of these big jobs, but it was a stretch for me to afford the set and have it installed & I don't want to drop a cheap alternative in there (unless guts is guts in these things and I can just replace the guts part).

I hate things I can't see to figure out how to fix them!

Thanks, Laurie

[Laurie]

LOL - it's full of soap (but I appreciate it being step 1) and water runs through it,but with the thicker soap, I am going to try the boiling water aspect.

If it's broken, I want to see if I can figure out why and if/how to repair the guts part since the dispenser part is a stainless steel part of the faucet set...

[Caesar Romano]

On Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:58:36 GMT, "Laurie" wrote Re Re: Soap pump not pumping:

Let us know how it turns out.

[willshak]

on 9/30/2007 4:57 PM Laurie said the following:

Reach underneath the sink and feel the plastic bottle for the soap. If it has soap on the bottom, the neck has cracked.

[Dawn M.]

replying to Laurie, Dawn M. wrote: Hey Laurie,

This is exactly what is happening now to my Grohe dispenser. It's only 18 months old and was quite expensive. All parts work when not assembled, but when put back together, they all fail. Did you manage to fix your problem?

I soaked the components all night in baking soda....to no avail. It's almost like there is an airflow problem, disallowing the soap to make it all the way up the tube when assembled.

If you have any more info or help, I would very much appreciate it.

Thanks!

Dawn M.

[GMH]

replying to Dawn M., GMH wrote: Try a different soap. I found that different soaps worked (thinner consistency I think) and others did not.

[Steve B.]

replying to Dawn M., Steve B. wrote: We have the same problem Soap does come up the plastic tube but doesn't continue through the metal head/spout.

[Wade Garrett]

If you can't get it working, not to worry. A whole new dispenser is 1. inexpensive at your favorite home center and 2. a drop-in or, at worst, a screw-in installation on your sink.

Five minutes tops, not counting unloading then reloading all the junk under the sink if you have to screw in a new container because the new pump doesn't fit the existing container.

[Shansdesign]

replying to Laurie, Shansdesign wrote: Mine is doing the EXACT same thing! Can't figure it out ?

[Mike]

replying to Laurie, Mike wrote: The reason this often happens is because the seals within the pump harden and shrink. The easiest way to determine if this has happened is to try to pump clear water. If water passes, you have hardened seals.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO REPLACE THE PUMP!!! Seals will swell and become pliable when they come in contact with petroleum based lubricants. From personal experience, I recommend that you go to an automotive parts house or hardware and purchase a spray can of CRC White Lithium Grease #05037. It has a red tube nozzle like WD-40, so spraying into the tube from the bottom is very easy. Pump the grease through and you will find the seals swell immediately.

The pump will become difficult to push down and won't return to its cocked position immediately thereafter, but within a day, all will work like new. Really.

[Jen]

replying to Mike, Jen wrote: Thank You Mike! I've struggled with name brand installed soap dispensers failing numerous times now in different homes and kitchens.You were the first person to have an actual cause and solution! I shared your post with my husband- he said he was gonna try straight WD40- figured it'd do the same thing and Voila! Worked perfectly and immediately! You ROCK! Thanks again for your solution!

[Mike]

replying to Jen, Mike wrote: Thanks, Jen We engineers are good for something. Your response warms me. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Have a wonderful, soap on demand life.

Peace.

[Tekkie®]

Mike posted for all of us...

Tears are forming in my eyes...

[ItsJoanNotJoann]

Hahahahaaaaa, you squirrel!

[carl in Framingham MA]

replying to Mike, carl in Framingham MA wrote: Magnificent!!!! That took about 5 minutes. I used white lithium tube grease packed into a disassembled pump and got it into the pump mechanism. cleaned it out with q-tips and got water through it with no tube yet. then went to the tube primed it with water and put it back in soap bottle and it worked like new! awesome.

[John]

replying to Mike, John wrote: Mike, your response was awesome. I tried this, and the pump actually works better than it did new, so it must have been sitting on the shelf a while and the rubber seals were already shrinking