As I mentioned in my Fixing the Stream post, I thought that the Real Estate photo of the Stream showed much greater flow than I was getting.  So…  after looking at the Stream this morning, I started digging around to see if I could find the pump well.  I moved a few heavy boulders and thought I heard the pump.

Unfortunately, I thought that it was under a HUGE flat rock.  The rock seemed like a good cover for the pump, albeit a little HEAVY!  I couldn’t move the rock by hand, but with a heavy duty crowbar, I was able to lift it up enough to see under it.  More rock…

Hmmm, fishing around the big stone, I was able to locate the pump sound to the left and, after more digging, found the pump well.   I turned off the pump, pulled it out of the well, and, sticking my finger into the inlet, I was not too surprised to feel that it wasn’t turning easily.

I did some research on this pump and discovered that it is a real power hog – a newer alternative pump would consume 1/3 the power with the same capacity.  I ordered a newer replacement, but unwilling to simply accept that the current pump was ‘broken’, I took it apart, and, eventually isolated the problem to a spring loaded bearing.   I improvised a ‘fix’ so the motor would spin freely and reinstalled the pump.

Well… if The Stream was a babbling brook before, it is a rushing stream now!   The stream bed filled up with flowing water with falls and turbulence all along the length of the stream.  I’ve posted a video of the new Stream on YouTube.  Check it out!