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How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump

How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump

Langston eldred

Langston eldred et 5 autres contributeurs

Dernière mise à jour le June 9, 2024

15 minutes
Facile

Like most cats, my cat doesn’t want to drink still water. To keep the water moving, I got him a water fountain. I have noticed that the amount of water that came out of the fountain was slowly decreasing. So I decided to take a look at the pump. After taking apart the pump, I saw that the blades were covered in hair, and it was binding up and not pumping correctly.

If the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump for your pet water fountain is not working properly, follow this guide to clean the blades and get it working again. This guide is simple and safe to complete.

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  1. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump, How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 1, image 1 de 1
    • Before you begin, remove the cord from the wall adaptor. Do this by pulling down on the cord.

  2. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 2, image 1 de 1
    • Empty the fountain by dumping the water into the sink.

  3. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 3, image 1 de 3 How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 3, image 2 de 3 How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 3, image 3 de 3
    • Remove the wire attached to to the pump to free it from the fountain by unplugging the cord from the AC adapter. Then take the end of the wire and push it through the open hole.

  4. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 4, image 1 de 1
    • Remove the pump from the fountain by grabbing both sides of the pump and the basin, then pulling the pump out.

  5. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 5, image 1 de 1
    • Take your flathead screwdriver and pry along the seam of the front face plate of the pump. Once it is loosened, pull it off with your hands.

  6. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 6, image 1 de 2 How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 6, image 2 de 2
    • To remove the inside cover pull on the tab shown in the picture.

  7. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 7, image 1 de 1
    Outil utilisé dans cette étape :
    Tweezers
    $4.99
    • Using tweezers grab the blades and pull straight out.

    • This might be tricky to do, because there is a magnet that holds the blades in. It might take you a few tries to get the blades out.

  8. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 8, image 1 de 1
    • Use your hands to pull the hair off of the blades. Remove hair from around the blades too.

  9. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 9, image 1 de 1
    • Clean the pump with warm water and soap.

  10. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 10, image 1 de 1
    • Place the blades back into their location in the pump. There isn't a certain way the blades go in.

  11. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 11, image 1 de 1
    • Replace the inside cover with the tab on the right. Press it down to secure it.

  12. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 12, image 1 de 1
    • Take the front face plate and place it onto the pump. You should hear a snapping sound when face plate is fully on. The snapping sound comes from the tabs on the front face place popping back into place.

  13. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 13, image 1 de 2 How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 13, image 2 de 2
    • Place the pump back into the fountain. In the bottom of the basin there is a indent (shown in picture). This is where the pump goes.

  14. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 14, image 1 de 1
    • Feed the wire back through the channel in the side of the fountain.

    Puede ser que se queme porque la desarme y la limpie pero no entiende

    oscar lopez - Réponse

  15. How to Clean the DR-160 Submersible Water Pump: étape 15, image 1 de 1
    • Fill the fountain with water and it is ready to plug in and use.

    Thank you so much ! Id cleaned the front of the fan and it still didn’t work but I could hear life but didn’t know how to take it apart .. I was about to order a new pump at £15 when I found this guide and thought “what’s to lose ?” Worked an absolute treat !

    Georgi Honeyghan - Réponse

    Thanks much. Super easy instructions to follow and it worked.

    squeak226 - Réponse

    Perfect worked great! Thanks for the idea. I too was just about to order a replacement but this did the trick.

    Gs Gs - Réponse

    Hot dog- it worked! Many thanks 😊

    Page Feller - Réponse

    Saved having to buy another fountain!!!

    Page Feller - Réponse

    This was exactly what my pump needed. A good cleaning. Thank you so much for posting how to do accomplish this. Thank you 👍🏻

    ShawnaAz - Réponse

    Thank you. Easy instructions and my pump is working again!

    michelledoehnert - Réponse

    This didn't fix my pump (it actually was almost fully clean just a little slimy in some spots and needed a small rinse) Is there anything else I could try? Or does it just need fully replaced?

    Emily Gaston - Réponse

    Cleaned it and it still doesn't work. So bought a new one. Will keep a better eye on this next one.

    Cheryl Winner - Réponse

    Thank you cleaned it out after it stopped working n low n behold it is now working again thank u from me n 4 happy cat's 😺

    Richard Watts - Réponse

    It worked thank you this was awesome

    rubygelok@gmail.com - Réponse

    Awesome. Thanks so very much

    Angela DiZoglio - Réponse

Conclusion

After replacing the fountain cover back on top of the basin and plugging the pump back into the wall adaptor. Your pet fountain will work like new

35 autres ont terminé cette réparation.

Langston eldred

Membre depuis le 09/28/20

1 097 Réputation

1 tutoriel rédigé

Équipe

29 commentaires de tutoriel

Hi, thanks for your aid, I dismounted the device and now it’s being cleaned with a mix of vinegar and water (my problem is our water has a lot of lime). We’ll see if it works or if we have to buy a new one, but your tips have been useful.

Krusti molu - Réponse

Thank you, fantastic breakdown of the breakdown. In our case, it was not cat hair, but a sort of “slime” along the magnet part of the fan/blade spindle. This was cleaned and returned to the motor, and with a quick spin of the hand, it was moving freely again. Thank you again, and best wishes for you and your cats.

unmapforward - Réponse

awesome! i threw my first pump and just found this guide when my second pump stopped worked. After I cleaned it like you described, it now works as new! saved me some $15

Boris Key - Réponse

Thank you so much for this guide! Very helpful and my pump is now working like new

Elisha Tempest - Réponse

I love this guide. It's simple, yet thoughtfully done. The pictures are great and the instructions are easy to follow. Well done. Thank you!

Tara Turner - Réponse

Thx. Almost bought a $13 pump. Super fast fix, works like new!

Michael Winters - Réponse

Great job. Simple, clear explanations. Love your use of the red boxes. It’s pumping again! now I just have to figure out how all that cat food got in there in the first place… :-)

Blane Friest - Réponse

thanks a lot directions and picture where a big help and now it works just like new

turtel23 - Réponse

Very good post. Saved me of buying a new one.

Bernardo Munz - Réponse

Well….thank you so very much. Thought was going to have to go buy a new pump. Followed your directions, hey presto its working again. Thank you so very much..

clownaboutown - Réponse

Cleaned the pump as clean as I can get it. Plugged it in and red light still flashes. Do I need to buy a new pump?

scheck1 - Réponse

I did everything and the light is still blinking red. Do I need to buy a new pump?

Marie - Réponse

Thanks for posting! The pics and explanations are high quality and technically accurate descriptions for fixing this pump. It was gooey slime in the pump that stopped mine. I used a Q-tip to reach in with the soap and water and now the pump works like new, and the water that is being pumped now is probably much healthier for our cat. Appreciate your time and effort to post this!

Jim Sutton - Réponse

I did all that and still no pump action, red light still on

Lee Beal - Réponse

If you’re still getting a red light after cleaning the pump, there are two things you can try:

1. You can try repeatedly unplugging the usb cable from the charger, then plugging it back in. Watch the LED when unplugging—if it flashes blue very briefly while you are unplugging, the next time you plug it in it will work.

If you’ve plugged and unplugged many times and only ever gotten red, you can:

2) Try Plugging it in while it is in very hot water. I filled the fountain to just over the top of the pump with as-hot-as-possible water from the tap, then put about the same amount (so, to about halfway full) with boiling water. Plugged it in, immediate blue.

Be aware that while this hot water run seems to reset something in the pump, it won’t necessarily just work every time you plug it in. If you put cold water back in, you may get a red light again—but method 1 of plugging and unplugging has worked for me within 2-3 times after the hot water treatment.

Eric - Réponse

Thank you. This was very helpful with clear instructions.

Rahul R Verma - Réponse

Thank you. This was very helpful.

Rahul R Verma - Réponse

thanks for this, saved me from buying a new pump!

Rox Roque - Réponse

This is a fantastic instructional! I also had the slime and am happy to report that after a dissection and vinegar soak, my motor is running beautifully!

Jennyth Mozenko Peterson - Réponse

What if no light is showing?

cosmos48 - Réponse

Thank you for this guide! I have one of this pumps and clean it throughly every week. However it just stopped working after I cleaned it for the week. It is SUPER clean and still, doesn't turn on. Is there anything else to check? It has only like 9 months of use.

carolaclavo - Réponse

Huge help! Thanks for the simple and concise guide!

Nick Fredricks - Réponse

Fantastic tutorial. Saved me from buying a new pump!

Jon Atterbury - Réponse

WOW.

Your step by step guide was perfect. Fountain up and running again.

My kitty and I thank you.

Myriam - Réponse

Absoultely perfect. Every step was as described and gave me the confidence to produce a flawless result.

It's easy when you know how.

Harry Hymek - Réponse

Like Boris Key back on 2/3/21, I too, threw the first one out. I used your guide and voila! It works like a charm. I added the step of putting the tube of my canned air where the magnet that's attached to the blades goes. Thanks, Langston!

garfix - Réponse

Thanks for this guide. 😁 You know, I am a pretty handy guy and I can usually figure most things out, whether it's just cleaning and maintenance around the house or minor repairs on small electronics And I do a pretty good job.

Well I had just "finished" cleaning this pump and came and decided to look it up online as a giggle. Lol and your post reminded me to slow down because you may not know as much as you think you know. Because I had only taken the first plate off and thought that was it.... DONE! LOL thank you for the humble reminder. Keep up the good work. 👌

social detoxx - Réponse

This is a very thorough guide. Clear photos and not a single step skipped. This was an easy fix to do. My pride wants me to say I didn't need help, but the truth is I missed the step of pulling the blades off to clean them. The only thing I think was a bit unclear was the power cord. Does yours unplug at the pump? Mine is fixed to the pump. We have different fountains with the same pump.

Jssamp - Réponse

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