There are a number of things that can cause a pump to become noisy or to stop working. Before contacting Customer Service, please go through the following troubleshooting checklist.
The AeroGarden Pump is only programmed to be on for a certain number of hours every day. To check to see if it working but just in an “off” cycle:
Classic Series: set the AeroGarden to the Salad Greens setting, where the Pump is set to run continuously. You should be able to see water flowing out of the little spouts on the rims of the holes in the Grow Surface.
Pro Series: set the AeroGarden to the Super Grow cycle by setting it to Strawberries, then pressing and holding the Select button until the Strawberries light starts blinking, then releasing it. On this setting, the pump is set to run continuously, and you should be able to see water flowing out of the little spouts on the rims of the holes in the Grow Surface.
If the Pump is not working, please proceed through the list below.
3) Is there corrosion on the Pump contacts?
To check this, unplug your AeroGarden and lift the Bowl up and out of the Base. Look at the two copper contacts on the front of the Lamp Arm and see if they are uneven or corroded.
Normal Contacts Damaged Contacts Corroded Contacts
4) Are the contacts down in the Base at the bottom of the Lamp Arm corroded?
To check these, you must remove the Lamp Arm. Unplug the AeroGarden, and push in the little tab at the bottom back of the Lamp Arm to release it and lift it up and out. Look into the Lamp Arm socket on the Base, and check to see if they are corroded. If they are, (make sure the AeroGarden is unplugged) scrape off the corrosion with the tip of a sharp knife. Reassemble the AeroGarden and plug it back in.
5) Are all the contacts good, but the Pump not running?
The Pump can sometimes stop running for the following reasons:
• It got put away between Seed Kits without having been sanitized, which means the nutrient solution dried in the Pump and caused it to seize up.
• A chunk of undissolved nutrient got drawn up into the Pump, causing it to jam.
If you have checked the contacts and the Pump is still not running, cleaning it may resolve the problem. To read how to clean the Pump, click here. To watch a video on how to clean the Pump, click here.
