Replace Pump or Impeller

[jduong916]

I had a DIY skimmer with a bubble blaster 5000 pump. I was moving to a new home and left the old tank at my mothers for a few months. A piece of acrylic fell in the sump and blocked the inlet for a few days. Now, if anything just barely obstructs the inlet the pump will stall. Also the suction at the inlet has dimished substantially. Could this be an impeller issue or a pump failure? I'm leaning toward failure as I had the inlet almost completely blocked for a few days, but the impeller looks fine.

Also, I'd just like to know how can you tell if you have an impeller failure or pump failure. Can an impeller fail with no visible signs of damage.

 

[cracker]

Iv'e had pumps die on me with no visual damage. Perhaps the blocked inlet caused the pump to over heat& burn up ?