Pentair Whisperflow seal replacement How-to (w/ photos)

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When you get ready to install the bearing, heat the motor faceplate to 250-300 degrees for an hour. You could try it cooler and work up, but that temp shouldn't bother it. Before you heat the plate, put the bearing in a ziplock bag and freeze for 3 hours or so in a good freezer. Coat the bearing in some oil and see if the cold bearing goes in the hot housing. That's how I would try it.
 
That was going to be my approach if I couldn't get a bearing the fits snugly. I just have a hard time believing it is that complicated. And for such small parts, I'm not sure how much thermal expansion/contraction will get me. Once I measure the fit, I should be able to calculate the growth difference for that temperature range. The big advantage is the heat - freezing temps aren't that many degrees difference from ambient, so I doubt the diameter of the bearing would change by a measurable amount.
 
wbnethery3 said:
That was going to be my approach if I couldn't get a bearing the fits snugly. I just have a hard time believing it is that complicated. And for such small parts, I'm not sure how much thermal expansion/contraction will get me. Once I measure the fit, I should be able to calculate the growth difference for that temperature range. The big advantage is the heat - freezing temps aren't that many degrees difference from ambient, so I doubt the diameter of the bearing would change by a measurable amount.
Click to expand...

Respectfully Disagree.

I've done quite a bit of stuff like this. If you can, you want to work both directions at the same time all the better, ie expand one and contract the other. Every little bit helps.
 
Apologies about the bad link.... it was a simply mistake, typing in haste I transposed two letters in the URL. Was supposed to be a link to a bearing supply company. I'll PM with the correct address. Don't want to leave a bread crumb trail for others to follow. If you're a frequent participant in web forums, you should understand that honest mistakes (and typos) do occasionally happen. Hope you will forgive the mistake.
 
Installed the new bearings tonight. Used the technique described above - slow roasted the pump end motor faceplate at 300 deg. for about an hour. Mounted the new bearing on the shaft, then slipped it right in. I had been advised to use dry ice on the bearing, but when I tried it with the old one as a test, it didn't shrink enough to fit (even with the hot faceplate). Not sure, but I suppose it may have some buildup of corrosion products left on the outer race. Whatever the case, thanks for the tip on using the oven.

Reassembled the motor and ran it without the pump and it sounded good, but still seems to find a harmonic where it vibrates about 3 seconds out of every 10. Hoping that is because the bearings have no thrust load yet, and when they do it will stop that. Planning on putting the pump back together tomorrow and see how it does under load.
 
wbnethery3 said:
... The only way I could get it out was to put a 1/2" - 20 nut on the threads that the impeller attaches to and pound it out with a hammer (the nut is just to keep from damaging the motor shaft with the hammer). Here's the setup I used (except the nut). It took soaking in PB Blaster for an hour and 3 or 4 good whacks to get the outer race to turn loose and drop the rotor.
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WARNING: Don't do it this way... I bent the shaft of the motor on the threaded end and am now going to have to replace the whole thing....the vibes I hear when I ran it were obviously due to that. Didn't realize it until I had mounted the impeller, at which point it was clearly out of alignment with the faceplate... :grrrr:
 
So just to close out my contributions to this thread, here's a video of the new pump motor installed.... much quieter in person than the video. No more pulsating noise. Definitely the bearings. Just wish I had known how to get the bearings out without damaging the motor shaft.... it was fun trying this repair, I recommend it to anyone who's considering it. Just realize that there isn't normally a hammer involved...

[youtube:g9vfz2ei]sY0G-MIUEd8[/youtube:g9vfz2ei]

Good luck!
 
Hello,

I am brand new to this site. We have had our pool for eight years and the pump just started dripping slowly. I am guessing it is the seal. I cannot open up the photos described inthe wonderful article. Is there a way to look at the photos? Thanks gc
 

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Great topic!
I am having problems getting the impeller off. I removed the left hand screwed lock screw. I removed the cover on the motor so I can use a 1/2" wrench to hold the shaft. But I can get the impeller off. Could I use a pipe wrench on the impeller? I am afraid of breaking the impeller.
Thanks for the help!
 
Praterma2 said:
Great topic!
I am having problems getting the impeller off. I removed the left hand screwed lock screw. I removed the cover on the motor so I can use a 1/2" wrench to hold the shaft. But I can get the impeller off. Could I use a pipe wrench on the impeller? I am afraid of breaking the impeller.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Try a strap wrench.
 
I realize this is an old post, and I'm not trying to revive it, but I do want to thank all who posted in this thread. Had a leak and this was a very valuable thread for me and my repair. I really appreciated the pictures as my impeller plate was stubbornly stuck, but the the picture showing the vice-grip pliers (and a lot of patience) was the key that allowed me to fix my pump. Thank you TFP!
 
Just wanted to say thanks for this!!! I just opened and noticed a small stream of water shoot out of the side of my pump. I tightened the 4 bolts and it seamed to stop... Going to keep my eye on it and if I see another drop, or a damp equipment pad... I can follow you steps.

Thank you
 
Hi, I'm registered, but I can't see the pictures... Is it BC the post is so old? Or?
Anyhow, I'm attempting to replace my shaft seal, & I'm not sure where the small (approx1") o-rings go?? Pictures would help me tremendously!!
This is a very informative post!! Thanks to the OP :)
 

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