Pump is becoming louder during operation - new motor?

[AussieLady]

I have a Pentair WF-28 WhisperFlo Pump that is about 3 1/2 years old. My "spa-pool" is an in-ground spa of approximately 1200 gallons. Lately the pump, housed in a pool shed about 50 feet from the "spa-ool", seems to be much louder than previous, and even the waterfall doesn't drown out the noise. Obviously I will need to consider replacing it, but I have two questions.

The first is whether anyone knows about how long I might have before it dies? I know that none of us has a crystal ball, but as this is my first pool pump, I'm just wondering whether it will operate for another few months, years, or whatever, once it starts making the louder noise? Husband thinks it's the bearings. Will the pump give me some sort of indication/warning that it's about to quit, or will it just stop altogether out of the blue?

My second question is whether I can just replace the motor part of the pump? Husband thinks this should be possible. Does anyone know? And if I can just replace the motor, do I get a pool service to do this repair, or an electrician?

Photos of "labels" on Pentair pump, and pump area attached in case they are of help in answering my questions above.

Thanks so much as always!

 

[hoosierrun]

You should be able to replace just the motor and, really, it's probably just the bearings that need to be replaced. Check the pump impeller to make sure it moves easily.

IMHO, if you can do some things yourself (handy, safe, and have the tools), it's worth disecting and replacing the bad part. If you are going to call for service, just replace the pump/motor. Service calls are so very expensive and sometimes it provides piece of mind to not have to worry about it for the next few years.

The other part of me says.... that is a good brand and quality motor and I would replace the bearings if that is the problem.

 

[jblizzle]

Is the area around the pump wet? If the shaft seal starts leaking, that can lead to the bearings going bad (although I am not sure how easy they are to replace).

You can certainly replace just the motor. And when you do, you should get a 2-speed motor. You can save a lot of electricity by running on low speed when you do not need the high flow for the spa or waterfall. Note that the 2-speeds motors are 230V, so if you are currently wired for 115V (doubtful) then you would have to change the power source.

 

[Smykowski]

Ease of bearings depends on how comfortable you are with DIY projects. I would consider myself above average, and I bumbled my way through it in about 3 hours. If you're anything above a beginner, it's well within the realm of doable.

Google "pool pump bearing repair" and you'll find plenty of videos. You can also find the bearings for less than $20 a pair if you do a little online searching.

 

[AussieLady]

Thanks to all of you for the quick responses and great information. I'm something of a DIY'er and husband was an electronics maintenance engineer at the USPS so perhaps between the two of us, we could actually replace the bearings ourselves. I'll do as suggested and google for a video so I can assess whether I think it's within our capabilities. And no, there isn't any water under the pump so I don't think anything is leaking. The pump is just making more noise than it used to, so hopefully bearings are all that are the problem.

Best regards to all and thanks again. I just love this forum.
SANDI

 

[Smykowski]

Good luck, and post back if you have more questions. Even if you don't have questions, post back when you're all done and let us know how it went.

 

[duraleigh]

One cautionary thought....Pump running, is the pump basket full of water or can you see air in it, too?

If you see any air, the noise in the pump could be from that and the fix is completely unrelated to the pump.