Pump leaking at seal

[rocks911]

My 2 1/2 HP pool pump is leaking.

I took apart the seal and cleaned everything, it appeared as though the electric motor housing and the water pump were not exactly in-line. Doesnt the seal kinda bring them in-line? Should I maybe loosen the pump to concrete mounting bolts while loosening the seal then tighten everything up? Do these get off after time?

The seal is just metal, there wasnt an O ring or anything, just the metal ring with the handle to tighten.

Why do these just start leaking?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Just a little clarification
When you just say seal most of us immediately think shaft seal. What you've described is the casing seal, which most of us just call the casing gasket or o-ring.

Having that out of the way. There should be an o-ring between the casing halves that gets squished when you tighten the band. You may need to remove the band and inspect it to make sure it's there and in good shape. I'd suggest just replacing it since it's already leaking.

 

[rocks911]

Just a little clarification
When you just say seal most of us immediately think shaft seal. What you've described is the casing seal, which most of us just call the casing gasket or o-ring.

Having that out of the way. There should be an o-ring between the casing halves that gets squished when you tighten the band. You may need to remove the band and inspect it to make sure it's there and in good shape. I'd suggest just replacing it since it's already leaking.

Gotcha, thanks.

I took the clamp off but couldnt really see the face of either casing half. Do I loosen the pump base, or remove the bolts entirely that keep the base secure to the concrete pad to be able to access the O ring?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You'll most likely have to remove the mounting bolts completely in order to slide the motor end back to be able to see the o-ring surfaces.

 

[bignick]

You didn't mention what brand of pump you have, so I don't know if my situation is the same as yours, but my Sta-Rite pump has the stainless steel band also. The motor itself is not attached to the base; the band is the only thing keeping it attached. The base is screwed to the ground and the wet end of the pump is attached to the base with two screws. To get the motor off, you remove the band completely and tap the side of the motor with your fist or rubber mallet to loosen it from the wet end. There should be a large rubber o-ring in there which probably needs to be replaced. There is a groove for the o-ring to sit. Lube up the new o-ring with the correct lube and the lube will hold it in the groove as you mate the motor back up to it. While you tighten up the band, tap it all the way around with the rubber mallet to help it seat.

 

[rocks911]

You didn't mention what brand of pump you have, so I don't know if my situation is the same as yours, but my Sta-Rite pump has the stainless steel band also. The motor itself is not attached to the base; the band is the only thing keeping it attached.

Thanks for this reply, you're absolutely right. The pump is so old that the tag is unreadable. Luckily it is stamped in metal. Its a Sta-Rite Max-E Glas II (I think thats correct, what weird names) Whatever it is I'll never want anything else. I purchased my home 5 years ago as a foreclosure and its given me no problems in that time and the thing looked pretty old when I got the house. I've read lots of stories on forums of pumps going out after a few seasons. This thing just keeps on ticking. I wouldnt have had any problems but I let it nearly freeze and when I turned the power on it blew the seal.

I'm quite impressed with the pump. As a matter of fact when it finally does give out I'll be looking for the exact motor if I can find one by then.

 

[rocks911]

Well I managed to get the pump apart, no biggie at all, and installed a new diffuser O Ring and Seal Plate O Ring (unfortunately the Seal Plate O Ring that was sent was the wrong one) but the pump still leaks. Apparently I need to order a rebuild set of O Rings.
I reassembled the pump and ran it and while it did prime and water was flowing into the pool it was running louder than it had previously. In looking for parts I discovered the pump was obsolete.

So now I'm thinking about just purchasing a new pump, something like this:
http://www.poolplaza.com/P-STA-10-311-P.html

Which is the new version of what I had. The old pump gave such good service that I dare not change manufacturers. I am wondering about maybe a more efficient pump (as my summer electric bills can get ridiculous) but dont know that much about the topic. The primary consideration for me is reliability, above everything else.

My pool is somewhere in the 15,000 gallon area and the pump is located at grade level so not a lot of lift (the deepest end is about 6 foot deep) to be worried about.

Any thoughts?
Are there questions I've not considered?

 

[bignick]

Unless you have a need to replace the wet end of the pump, I would just replace the motor. Then you also wouldn't have to mess with the plumbing. You should also use a 2-speed motor, if you can. I did this exact thing on my Max-E-Pro a couple months ago and running it on low speed has already lowered my electricity bill by $60/month. I have solar heat, so I'll probably have to run it on high speed in the summer, but I'll still save $ in the non-summer months. The trick to finding a suitable replacement motor is matching up the total horsepower, flange type and frame size. The total horsepower is a combination of the rated horsepower times the service factor. Can you read this on the nameplate? Service factor might be abbreviated with "SF". I've downloaded the manual for the Max-E-Glas II and your motor is a Sta-Rite #AE100G5LL (48Y frame size with square flange). This cross references to an A.O. Smith #USQ1252. A.O. Smith makes a #SQS1202R (2.6hp) and a #UQS1202R (2.2hp) which might work. Something you might also research...I found a Sta-Rite #AE100G5LL-Y which seems to be a two-speed motor (notice the "Y" at the end). I couldn't find any specs on the total HP, but it's almost the same part # as your stock motor, so it makes me wonder if it's a perfect match. Heck...it could be one of the A.O. Smith models above relabeled. To replace the motor, you would also need a new seal and the two o-rings which you just bought. The manual tells you the how to replace the motor and seal; also check out youtube videos. The electrical connection of a two-speed pump will vary depending on your controls, so if get us more info, we can help with that.