Help with Leaking Pump

[thelma]

I have a small leak in my pump. It's a Starite 1 HP (JWP A5E7L-2A1)

The leak is at the bottom of the front plate assembly between that and the seal plate. It seems to be coming out of the vented area or where the two meet. I can't pin-point it exactly.

When I contacted Starite, they said I might need a new pump seal. I looked at my parts list and the only thing I see is a seal plate. Is that the same thing? Is it the whole part with the outlet or is it something inside the seal plate? I have no idea what to order.

I have directions in my manual on how to replace the seal, but even that doesn't refer to it as a seal plate. Just a seal. I'm confused on exactly what part I need. HELP!

Thanks,

Thelma

 

[waste]

Thelma, welcome to TFP!!

The part you most probably need is the 'shaft seal assembly'. It's a 2 part seal with one part going into the seal plate and the other on the impeller shaft. If you have the part # (I don't, they make a couple of different seal assemblies and I'm not sure which one is the right one for your pump) and the instructions it should be an easy fix and solve your problem. If you get to doing it and need a little help, we'll be here 8)

 

[thelma]

Hi Waste.....Thanks for the response.

This is a link to owners manual for my pump.

http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/JWPOM.pdf

Page 13 shows the pump diagram and parts list. My parts are in the center column. I don't know what part(s) to buy to fix it though. It lists a shaft seal (8) and a seal plate (6). On page 10 it has instructions (with bad pictures) on how to replace a pump seal, but on the parts list I don't see pump seal anywhere. The sta-rite person said he thought was a pump seal and then disappeared and hasn't gotten back to me when I had this question.

I'm praying it's not the entire seal plate I have to replace because that means I have to re-do the plumbing to my filter and I'm a little nervous about doing that myself.

Thanks again for your help!

Thelma

 

[Poolsean]

You're only going to need the shaft seal, not the seal plate. The seal plate hardly goes bad...so that should be some relief for you.
Make sure that if you're doing the repair work, make note of the exact position of the three pieces on the old shaft seal and put the new one in the same way.
There's a ceramic disc, spring, and a rubber seal. Again, make note of the order and direction they come out. Better yet, take a digital photo.

If they don't go back in the same way, it will leak.

Look at the condition of the Seal Plate o-ring (#7) and diffuser gasket (#18) and replace also, if they appear worn.

Final suggestion, the water slinger (#2) is a protective washer device that blocks leaking water from entering and damaging your motor in the event of a leak.
Worth the money.

Good Luck.

 

[thelma]

Sean,
Thank you so much for your detailed response. Why couldn't the good people at Sta-Rite have given me this answer. Or better yet, why didn't I post it here first (I ask rhetorically).

I'm ordering the parts this evening. After that, I have to decide if I'm confident enough to do the repair myself or have someone else do it. If I decide to take the plunge, I'll make sure to post here and ask for guidance and support.

Thanks again,

Thelma

 

[thelma]

Re: Help with Leaking Pump (Success!)

Hello again Sean,
My leak is fixed! So far everything is dry. I ordered the parts you suggested and decided to replace them all just in case. Not to mention, when I opened the pump, I couldn't tell which part(s) had failed.

I wasn't planning on doing the work myself, but I had a heck of a time finding someone where I live who repairs pumps. The person I finally found called me back literally as I was re-attaching the pump. Too bad he's out $100 or so.

Thanks again for your help. The contributors on this forum are amazing!

Thelma