Pentair Intelliflo VS (WhisperFlo) whining noise

[meepool]

See video here:

The whine started in the past few weeks. It originally was just the pump primed/turned on - but has now become somewhat constant. This is a pretty annoying noise/can be heard by the pool and my neighbors so I'd like to address it. Any thoughts on how best to debug this/fix it?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mee,

I can't tell what the noise from the video, but in general there are two things that can cause running noise.

The easy one is the fan end of the motor. The fan sucks air in the back and this can also suck up a leaf or plastic or ??? This can cause the fan blade to make the noise.

The other item is the motor bearings, which is not quite as easy a fix.

Does the pump leak any water out the bottom where the the motor and the pump attach??

How old is the pump??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[meepool]

Thanks Jim - it's a very high pitched noise, so not sure how well it comes through for folks on their computer. It doesn't seem to be coming from the Fan side, and instead from the housing side where the motor and impeller connect? My guess is it's a rock or leaf that got through the filter somehow and is just properly placed - it goes away at times and then comes back.

There is no leak under the pump/near the bearing.

The pump is...old? From what I can tell, it may be the original that was installed way back in 2004, but I'm not sure. Is there a way to tell? We bought the house in 2021, and this is our first real season using/maintaining the pool - so still learning.

 

[Jimrahbe]

mee,

With the power to the pump off... remove the pump lid and feel inside where the impeller is.. See if you can feel anything and see how easy it is to turn the impeller.

Should be a S/N label on the pump (not the motor) which may have a Mfg date on it.

That said, a 20 year old pump would have paid for itself by now...

Thanks,

Jim R.