Pentair Superflo Vs leaking after shaft seal replacement

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kaycee2021

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May 14, 2024
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We were having a leak, so we replaced the seal shaft. I have a brand new motor 353134s, new seal plate, and replaced the shaft seals with 354545s (from Amazon) seal. We used lubricant to set the seals in, made sure white ceramic part was touching black rubber part of the seal. The screw for the impeller is hand tight.

We checked the screws are at 80in/lb torque.

I’m still having a leak in between the motor and seal plate.

Someone PLEASE help!
 
Welcome! :wave: So first I'm going to tag @JamesW and @mas985 for whomever can confirm first, but I think you may have gotten the wrong seal. Looking at the US Seals Mfr website, the VS models take:
SuperFlo VST 17351- 0101S or PS-201 or or PS-201V-CMS PS-1908

The seal you got (354545S) seems to be for the Pinnacle®, Superflo® among other models. But before you panic, let's give one of them time to confirm.

Also, what lubricant did you use? Typically we don't use lube around shaft seals unless it's something temporary like dish washing liquid. The seal portion with the rubber gets pushed into the seal plate leaving the white ceramic facing outwards. Then the spring side of the seal goes onto the shaft with the other ceramic side facing out so that both ceramic surfaces (clean) rub against each other.

Below is a good thread as an example.

Replacing Shaft Seal on Pentair Superflo

Hi all, I am having a bit of trouble replacing the shaft seal on my Superflo. I followed a guide on YouTube for a similar pump (WhisperFlo), but it seems the instructions are a little different and I became a little lost and my existing shalf seal fell out before I could note it's orientation...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
kaycee2021 said:
We were having a leak, so we replaced the seal shaft. I have a brand new motor 353134s, new seal plate, and replaced the shaft seals with 354545s (from Amazon) seal. We used lubricant to set the seals in, made sure white ceramic part was touching black rubber part of the seal.
Click to expand...
The white ceramic surface should not be touching anything that is rubber. It should be mated with the hard carbon surface.
 
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Texas Splash said:
Welcome! :wave: So first I'm going to tag @JamesW and @mas985 for whomever can confirm first, but I think you may have gotten the wrong seal. Looking at the US Seals Mfr website, the VS models take:
SuperFlo VST 17351- 0101S or PS-201 or or PS-201V-CMS PS-1908

The seal you got (354545S) seems to be for the Pinnacle®, Superflo® among other models. But before you panic, let's give one of them time to confirm.

Also, what lubricant did you use? Typically we don't use lube around shaft seals unless it's something temporary like dish washing liquid. The seal portion with the rubber gets pushed into the seal plate leaving the white ceramic facing outwards. Then the spring side of the seal goes onto the shaft with the other ceramic side facing out so that both ceramic surfaces (clean) rub against each other.

Below is a good thread as an example.

Replacing Shaft Seal on Pentair Superflo

Hi all, I am having a bit of trouble replacing the shaft seal on my Superflo. I followed a guide on YouTube for a similar pump (WhisperFlo), but it seems the instructions are a little different and I became a little lost and my existing shalf seal fell out before I could note it's orientation...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Hi thank you for responding! I’m using a a little of the lubricant-sealant to sit the seal into the seal plate And for the o rings. It’s named “ lubricating oil by Lar-Pro”, do you think I should’ve just used a sealant?
 
kaycee2021 said:
do you think I should’ve just used a sealant?
Click to expand...
We just want to make sure we understand what was used overall. For the metal cup portion that was pressed into the seal plate hole, some people might use silicone or even an aquarium sealant on the metal cup part. Only a very thin even layer is required as this can help with installation and sealing when pressing it tightly into the seal plate hole. On the other half of the shaft seal, the part that goes on the impeller shaft, you should only use seal lube or dish soap. Does that match-up to what you did/used?
 
Oh I see. I used the “lubricating oil” the way you described for both. Perhaps I should clean it off and apply a little of the sealant instead?
 

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You want to make sure that there is absolutely nothing on the white ceramic and carbon surfaces.

The problem with using lube when installing a seal is that it has a tendency to get on the mating surface so use sparingly.
 
kaycee2021 said:
Perhaps I should clean it off and apply a little of the sealant instead?
Click to expand...
You certainly can. Once you have both halves of the seals in place, to be safe, rub the ceramic sides that will face each other with some rubbing alcohol to be sure they are pristine-clean.
 
Texas Splash said:
Kaycee, please confirm if you have the Pinnacle Superflo or the Superflo VST. They have slightly different shaft seals.

View attachment 573190
Click to expand...

Just so we are on the same page.

There are 3 different pumps referenced here. Pentair pinnacle, Pentair Superflo VSP, and Pentair Superflo VST.

The 354545S is the Pentair part number. The other three numbers are for the varying type of seal available from US Seal.

There is also a different seal depending on the year...and I was Texas Splashed...

Here is a good video on how to replace the shaft seal on a superflo VSP (NOT VST)...which is what I think you have....

 
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kaycee2021 said:
I did order the 17351-0101s and it doesn’t fit. It’s too big for the seal plate.
Click to expand...
Then it sounds like you installed the correct shaft seal. Perhaps now it's just a matter of cleaning things up based on the notes above. If you still experience leaking after cleaning the ceramic, review the video above to ensure you didn't miss something. If not, then we may have to look at a couple other possibilities such as is the seal plate itself to see if it was somehow damaged, or if the water leak perhaps not from the shaft seal area at all but from the seal plate/gasket instead? Just thinking ahead. Let us know how it goes.
 
I have the same pump. My seal went bad. I ordered and installed the PS-200, which is the same seal material as the 354545S. It was right seal, but the sealing surfaces did not hold water.

I bit the bullet and spent the extra $$ to get the US Seal, PS-1901 which has the silica carbide ring and seat, and 316 Stainless. Worked first time and has been in service 3 years without issue.

When I rebuild again, I will go directly to the PS-1901, even though it is $50 more than the PS-200.
 
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PoolStored said:
I have the same pump. My seal went bad. I ordered and installed the PS-200, which is the same seal material as the 354545S. It was right seal, but the sealing surfaces did not hold water.

I bit the bullet and spent the extra $$ to get the US Seal, PS-1901 which has the silica carbide ring and seat, and 316 Stainless. Worked first time and has been in service 3 years without issue.

When I rebuild again, I will go directly to the PS-1901, even though it is $50 more than the PS-200.
Click to expand...
This is good to know!! Thank you so much!
 
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