cracked diffuser

[mike]

Well I've been lurking here for 2 years now and so far have found an answer to every question i have had until now. My problem is with my pump a Hayward Tristar sp3215ee to be exact. It is now on its 2nd season and I have had to replace the diffuser twice. Both times the diffuser had cracked and the impeller ring was inside my impeller. I open my pool over the weekend and my pump has done it again. Any idea why my pump keeps breaking? I have emailed Hayward but have not received a response. Do diffusers break often? I am tired of replacing the same $20-30 part every couple of months. Please help.

Mike

 

[spishex]

I'd break it down to the impeller, turn the motor on, and see if the impeller is spinning in place or if it wobbles. A warped impeller or (less likely) a bent motor shaft could destroy the ring which would get jammed in place and possibly crack the diffuser.

But you say you just opened it? Any chance you left water in the impeller housing over the winter that then froze and cracked it? There's no reason the impeller ring would end up in the impeller from that, but certainly a thought.

Any small rocks around your landscaping that might be getting sucked in?

And my last thought is running the pump dry. That's normally why I see impeller rings inside impellers. Heat builds up and melts the ring, which gets sucked in.

Any of those sound likely?