Leaky Pump? Any Guesses?

[mickey4paws]

We have a Hayward one speed 1 hp pump. A few years ago it had died so the PB had replaced the motor with an AO Smith one. Things have been running along fine the past few years.

Today I noticed that the pad under the pump has some wet moisture. It looks like it's under the motor part, and not where the basket is. I know I'm probably making a bigger deal about this than it warrants, but I can't tell if this is a small leak, or just moisture. But my filter and my heater don't have the moisture around them. We've had a very dry summer here and so have had to add water more frequently than normal but don't have to add that much, maybe 1/2 inch every few days. I just wonder if maybe there's something on the pump that needs tightening? I've already checked the knobs for the plastic cover over the basket, and they seem plenty tight.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate it.

Here's a couple pics:

 

[pyrotiger]

It looks like you need to replace the pump seal. That is an usual symptom of a warped pump seal. What usually causes this is the pump is allowed to be running dry thus building temperature inside the housing or the motor is overheating.

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[pyrotiger]

You can look underneath and see if it's leaking through the vents

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[mickey4paws]

Pyrotiger, thanks so much. We were having a problem with the weir door getting stuck when the pump would turn on first thing in the morning. When we discovered this, we replaced the weir, but when we were having the problem, we had to be out there when the pump would turn on so we could stick a pole in the skimmer so the weir door would stay open, or we would start losing prime. I wonder if this like you said about pump running dry.

I am assuming this pump seal replacement is something not easy like an o-ring, and needs someone that knows what there doing (definitely not me). I'm going to call my PB and have him do it since there's a couple other things we need him to do while he's out here.

Is this something that should be done right away? Or could it wait a couple weeks? I don't want to be hurting the pump while this is going on, but sometimes it takes a bit to get my PB out.

 

[pyrotiger]

The pump seal should be addressed ASAP as you're going to continue losing water until its replaced. Though it is something that can wait until your PB is able to come out. As far as the wier getting stuck in the past, it's a potential factor if the pump was allowed to run dry as a result(lost prime) in the past as well as low levels of water

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[mickey4paws]

The pump seal should be addressed ASAP as you're going to continue losing water until its replaced. Though it is something that can wait until your PB is able to come out. As far as the wier getting stuck in the past, it's a potential factor if the pump was allowed to run dry as a result(lost prime) in the past as well as low levels of water

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Just put in a voice message to my PB. Hopefully he can get out here this coming week. Thanks again, Pyrotiger, I really appreciate it.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

You can also wait until it's dry and then fire it up and try to pinpoint where the leak is coming from. Most likely it is the seal and you want to remedy that before water makes it into the front motor bearing and damages it.

Show and tell - - > Google

 

[mickey4paws]

You can also wait until it's dry and then fire it up and try to pinpoint where the leak is coming from. Most likely it is the seal and you want to remedy that before water makes it into the front motor bearing and damages it.

Show and tell - - > Google

Thanks, Kiss4aFrog, I appreciate your reply. Funny, I came across that video last night, watched it, and thought no way in the world could I ever do something like that. I did replace the timer motor in my Intermatic time clock, but that is as far as my competence goes. Unfortunately I didn't see your reply till this morning after the pump had already started. But I still went out to look at it. I think it did rain here last night, but not sure. There was a lot of moisture on the grass, etc. I looked at the pump, and although the pad had wetness around the pump, it seemed much less than yesterday. Or maybe that's because the pump was off all night and the area had dried up?

I guess I"ll keep trying to get the PB out soon. I thought about waiting till we close for the season but that's about a month away. My PB is very competent, but also always really busy. One good thing is my weir door change seems to be working, although I only changed it 2 days ago.

 

[mickey4paws]

Update: Well it seems I have a crack in my pump housing. My PB asked me if I had noticed any bubbles or a lot of bubbles coming from the skimmer return line. I actually had noticed more but just thought the SWG was working harder. So I turned off the SWG but kept seeing bubbles coming out of the skimmer return. So I guess it makes sense that the cracked housing would cause this?

He said at this point it's not that bad, I could probably wait till early spring. We're closing the pool around September 20th. The pump is a Hayward 1 hp Super Pump that was there when we moved into the house back in 2003. My PB replaced the motor approximately 5 years ago. The price for the part for the housing is about $150, or I could buy a new pump (same one) for about $350. Any advice on which way to go? Does anyone know if they build the pumps the same, or do they use cheaper parts now? I know the warranty is only 1 year for new pump.

 

[pyrotiger]

I would go with a different pump altogether. It is high time that the pump be replaced with a new one. I would need more info, such as pool size and overall plumbing set up. So if u can take a wide pan picture of the pad area and the pool. Then I could recommend a correct pump

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[mickey4paws]

I would go with a different pump altogether. It is high time that the pump be replaced with a new one. I would need more info, such as pool size and overall plumbing set up. So if u can take a wide pan picture of the pad area and the pool. Then I could recommend a correct pump

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Thanks, Pyrotiger, I appreciate it. I actually do have a pic of all my equipment but it's on my home PC, so I'll upload it later. The pool is a 20,000 gallon inground vinyl lined. It's got 2 returns, 1 skimmer, and 1 main drain. It's approximately 12 feet wide and about 39 feet long. It's a narrow, long pool which is great for swimming laps.

 

[pyrotiger]

Ok based on that info, I would recommend installing a pentair Superflo variable speed pump, or a Hayward TriStar variable speed pump. The biggest benefit to having a variable speed pump is that it will cut ur energy costs dramatically. The TriStar VS pump is a direct upgrade for your current system. I personally prefer Pentair pumps, more durable design.

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[mickey4paws]

Thanks, Pyrotiger, I really appreciate it. Yeah, I definitely want a new pump. No sense in putting money into an old pump and then have something else go wrong. Does it matter that I have a SWG as far as variable speed? Another question is that we live in a very wooded area and get a lot of junk in the pool. Will the lower speed be enough to push the junk to the skimmer?

My biggest problem right now is my PB's daughter is very pregnant and due soon (she lives in another state), so he's running around trying to get done as much as possible before he leaves. I'm hoping he can fit us in. We close around Sept 20. Otherwise we'll have to wait for early spring. I know I could try to find someone else I suppose, but we've used this guy for 15 years and I really trust him.

Here's a pic of the equipment pad. Well that picture didn't work so good since the pump is between the filter and the heater. The area for the equipment is not that big so he had to put everything on the opposite side in order to make things logistically work.

 

[mickey4paws]

and here's a pic of the pool. Nothing fancy but I really enjoy it. We have since replaced the wood chips with grass. I kind of wish we didn't because there's all these small grasshoppers that get in the pool and swim around, or at least they look like small grasshoppers. As you can see, we have lots of trees. They look nice but make a mess in the pool, especially the cottonwoods nearby.

You can probably notice the bow in the wall. The hill was starting to erode making the cement on the far side of the pool start to sink, so we had to hire a company to raise the cement. They didn't do a terrific job but it is what it is. Building a pool on a hill is not a great idea, but the pool was already there when we got the house.

 

[pyrotiger]

Having a swg has no impact, and that pump will have the option to adjust speeds from low to high, low to maintain circulation while keeping energy costs down, high for a few hours to help with turnover rate and catch debris. As far as the original pump picture shows, you will have room for the new pump.

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[mickey4paws]

Thanks, Pyrotiger! That sounds great, especially the savings on electric. We run the pump 9 hours a day and it's been pretty costly this year. I'm definitely going to check out the pumps you suggested. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

 

[pyrotiger]

No problem! I'm sure your PB will be thrilled to install a smart pump for you

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk