Pool pump with huge leak, salt corrosion, unknown quality - replacement?

[lovetorenovate]

I've got a 15x30 pool, 3' to 8' approximately. I've owned the house/pool for about 18 months. When we bought the pool was filled with mud and debris and had to be resurfaced. The equipment was in relatively good shape. A neighbor had replace the pump at some point during the year the house sat vacant on the market. It's not a two speed pump and I do have pretty high electric bills - although that's in large part due to my AC (and we just replaced all the windows last week - which should help).

We've got a full service pool company and we live out of state. The guys were just here Friday - and this morning - Sunday - I find a pretty dramatic leak from the pump, and all this corrosion on the side - so it appears this is not a fresh leak at all. They had put a timer on my water hose (which also leaked) - a few months ago - which seemed surprising to me given all the rain here. So it's been leaking for a while. I think I just need a new pump at this point - based on the apparent damage to the exterior and the likelihood that the cheapest possible pump was put on by the neighbor. What do you recommend? Is it something I can change myself - I'm pretty handy. And would like it fixed asap.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi,
If you're handy, changing a pump is easy. You'll probably have to do some PVC work to fit it to the new pump. You can most likely use the existing wire and conduit. Just connect the wires from the timer or breaker or disconnect to the new motor.

A good option to the single speed pump is a 2 speed one. You can save a siginificant amount of electrity by running low speed most of the time. In most cases, low speed is still plenty for sufficient skimming and circulation. As a note, most 2 speed pumps offer a couple options for switching speeds. A built in switch on back of the motor, or a set of terminals so that you can locate the speed switch at a more convenient location, such as on a wall. So, determine which suits you best, and order the pump accordingly.