Above Ground Pool Pump Assistance

[JKainer]

I have an ~15,000 gal above ground pool (33' x 18' oval) in central Texas and have had two pumps fail in the past year or so. The first, a Hayward Power-Flow Matrix single speed model SP1593FP which lasted ~3 years before the motor died, and the second a Hayward Power-Flow Matrix dual speed model SP15932S which lasted ~1 year before the motor froze. I'm guessing part of the issue is that I don't live here full time, and the pumps have been off for 2-3 months at a time in the hot/humid Texas summers, and the shaft (and internals) may have rusted.

I have a few questions.

• Is Hayward a reliable pump?

• Is it better to replace the motor (using a repair shop), or buy a new pump?

• What pump would you suggest for this pool? I'm still leaning dual speed, but want something more reliable.

• Have I contributed to the pump failure by not running the pump for a few months at a time?

Thank

John Kainer

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Sorry that you are having so much trouble with your pool pumps. That has to be maddening.

Hayward has been around for many, many years and numerous folks here at TFP have Hayward equipment. Another very popular brand is Pentair. I cannot recall anything specific to Hayward that would suggest that they might be less reliable than any other industry standard out there. Hopefully, some of our industry people here will drop by and give their opinions on things.

With your current pump, have you checked the impeller to see if maybe it is stuck? With the power off, you should be able to turn it freely with your fingers. Sometimes, things can actually make it past the strainer basket and wedge itself under the impeller.

A dual speed pump is almost always a good idea.

I don't think that you could have caused the pump to fail by not running it for a few months. But taking into account environmental conditions, a pump could fail because it was not protected adequately from freezing temperatures. Water that is in the pump and left there to freeze could certainly cause premature failure. Another thing that is specific to places like Texas is that fire ants sure do like pool pumps. They especially like to make their houses in the motor housing of pool pumps and I know more than one fellow Texan who has replaced a motor because of this.

Keep watching this space for others to post. We have several industry experts who can go into detail a little bit more on things for you.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

What happens to the pool water during the off times?

 

[JasonLion]

The motors in almost all of the pool pumps are made by just a few companies and are all essentially the same. The pump section is usually actually made by the company whose name is on the face plate but they buy the motor from elsewhere. What you describe could have been bad luck, none of the other possibilities seem especially likely. Especially bad AC power spikes could cause the problems you describe, as could water regularly getting sprayed directly on the motor, but neither seems likely.

Leaving a pump idle for a couple of months is normal and should not cause problems.

I would get the motor replaced. The pump is probably fine.