Pump is rattling

[jellyfish]

My pump has started making a rattling noise. It sounds like it's shaking dice.
After a couple of weeks of a low rattling noise, today it turned the volume to 11.

I'm afraid the pump is going to die. Should I try to open the plumbing and free whatever is stuck in there, or is this 'cavitation', or is this beyond DIY?


My pool has been trouble free for 6 years, and EVERYTHING is going wrong this season. I got a crack in a union (replaced it), a crack in my Hayward chlorinator (ordered a Pentair Rainbow to replace it), my electric pump timer blew, now I have to manually turn it on and off each day until I can get an electrician to fix it, my CYA went from it's traditional 50-80 to WAY past the limit of my TFP testkit to measure it, at least 150, and now the pump is making a death rattle. Sometimes when it rains it pours...

 

[JohnT]

Is it the pump or the filter? Often filters will rattle when they have air in them.

 

[jellyfish]

Definitely the pump. I stuck my head in between the pump and the filter to be sure where it was coming from.


Oh, I forgot in my sad saga, my multiport dumped a few feet of water out the backwash port until I got home and shut it off. I replaced the spider (wagon-wheel) gasket to fix it. All in the same month...

 

[PoolOwnerNumber9]

How old is the pump?
Is it running really hot?

Without knowing what exactly is causing the rattle, it is hard to know what to do. Turn off the pump, remove the pump lid, remove the pump basket and stick your finger into the hole to feel the impeller. Feel if it is clogged, and if it spins easily. Be extra sure that the pump can't turn on while you are working by also turning off the breaker to the pump. You can also use an ammeter to measure the current draw of the pump in Amps, and compare that to the amp rating on the motor label. If your pump is over 5 to 10 years old, it probably needs to be replaced. Most likely, the bearings are going bad and starting to disintegrate. Bearings can be replaced at a motor shop, but it is rarely worthwhile to do so. It's usually best to replace the motor or the whole pump.