Almost new intelliFlo VS pump making a chirping noise

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S

sam2011

0
Aug 31, 2018
31
NJ
My pump is a pretty new. This is my second season with all new everything (pump, filter, liner, automation etc).

I went out today to clean the skimmer basket and heard a chriping noise and soon realized its coming from the pump. When i increase the RPM of the pump (1700s), the frequency of noise goes up and when I lower the speed it slows down (1200s). Last year it was all whisper quite and no issues.

Read: Pentiar Variable Speed pump chirping noise 3.0 HP but didnt seem to help

I'm very concerned.
Q1 :Should i stop the pump?
Q2: is there a thread to understand a step by step of how to diagnose this issue ?
 
I have a new Intelliflo VSF pump too, and I also heard a chirping noise in the first few days after starting it. I stopped the pump, de-energized it, and opened the filter vent so it could backwash a bit inside the pump. Then I removed the pump filter basket and reached my hand around near the impeller and cleaned out a little bit of gunk from when the pool guy dumped in too much stabilizer at once. I then closed it up and ran it at high speed for a few minutes. It has been at least a month since then and I haven't heard any more chirping.

Don't forget to de-energize the pump at the breaker before you stick your hands in there. :)
 
Mine wasn't quite that bad, but it was pretty similar. I imagine the sound will vary depending on what is rubbing against the impeller and how much.
 
So i cleaned the pump yesterday... there wasnt anything maybe small strand of pollen or two. i've been trying to run with a sock on skimmer to keep it clean and the noise disappeared for then.

however, when the pump started again today, it had the same noise after about an 1 or 2 hrs of running. interestingly enough, when i tried to clear the air from the filter, the noise disappared for a min and then came back.

i'm baffled what this is ...i hope not anything mechanical on such a new pump. the pump is in a covered area so it doesnt see any rain, snow etc.

Anyone other thoughts ?
 
Last edited:
This is from the update of the Youtube video that you linked above:
Pentair responds... "I watched the video and the chirping may be related to the rubber gasket behind the slinger on the motor shaft. In certain positions, at certain speeds and at certain temperatures, the rubber gasket may squeak. The fix may be as simple as pushing the gasket down onto the motor shaft, or lightly lubricating the slinger on the motor shaft. They attached a video of someone moving the gasket (just slightly) on the shaft and the noise appearing/disappearing." I shot a little WD-40 in there (on the slinger, which is a rubber disk on the motor shaft, designed to prevent water leaking from the pump from reaching the motor). The noise went away, and has not re-appeared, yet. I will likely put some silicone grease lubricant on there as well. July 20, 2013 Update: Between the WD40 and the silicone grease, the pump has been quiet for over 6 months now.
Click to expand...
Now, this isn't completely helpful as they don't tell you how actually do the disassembly. Fortunately the pump manual seems to cover this, starting around pg. 22.:
https://www.pentair.com/content/dam...ment/intelliflo-vsf/IntelliFlo_VSF_OM_Eng.pdf

This looks fairly easy for a DIYer, but I haven't tried it myself. Please let us know how it goes if you decide to give it a shot.
 
I think our Pentair Intelliflo started chirping 6 months after the pool was complete. Only did it on low speed, which is 1400 rpm for us. It has only done it off and on since then and we are now in our 7th year of ownership. It is definately annoying to know something isn't perfect (engineer brain), at the same time, I don't think it has affected the reliability of this pump one bit. Like said by others on this board, if it died today, I'd have a new one in the mail tomorrow. Love these pumps.
 
My Hayward VS pump started the same thing this morning. Got me out of bed immediately and stressed out. I contacted the pool builder since it’s still under warranty. Cleaned the basket and looked for anything abnormal. Good to know it may be a non issue. If things aren’t perfect, in my mind, it is going to explode. The weather is really the only odd thing the past few days. It is mid 90s daytime and 40s at night.
 
My IntellifFlo has been doing this chirping thing off and on for the past year. I am able to make it go away by adjusting the pump speed up and down several times. I am going to look into lubricating the slinger washer as mentioned in the previously posted youtube link.

@sam2011 - Did you ever get yours sorted out?

--Jeff
 
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If the water-slinger is the problem, you can spray some lubricant, with the straw that usually comes on the can, at the bottom of the motor. As you feel around the motor flange you will find a gap at the bottom. Its there so that you can see if the seal is leaking. You're better off using a silicone or teflon rather than WD40 in this instance. Just put the straw upwards in the gap and spray, don't disassemble your pump unless you are going to replace the seal at the same time. Reusing a seal after taking a pump apart is a good way to have a leak and ruin a motor. You should also replace the gasket at the same time if you do take it apart.

Also, check the fan at the back of the motor. Occasionally something will get stuck in it and cause a squeak or it may have been pushed against and is now rubbing in its shroud.
 
Well Hayward does have a great warranty. They are sending someone out to replace the motor. They said don’t attempt to disassemble it or the warranty could be denied. I offered to send a video of the noise and they said “no, that’s fine. Sounds like it’s a bearing. We’ll replace it after thanksgiving. If it dies completely we can bump you up in the schedule so your pool doesn’t get too dirty”
 
Just another testimonial. Installed a new Intelliflo VSP about a month ago. It started chirping yesterday. I'll try the remedies here. Bless TFP for being the source on stuff like this...
 
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