Band Clamp wits end. *Solved*

[Chappie]

I had a small leak as evidenced by moisture forming at the base of my pump motor, so I replaced all of the gaskets and the shaft seal (Pentair Challenger). I have reassembled it several times because of a steady leak from the housing and seal plate. No amount of tightening the band clamp seems to affect the leak, and at this point I feel like I'm closer to bending the metal of the clamp than tightening the housing any further. I have tried the rubber mallet trick, I have re-lubed the main gasket that goes between the housing and the seal plate. That gasket is the square one, not the round one. I don't see any cracks in the housing or seal plate. At this point the leak is far worse than it was, and my back is killing me. Is there anything to try other than a new band clamp? The current one appears fine by the way.

Edit: here's a picture of it when running. You can see a big drip where the motor meets the seal plate, and a stream that is coming from behind the bolt. I suppose you can also see quite a bit of corrosion from being outside in South Louisiana weather (96% humidity year round):

 

[JamesW]

Replaced a leaky housing, now no suction at all

I dealt with some air leaks in the union on top of my impeller housing for much of last year. I had regular priming issues, but got to where I had it pretty much under control. About 2 weeks ago, the priming issues returned and would not go away. I ordered new parts to replace the union, and...

www.troublefreepool.com

Pump Leaking AGAIN.

In March I replaced a 4 month old pump motor, that wasn't under warranty because of water damage. I had noticed a leak from the same place that my new one has now started leaking from (see the picture), but it was a slow leak and I didn't think it would really have anything to do with the...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Chappie]

Replaced a leaky housing, now no suction at all

I dealt with some air leaks in the union on top of my impeller housing for much of last year. I had regular priming issues, but got to where I had it pretty much under control. About 2 weeks ago, the priming issues returned and would not go away. I ordered new parts to replace the union, and...

www.troublefreepool.com

Pump Leaking AGAIN.

In March I replaced a 4 month old pump motor, that wasn't under warranty because of water damage. I had noticed a leak from the same place that my new one has now started leaking from (see the picture), but it was a slow leak and I didn't think it would really have anything to do with the...

www.troublefreepool.com

Yes, I have had a lot of problems with this pool since we bought the house. Those problems were ultimately resolved, and now I'm on to the next one.

 

[InyoRich]

+1 on the lubricant, but have you replaced the gasket/o-ring? They can compress over time and can be tricky to reuse after they have been installed, and be sure that you really need the square-profile CF-style o-ring and not the round-profile CH O-ring. They can all appear a little squared off after being installed for a while.

 

[Chappie]

+1 on the lubricant, but have you replaced the gasket/o-ring? They can compress over time and can be tricky to reuse after they have been installed, and be sure that you really need the square-profile CF-style o-ring and not the round-profile CH O-ring. They can all appear a little squared off after being installed for a while.

yes, all gaskets and o-rings were replaced yesterday, and the big one is the square shaped gasket.

 

[JamesW]

Maybe a crack that you have not been able to find.

 

[InyoRich]

A crack in the seal plate by the mounting bolt (or other defect, like a gouge on the sealing surface) is a possibility. Check it over carefully - these pumps are usually pretty easy to work on. You should not have to use tons of force to clamp it down and heave it seal up. Also be sure the motor shaft seal is okay (no tears in it) and installed properly.

 

[sande005]

I'd suspect a bad seal plate or shaft seal itself, rather than the band clamp. Especially if this is a recurring issue. Water from the seal area seems to be leaking down between the motor and the outside of the plate, and mostly running off of the bolt, but also pooling at the bottom of the band clamp. Water can be sneaky, but a band clamp leak wouldn't travel uphill to the bolt to then run off....
I'd just bite the bullet and get a new plate and seal.

 

[Chappie]

Using all the tips I gathered here, I did a complete breakdown, re-lubed all the gaskets, put in another new shaft seal, and very carefully re-assembled everything. So far, 10 mins of leak free running! Thanks all.

 

[1poolman1]

I had a small leak as evidenced by moisture forming at the base of my pump motor, so I replaced all of the gaskets and the shaft seal (Pentair Challenger). I have reassembled it several times because of a steady leak from the housing and seal plate. No amount of tightening the band clamp seems to affect the leak, and at this point I feel like I'm closer to bending the metal of the clamp than tightening the housing any further. I have tried the rubber mallet trick, I have re-lubed the main gasket that goes between the housing and the seal plate. That gasket is the square one, not the round one. I don't see any cracks in the housing or seal plate. At this point the leak is far worse than it was, and my back is killing me. Is there anything to try other than a new band clamp? The current one appears fine by the way.

Edit: here's a picture of it when running. You can see a big drip where the motor meets the seal plate, and a stream that is coming from behind the bolt. I suppose you can also see quite a bit of corrosion from being outside in South Louisiana weather (96% humidity year round):

View attachment 545504

Don't be surprised if you start hearing the bearings in the motor "sing." That corrosion is not from Louisiana humidity, but from the seal that has been leaking a long time. The rust at the bottom of the motor is from water getting past the seal and the bearing and rusting the case from the inside.

 

[Mayorb]

I always like to see a Challenger when I service a pool. Because of the band clamp, you can access the impeller with only a 1/4" nut driver. No contorting yourself around the back of the pump to get to the 6 bolts as with Whisperflow and Super II.
And....they've been discontinued after decades on the market. Yet another quality product the industry has thrown on the scrap pile.