Can I rebuild my Harward MAXFLO VS pump?

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M

MortimerDipthong

0
Mar 11, 2017
4
Spring Hill, FL
I have a Harward SP2300VSP MAXFLO VS pump that I purchased a few years back. It's making a great deal of noise during regular operation... still circulates water, but I've noticed that my vacuum isn't moving around much, and it's not keeping the water clean. I've cleaned the basket on the pump, cleaned my filter (has 8 removable element panels, which I remove and clean every couple of months) and put a new skirt on the Kreepy Krauly vacuum, but nothing seems to help, so I'm wondering if I can disassemble the pump and replace the impeller?
Anyone have any experience with this?
 
The wet end of a pump generally doesn't wear out in a few years. Its likely you have a suction leak or blockage somewhere.

What type of pool do you have above ground/in ground?
Is your plumbing buried or above ground?
Do you see air in the top of the strainer basket on the pump?
Do you see a lot of bubbles coming from the returns?
What is the clean / dirty pressures on your filter?


Its possible something is stuck in the impeller but a suction side air leak or partly blocked suction line is more likely to blame.
 
Thanks for the reply, CJadamec.
It's an inground sports pool, only about 6000 gallons.
The plumbing is all underground, except for where it surfaces and goes to the pump.
I don't see air at the top of the basket... it's full of water that seems to flow well.
I only see a short stream of bubbles coming from the returns when I first start it.
Before I clean the filter, the pressure hits about 15-16, if I recall correctly.
After I clean it, it usually runs about 8-10 on the gauge (I assume it's PSI).
My concern is that the pump is loud, almost a grinding noise, similar to the one I replaced shortly after I moved in here. I paid about $750 for the pump, and I'm a bit surprised that it's now getting noisy after less than 4 years. Am hoping to rebuild it if I can, to avoid a costly replacement.

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Thanks, pooldv! I'll take a look through the links you've provided and look into the signature thing.
 
Make sure the water level in the pool is high enough I know with my pump (very similar to your) I can suck the skimmer almost dry if the RPM is too high and the water level low.

Does the noise happen at all speeds of the pump? or does it suddenly appear above a certain rpm? This would suggest a suction air leak.
If it is at all speeds does the noise seem to match the rpm of the pump? This could suggest something inside the impellor/housing or a motor bearing.

As to the title of your post the wet end of your pump is definitely serviceable. You should have no problems finding parts online if you do a search with your pump model number. As for the motor end I'm not sure how serviceable the VS motors are.
 
Do you have a small leak under the pump while it is running? If so, the seal might have gone bad and rusted the bearings. It might be possible to replace the bearings but you will probably need to use inverter rated bearings.
 
The water level is high enough... but we're sucking exclusively through the vaccum (my pool doesn't have a port other than the one under the skimmer basket, so it always sucks through the vacuum).

The noise is consistent with pump speed... always makes the noise, regardless of rpm. I'd classify it as almost a grinding noise.

I imagine if I disconnect the wet end and turn the pump on briefly, if it's the bearings, I'll still hear the noise, whereas if it's the impeller, I won't. Is that correct?
Thanks!

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Thanks for the suggestion, mas985... I've checked, and no water is leaking from the pump.
 
I wouldn't power the pump with the wet end open. By separating the pump housing you will still be left with the impellor on the motor shaft. At that point you will know if there is any damage and or junk caught in the impellor or housing. You will also be able to spin the impellor by hand which should give you a good idea if the motor bearings are spinning freely.
 
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