In my opinion, the problem was caused by a seal leak.
The seal leak was probably due to a cheap seal, a defective seal, improper installation or the pump ran dry.
From Hayward’s point of view, they already covered the motor under warranty once, the three year warranty has expired and the replacement motor is usually only covered for one year from the time of replacement.
From the motor manufacturer’s point of view, the 1 year warranty has expired and the failure was probably due to a seal leak, which is not covered under warranty.
From the service person’s point of view, the standard warranty is 1 year parts and labor unless otherwise stated. Unless they are sure that the motor did not run dry, they are unlikely to be interested in doing a warranty replacement past 1 year unless they know that they did something wrong during the repair.
If the seal was defective, you might have a case against the seal manufacturer for consequential damages, but their warranty would probably exclude consequential damages.
So, even if you could prove that the seal was defective, their warranty liability is probably limited to giving you a new seal.
Seals are considered to be consumable since they are exposed to continuous wear.
In 201 days at 3,450 rpm, the seal will make 1 billion rotations.
That is why is definitely pays to invest in the better seal.
From the customer’s point of view, I would expect the motor to last at least 5 years with no problems.
In my opinion, if you are sure that the pump did not run dry, then the materials and/or workmanship of the replacement were responsible for the failure and I would want the service person to cover the repair under warranty.
However, the customer has several duties that they need to do.
1) Make sure that the pump does not run dry.
2) Check for seal leaks on a regular basis and address any leak immediately.
Based on the debris on the pad, it is clear that you were not checking for leaks on any regular basis.
If you clear out the debris and look under the pump with a flashlight, you will be able to confirm if the pump is leaking or not.
Do you know for sure that the pump never ran dry?
You can file a warranty claim with Hayward, Regal Beloit/Century and the service company if you want, but if I doubt that they will be interested in covering it under warranty.
Going forward, I would consider going with a variable speed motor and the SPX2610C impeller.
When you get the new motor installed,
1) Get the warranty information in writing.
2) Make sure that the seal is the better “Ozone Salt” rated seal.
3) Make sure that seal lube is used to install the seal.
4) Make sure that the pump does not run dry.
5) Check for seal leaks on a regular basis and address any leak immediately.
This means keeping the pump area clear of debris so that you can see evidence of a leak and actually look under the pump with a flashlight at least weekly to verify that there is no leak.
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