I may have damaged my pump, or piping, or both?

[mknauss]

Quieter and less expensive to operate.
Your current motor consumes about 1500 watts per hour. The VS pump at a low rpm rate (sufficient to skim the pool surface as I did not see a SWCG) should consume about 200 watts per hour.

 

[miamicuse]

This is my new favorite for those on a budget. With the energy savings it will pay for itself this season, maybe half a season in FL. Then the energy savings will keep coming month after month.

3 HP VS pump

Thanks, I will check into this. Does the lid requires a special wrench type tool to open? My current one the lid is so tight it needs a special tool to give more leverage to open and the entire pump moves when I loosen the lid. I have to check if the wiring I have works on this. I know I have 240V wiring there but not sure wire size, will take a look later.

 

[miamicuse]

+1. The B&D is on sale for $1200 right now. The shady website that has it claims it should be $2083.

so this pump is sold by different companies under different labels at different prices? Kind of like Maytag Whirlpool Kenmore appliances?

 

[Newdude]

Does the lid requires a special wrench type tool to open? M

It has tabs that act like hand grips. The pump I inherited after moving had the handle on top of the lid and I needed to slide a 2x4 in there for leverage. And it was WAY to much leverage. Lol.

so this pump is sold by different companies under different labels at different prices

It should be sisters with B&D and Circupool. The other 2 started cheap also, but have since spiked in price.

 

[Flboy44]

Absolutely upgrade to a VS pump! Your installation is straightforward enough for you to handle it!
It is insane how quickly you will break even!
FYI, I have rebuilt my pump 4 times! Quite straightforward! After the third time!! Once was for the same reason as what you did!
Another time? Too cheap to replace old skimmer baskets! Welp, a plastic shopping bag got pulled into the impeller!
We won’t talk about the time I forgot to reinstall the new gauge on the filter!

 

[miamicuse]

OK I agree probably replacing the pump with a VS pump is the way to go.

But that means I probably should rework the plumbing of the pipes around the pump/filter/heater at the same time since I will be disconnecting and retrofitting at the same time. I will probably need some help understanding the piping that I have currently as there are some branches I do not fully understand (but it was done for a reason that is not obvious to me).

 

[Newdude]

I probably should rework the plumbing of the pipes around the pump/filter/heater

At quick glance it will be an easy swap with no need to mess with the rest of it. You already have rebuildable valves. You can cut at the blue arrow and use the next size pipe (2.5 inch ?) which will slide over the valve body. Then reduce it back to 2 inch (?) Into the pump, and figure out the new height for the discharge pipe. Lots of room there to work.




Is there anything I'm not seeing with the rest of the plumbing ? Do you have anything that doesn't work properly ?

 

[PoolStored]

You can cut at the blue arrow

I don't think he even has to cut. On the top of the V of the blue arrow is a threaded fitting...I believe...

He may even be able to get the union PN off the union and start at the union...or I'm missing something...

 

[Newdude]

He may even be able to get the union PN off the union and start at the union...or I'm missing something..

Oh yeah. I started thinking about buying a new half of the union and it's really not going to save anything to reuse any of it. Might as well start new from the valve.

 

[miamicuse]

Yes I think I can swap out the pump without messing with too much.

There is indeed a 2" male adapter at the valve that I may be able to connect to with a new female adapter, then new fittings and pipes up to the new pump, and if I use a high temp union at the pump inlet, I can remove the redundant union.

The thing is, I am also trying to decide whether I should at the same time, solve the pump sitting on concrete block problem, and whether I should remove all and reseat a new pump at a more permanent base, and at the same time, reduce the height of the pump (so it doesn't have to work as hard), right now it is sitting 12" above ground (three 4" blocks), the area do flood from time to time but may be 6" is fine.

I am also concerned that the male adapter from the valve may have deformed from the pump running dry, in that case I may have to go from a 2.5" fitting at the valve and redo all the pipes anyway.

There is also another mystery on the return plumbing that's been bothering me for the last two years I want to ask.

 

[mknauss]

Another consideration.
Raise your suction line manifold to meet the pump level you wish. If the area floods, it is a good idea to have the motor on the pump above that level.

 

[miamicuse]

I started a thread asking about the mystery in my pool plumbing return line here:

A mystery loop in my pool plumbing

When I purchased the property a few years ago, I had planned on redoing the existing plumbing. However, there is a mystery loop in my pool return line that I could not figure out why it was there. Later on a fitting on that loop started leaking, and in an attempt to fix that leaking fitting, I...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[miamicuse]

Another consideration.
Raise your suction line manifold to meet the pump level you wish. If the area floods, it is a good idea to the the motor on the pump above that level.

I did consider this, but to raise the suction lines will be very difficult for me because there are four suction lines (spa, main drain, skimmer, cleaner), and whoever did it originally have them side by side with little space on the four 2" risers. Then there is a 90 elbow to each line to turn them horizontal, followed by four valves with no extra pipes between the elbows and the valves.

This means if I want to raise the suction side I need to raise all four lines. If I want to save these valves, the only logical point of modification seems to be cutting the four risers, then use straight couplings on all four. I do not think I am skilled/experienced enough to solvent weld four simultaneously joints at the same time (and not able to rotate to spread the cement). The other option is to use four 2.5X2 reducers on the valves.

 

[1poolman1]

I did consider this, but to raise the suction lines will be very difficult for me because there are four suction lines (spa, main drain, skimmer, cleaner), and whoever did it originally have them side by side with little space on the four 2" risers. Then there is a 90 elbow to each line to turn them horizontal, followed by four valves with no extra pipes between the elbows and the valves.

This means if I want to raise the suction side I need to raise all four lines. If I want to save these valves, the only logical point of modification seems to be cutting the four risers, then use straight couplings on all four. I do not think I am skilled/experienced enough to solvent weld four simultaneously joints at the same time (and not able to rotate to spread the cement). The other option is to use four 2.5X2 reducers on the valves.

View attachment 480184

Is that the normal position of your valves? Are you not using the skimmer? With water coming from the main drain only, even a small suction leak that wouldn't be a major problem with the skimmer open easily becomes a pump running dry and being damaged.

 

[miamicuse]

Is that the normal position of your valves? Are you not using the skimmer? With water coming from the main drain only, even a small suction leak that wouldn't be a major problem with the skimmer open easily becomes a pump running dry and being damaged.

Normally I would have both the skimmer and main drain open. But since I am trouble shooting the leak I have been keeping only one line open the others closed - rotating each one opened and closed one day at a time to see if it makes any different (no difference).

as far as pump running dry, it did happen because I was evacuating the spa water to the pool by opening the suction line from the spa, and opened the return line to the pool only...then I forgot about it for six hours, I mentioned this in my original post in this thread, so the pump was running dry for hours, which is why I suspect the damages, I noticed the bubbles coming out of the return afterwards.

 

[oldprophet]

Is that the normal position of your valves? Are you not using the skimmer? With water coming from the main drain only, even a small suction leak that wouldn't be a major problem with the skimmer open easily becomes a pump running dry and being damaged.

Make sure you check the male pvc fitting at the suction of the pump. A be lot of tim

 

[miamicuse]

Make sure you check the male pvc fitting at the suction of the pump. A be lot of tim

Thank you I agree. I will most likely replace that with a high temp union.

 

[poolbo1]

Hi, first time poster here. Hope I can help. I'd recommend running your garden hose over all the fittings on the suction side of your pump. If your issue is caused by a suction leak (air entering the system) then the pump will reach prime as soon as the fitting that's allowing air to come in is submerged into water