Intelliflo Leaking out Bottom - Pool Pump

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angfiggy

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2017
87
NE
Pool Size
22000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi - So, last season when I was closing down the pool, I noticed the pump was leaking out the bottom. I am a new pool owner and just bought this pump: Sta-Rite P6E6VS4H-209L IntelliPro Variable Speed Programmable Pool Pump

I only ran the pump for 2 weeks as we got the pool built and completed late. I'm really irritated that it is leaking already. I took the first part of the pump apart and the big fat o-ring was wet on the bottom. Should I just lube this up and the o-ring on the top and call it good? Or should I look further?

I have no idea how to get the impeller off. The instructions say to "Hold the shaft with a 7/16” open-ended wrench on the motor shaft flats." I'm not sure what this means and I haven't been able to get it to turn counter clockwise yet.

Let me know if anyone has any advice!

~ Complete Noob
 
Was the pump drained for winter (both plugs)?

I suspect freeze damage.

Maybe it's a bad seal if the pump ran dry.

If the pump was drained, maybe it turned on and ran dry.

To remove the impeller, you stick an allen wrench into the back hole into the shaft. Then, you remove the impeller set screw (reverse thread). Then you unscrew the impeller.
 
More information:
Pump was leaking last summer during the first week of usage. I did have problems getting it primed. Would it be the large o-ring against the seal plate that would be a "bad seal" if the pump ran dry? This one also has an auto shutoff that does not allow you to run it dry, so I really didn't think the priming issue would have caused any damage.

The pump has not been run yet this year. It was unplugged last summer and drained. It is also sitting in a garage so it would be partially protected from freeze damage.

When I remove the impeller, am I just looking to replace bad gaskets? Or am I looking for other items?
 
Ok. I will try those first.

I had problems with the local pool company because I did not buy the pump from them. The original agreement was for the local company to do an pro inspection on the install, which they initially claimed would be fine with the warranty. But, when I called Pentair, Pentair said it wasn't a "professional install" and Pentair only gave me a 60-day instead of a 3-year, which I was already past (I purchased the pump in late May and didn't run it until late August when the pool was finally finished). I had problems getting any sort of documentation from the local company for the inspection so that I could provide that to Pentair. Since the pump wasn't purchased from the local company, they did not care.

So, now I have a leaky pump and no warranty.
 
I tried lubing everything that was easy to take apart. I did not attempt to take apart the impeller section. The pump now works without leaking on all speeds except for the highest setting of 4. When it's at 4, it drips a bit. I'm calling it good for now unless it gets worse. I'm thinking that I should replace the main gasket and lube again. It was kind of loose when I put it back together.
 
I have done a bunch of research. I am having a hard time believing that this leak was caused by "running the pump dry". This pump has a warning that does not allow you to run it dry. Even when we were having trouble getting prime, the pump was not running more than 10 seconds at a shot. It took five attempts to get prime and we continued to add water to the pump. How can this have caused the leak? And if this causes a leak, we are in trouble because our pump sits a bit uphill and it takes about 5 attempts to get it primed.

I did some research. I found a YouTube video on how to replace a worn shaft seal. I'm calling the company I ordered it from tomorrow to see if I can get any help there. Their site did have a complete breakdown of my pump and the correct part to order. It's a bit intimidating to start taking apart a $1000 pump when I have no idea what I'm doing. I also still have no idea how to get to the impeller on my model of pump. Some of the videos showed taking the screws off the back and holding on to the fan to unscrew the impeller. I'm going to try and tomorrow after I get the correct part delivered.

Does anyone have suggestions of who (besides the pool store) would typically work on these things? A small engines place?
 
You can google pool motor repair for your area. You will probably get results for both pool repairs and small motor repairs. You can then call the businesses and ask if they repair pool pumps.
 

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angfiggy said:
...I am having a hard time believing that this leak was caused by "running the pump dry". This pump has a warning that does not allow you to run it dry. Even when we were having trouble getting prime, the pump was not running more than 10 seconds at a shot. It took five attempts to get prime and we continued to add water to the pump. How can this have caused the leak? And if this causes a leak, we are in trouble because our pump sits a bit uphill and it takes about 5 attempts to get it primed...
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you're having a hard time believing it, but it's not at all uncommon. The 'warning' that your pump has, not allowing it to run for an extended period, without prime, is to prevent the motor from completely being burned up. That doesn't mean that other, minor damage (shaft seal), won't occur if you continually attempt to run an empty pump. You just admitted to running yours for 5 cycles of 10 seconds each, to achieve prime. That's 50 seconds of dry running. If this happens daily, your pump motor isn't going to last very long.
What you really need to address is WHY your pump is losing prime. It doesn't matter that your pump is 'uphill,' as your plumbing is a closed system. No air should be entering the system between cycles, therefore you very likely have a leak somewhere on the suction side. When you find and repair the leak, you will find that your pump will not lose prime.
 
I am confused by your comment.

We do not do this daily. We prime once per season and then run the pump continually on a low speed. So, we have primed the pump twice, so far, in its short lifetime (once last year and once this year). There is a lot of debris flying around out where we are so the pump runs at a low speed 24/7.

I have read many discussions on this forum about best practice on priming a pump uphill and have followed them to get the pump started this season. Yes. It did take 5 attempts to get it primed or 50 seconds TOTAL before water flowed freely. The pump manual says to not exceed anything beyond 90 seconds. We were well within this range.

The pump is not losing prime nor is air entering the system, while running.

I have shut the pump off and will attempt the shaft seal replacement. If I can't get it, I will try a couple of places that I did find on Google. They don't look very promising, though.

I am concerned about your comment. If you are saying that the 50 seconds will burn out the shaft seal every time, then we need a bigger pump or the system needs plumbed in a different manner.

This post says not to worry unless priming exceeds 2 minutes: Priming uphill pump
 
Nobody is saying that 50 seconds will or will not cause a shaft seal to leak. It typically will not. They are just trying to help you troubleshoot your leaky pump. A shaft seal is a common source of leaks. It could have been a bad seal or gasket from the factory, things don't always work as intended, that is why products have warranties. Or maybe the PB ran it dry at startup? Who knows.

Certainly the Intelliflo is an excellent pump and lots of people have used them for many years. It is probably the most popular pump on TFP. You made a good choice. Mine is in its 7th summer with no issues. Knock on wood!
 
Hmmmm...sorry if my frustration is coming through. My part to repair the shaft seal has been delayed so hopefully tomorrow I will able to fix the pump. Fingers crossed.

I am just frustrated that I bought this $$$$$ pump that was highly recommended and I am already replacing parts and then maybe it might not work in my plumbing situation in the future. I guess I will just have to see after the repair. It's good to hear that pooldv has a 7 year-old pump that is practically the same.
 
angfiggy said:
Hmmmm...sorry if my frustration is coming through. My part to repair the shaft seal has been delayed so hopefully tomorrow I will able to fix the pump. Fingers crossed.

I am just frustrated that I bought this $$$$$ pump that was highly recommended and I am already replacing parts and then maybe it might not work in my plumbing situation in the future. I guess I will just have to see after the repair. It's good to hear that pooldv has a 7 year-old pump that is practically the same.
Click to expand...


Try talking to Mike at Expert Pool Work in Omaha, he's pretty awesome and might have advice if you're unable to repair it yourself.
 
Serious1 said:
Try talking to Mike at Expert Pool Work in Omaha, he's pretty awesome and might have advice if you're unable to repair it yourself.
Click to expand...

I appreciate this advice. My delayed part "arrived" today. I picked up the envelope and it was torn. The envelope is empty. *SIGH* I also tried to file for warranty again through Pentair. Pentair did accept the PB consultation as a professional install and provided me with a work order to assign here to the local PB. The PB here refused it because we did not buy the product from them. The PB claims that they did not install it. The PB also went out of his way to remind me that they have a strong customer base that relies on them for their installs and they didn't really have time for my issue.

I'm hoping this may help others, though. If you buy a Pentair product online, make sure your local PB will support the purchase and will repair in case of a warranty claim.

BTW, what does PB mean? I take it to mean the main pool store installer, but what does the "B" stand for? At least I got a little farther with warranty so I will call Pentair back again tomorrow and see what they say.

In the meantime, I am back to trying to buy another part (hopefully this one will come in the envelope) and install it myself. I may call Mike in Omaha and ask him what to do! I may end up driving my pump to Mike if I get really desperate!
 
PB is pool builder. Did the part come through the mail or a UPS/FEDex deliver? Call the vendor you bought it from and tell them what happened, then contact the shipper and make a claim/complaint. Definitely talk to Pentair and tell them what their recommended service guy said. Hopefully they will have another solution for you.
 

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