Well, I’m glad I trusted my instincts on this one:
I bought a new IntelliFlo pump in February of this year. The IntelliFlo replaced an older WhisperFlo single-speed pump for our pool/spa combo. As a side note, I also converted our pool to SWCG around the same time. I installed the pump myself, hooked it up to our IntelliTouch automation, and everything was working great. In the meantime, I purchased a salt-water seal/gasket kit from Inyo Pools. I had replaced the seals and gaskets in my other two pumps (water fall and spa jets), so I was familiar with the process. I figured I would put the salt-water kit into the new pump sometime later this summer or next year, so I ordered it to have it on hand just because.
Cut to about two weeks ago.. I noticed a strange noise coming from the pump on startup and shutdown. The best way to describe it would be like the squeal your car brakes make when they are getting worn down. Or as my kids would say, like a pinched-off fart. I didn’t think too much of it, but it did cause me some concern seeing as how this was basically a brand new pump. We have a swimming-pool-loving black lab, so I figured maybe a bunch of her hair got caught up in the impeller, which was causing the noise. The noise didn’t happen all of the time, but it happened enough that I decided to take the pump apart to make sure everything was OK.
Lo and behold, I discovered the mechanical seal had failed and water was seeping through and onto the main motor shaft. The back of the seal was rusted and corroded, but luckily water had not made it into the motor itself.
I cleaned everything up and re-assembled the motor with the new salt-water rated seal and gaskets from the kit I had bought.
I’ve been diligent in following TFP methods, to include keeping an eye on my CSI to prevent corrosion, but I don’t think that was the issue. Has anyone else had an issue with the factory mechanical seal failing so quickly on an almost new pump and a SWCG pool, or did I just maybe get a dud? I know I could have possibly gone the warranty route (I know Pentair has really limited warranties for self-installed products), but I just took care of it since I was comfortable with the process, had the pump taken apart, and had the parts I needed on hand.
Anyways, just figured I’d share my experience in case anyone else had to deal with something similar.
- Chris
I bought a new IntelliFlo pump in February of this year. The IntelliFlo replaced an older WhisperFlo single-speed pump for our pool/spa combo. As a side note, I also converted our pool to SWCG around the same time. I installed the pump myself, hooked it up to our IntelliTouch automation, and everything was working great. In the meantime, I purchased a salt-water seal/gasket kit from Inyo Pools. I had replaced the seals and gaskets in my other two pumps (water fall and spa jets), so I was familiar with the process. I figured I would put the salt-water kit into the new pump sometime later this summer or next year, so I ordered it to have it on hand just because.
Cut to about two weeks ago.. I noticed a strange noise coming from the pump on startup and shutdown. The best way to describe it would be like the squeal your car brakes make when they are getting worn down. Or as my kids would say, like a pinched-off fart. I didn’t think too much of it, but it did cause me some concern seeing as how this was basically a brand new pump. We have a swimming-pool-loving black lab, so I figured maybe a bunch of her hair got caught up in the impeller, which was causing the noise. The noise didn’t happen all of the time, but it happened enough that I decided to take the pump apart to make sure everything was OK.
Lo and behold, I discovered the mechanical seal had failed and water was seeping through and onto the main motor shaft. The back of the seal was rusted and corroded, but luckily water had not made it into the motor itself.
I cleaned everything up and re-assembled the motor with the new salt-water rated seal and gaskets from the kit I had bought.
I’ve been diligent in following TFP methods, to include keeping an eye on my CSI to prevent corrosion, but I don’t think that was the issue. Has anyone else had an issue with the factory mechanical seal failing so quickly on an almost new pump and a SWCG pool, or did I just maybe get a dud? I know I could have possibly gone the warranty route (I know Pentair has really limited warranties for self-installed products), but I just took care of it since I was comfortable with the process, had the pump taken apart, and had the parts I needed on hand.
Anyways, just figured I’d share my experience in case anyone else had to deal with something similar.
- Chris
