Intermittent pump seal leak

[IMissNimoy]

I have an Hayward EcoStar pump with an intermittent seal leak. When it leaks, it is not bad. It will drip from the bottom for a couple of days and then stop for a couple of weeks. Any idea why it's intermittent? I've got all the seals to do a rebuild but I'm curious what's going on.

 

[mknauss]

Hard to say, but if it is leaking, it can damage the motor bearings. So repair it soon. The motor for that pump is not known for its longevity.

Hayward EcoStar Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[IMissNimoy]

Hard to say, but if it is leaking, it can damage the motor bearings. So repair it soon. The motor for that pump is not known for its longevity.

Hayward EcoStar Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks! Unfortunately, I'm aware of the frailty of these pumps. I'm on my third motor in 5 years. Fortunately, they've all been covered under warranty, one even after the 3 year mark 8 months ago. I suspect they did not replace the seal on the last motor replacement but the intermittent leaking nature is perplexing. I'm hoping to get a little more life out of this one but do plan to switch to something else when it goes belly up. The major decision will be whether to replace with TriStar for drop-in ease or move to Pentair. I don't have automation so I can go with either.

 

[IMissNimoy]

I wanted to follow-up on this thread. I tackled the leak yesterday with all seals at the ready. How this has been an intermittent issue is baffling. Upon breakdown, the shaft seal is just trash. Now I'm convinced my previous 2 motors did not have bearing issues as the PB thought. The service tickets from the warranty swaps indicate the shaft seal has never been replaced. I think it was the seal making all the squealing chatter.

The black ceramic side was gone and the white side is horribly scored. The seal also scored the impeller side badly so I'm having to wait on the part before I can reassemble it all.

If you want it done right, do it yourself.