Pentair Intelliflo VSF 3-HP Motor. Pump, and key-pad stopped. No Alarm.

[clee50]

We purchased our Pentair VSF 3ph pool pump in 2018 [#350305, Made Dec 2017, Italy], from Leslie's Pools, Austin, Texas. It was installed [along with a new pool-cleaner motor, a new Pentair Pool Cleaner, and an upgraded cartridge filter], with a total cost of about $5,000, by a Pool Technician [Dave], from Leslie's Pools. From the get-go, we've had issues with leakage, and algae growing in the pool, which I attributed to problems with the installation of the equipment by "Dave" [he used floor tiles to "level" the pump, and installed the filter hanging off of the cement pad. I phoned Leslie's Pools Corporate Office to complain, and was told that Dave had been fired. Their solution was to send another incompetent Pool Technician out to our house who said: "I think Dave did a great job! The algae in your pool has nothing to do with your filtering system." FAST FORWARD to today, 6/26/2023.

Two weeks ago, without any alarms going off, our pool pump stopped and our keypad went dead. Added 8-gallons of liquid chlorine to the pool after it turned dark-green. Checked the electricity to the pump, and no problem.

So, we started disassembling the pump, to see if there was a problem in the Drive Assembly or Motor. The Keypad is perfect, as is the Drive Assembly [mother board is pristine]. The following photos show the current issues resulting from continued water leakage, due to the inept installation. [First two photos are from June 2020, and the last four photos are from June 2023.

SO, any ideas what we do now?

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Replace the pump.

Don’t use Lesilies for anything.

Once your pump is running follow our SLAM Process to clear your algae problem.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

50,

As much as I dislike Leslie's and "Dave", the pump failure was not caused by anything they did. Shoddy install, no doubt, but the bad install has nothing to do with you getting Algae or that the shaft seal leaked.

There is a small hole in between the pump and the motor where water can drip out. When this first starts to happen, you should immediately replace the shaft seal before it leads to the kind of failure you have.

Algae is a chemical issue and not a filter or pump issue.

You should take a good read through our pool school and see what we are all about. Our goal is to teach home owners how to maintain their own pools instead of using pool stores.

Thanks,

Jim R.