A couple years ago, my Pentair Whisperflow VS 3050 locked up.
Turned out the motor was "sagging".
On further inspection, under the pristine paint, the aluminum(?) casting/flange between the motor and fiberglass pump backplate had dissolved into white dust to the point that the motor flanges were gone and no longer holding the motor/pump to the filter.
Well, the impeller had messed up the backer plate a bit, so I bought a whole new filter instead of just a new motor (mostly because the installer insisted and I couldn't do it myself because the pump had been installed without removable couplings!) ... $1500...
There was no evidence of anything dripping on the motor/filter.
Research revealed that you can not buy the casting alone. I even called the motor manufacturer. (I tried pretty hard to get it off the motor - to save the motor as a spare - without success.)
Well, weekly inspection now includes paint integrity and today (approx three years later), I touched the pristine looking paint and found it to be hollow and filled with white dust. Not as bad as last time - the flanges are still there, but not for long.
Again, nothing dripping on pump/filter, no apparent leak in seal. I live in San Diego, so it doesn't see much rain, but it is SWG.
The paint appears to have no primer and the aluminum appear to be neither anodized nor chromated.
I'm guessing the washers from the bolts attaching to the backer plate crack through the paint, allowing moisture ingress and from there with no prep or primer its all downhill.
Maybe they need plastic washers under the SS ones?
Is this a common problem?
Any suggestions?
On next motor, maybe remove casting, sandblast paint off and get it anodized?
Can I put anything on it to stop corrosion?
(Even if I have to disassemble to wire brush inside and out, I'll do it).
Rustoleum Rust Converter (seems to be for steel). Zinc chromate (impossible to buy in CA). Alodine (probably impossible to buy in CA).
Turned out the motor was "sagging".
On further inspection, under the pristine paint, the aluminum(?) casting/flange between the motor and fiberglass pump backplate had dissolved into white dust to the point that the motor flanges were gone and no longer holding the motor/pump to the filter.
Well, the impeller had messed up the backer plate a bit, so I bought a whole new filter instead of just a new motor (mostly because the installer insisted and I couldn't do it myself because the pump had been installed without removable couplings!) ... $1500...
There was no evidence of anything dripping on the motor/filter.
Research revealed that you can not buy the casting alone. I even called the motor manufacturer. (I tried pretty hard to get it off the motor - to save the motor as a spare - without success.)
Well, weekly inspection now includes paint integrity and today (approx three years later), I touched the pristine looking paint and found it to be hollow and filled with white dust. Not as bad as last time - the flanges are still there, but not for long.
Again, nothing dripping on pump/filter, no apparent leak in seal. I live in San Diego, so it doesn't see much rain, but it is SWG.
The paint appears to have no primer and the aluminum appear to be neither anodized nor chromated.
I'm guessing the washers from the bolts attaching to the backer plate crack through the paint, allowing moisture ingress and from there with no prep or primer its all downhill.
Maybe they need plastic washers under the SS ones?
Is this a common problem?
Any suggestions?
On next motor, maybe remove casting, sandblast paint off and get it anodized?
Can I put anything on it to stop corrosion?
(Even if I have to disassemble to wire brush inside and out, I'll do it).
Rustoleum Rust Converter (seems to be for steel). Zinc chromate (impossible to buy in CA). Alodine (probably impossible to buy in CA).