Pentair variable speed pump making noise. Normally the pump is very quiet

[rp7777]

Pump is making noise. Something is definitely going on in the motor. Not sure how to troubleshoot. Kind of sounds like grinding. Also a couple of months ago my zodiac mx8 caused the pump to lose prime. I even bought a new zodiac mx8 and I got the exact same results so I know my 2nd issue of losing prime has nothing to do with the vacuum that gets connected to my skimmer.
Pump only worked fine without the vacuum connected.
Now I have the noise issue so wondering if somehow they are related.

I have attached photos. Pump is about 6 years old

 

[ajw22]

Your pump motor shows a lot of corrosion on it. The noise is probably a bad bearing.

The control panel has a label with a date of 07/13/2017 on it. Has that motor or control panel been replaced before?

 

[rp7777]

Yes the control panel was replaced a couple of years ago. Can a bad bearing be replaced by me?

 

[ajw22]

Can a bad bearing be replaced by me?

I don’t know what your abilities are. That corrosion indicates you may have a seal leak and more going on inside.

Pentair Intelliflo - replace motor or keep?

I started having a buzzing or vibration type noise over the weekend. Not high pitched. I disassembled the motor tonight expecting to find debris in the impeller but nothing. Then, when getting to the last step with the four bolts on the almond seal plate, after loosening the two upper bolts...

www.troublefreepool.com

Intelliflo VS bearing replacement - 1) any experience, and 2) any recommendations in DFW?

I am pretty sure I have a bearing going out on on my Intelliflo. There is a screech when the pump first turns on. The noise is fairly speed dependent and it is fairly loud at at higher speeds. It does seem to decrease as the pump has been going awhile. Has anyone had a bearing replaced on an...

www.troublefreepool.com

Check YouTube for videos on repairs.

 

[rp7777]

I should be able to replace the bearing based on a video I saw. My loss of suction/prime only happens when I have the valve open for the slimmer and the hose/vac connected. It does not lose prime when the vacuum is not connected or when the valve is open for the main drain at the bottom of the pool. I know I don’t have anything stuck on the pipe because I place large chunks of chlorine tabs in the skimmer and it travels directly to the pump basket

 

[ajw22]

My loss of suction/prime only happens when I have the valve open for the slimmer and the hose/vac connected. It does not lose prime when the vacuum is not connected or when the valve is open for the main drain at the bottom of the pool.

Post pics of your equipment pad, plumbing, and valves so we can see what you are dealing with.

Finding the right balance of valves to get a vacuum running seems to be an art in some pools. Best thing is to get a robot cleaner

I know I don’t have anything stuck on the pipe because I place large chunks of chlorine tabs in the skimmer and it travels directly to the pump basket

That is not good for your pump as tabs are very acidic and get acid water in your pump. You should be using a floater for tabs.

 

[rp7777]

Post pics of your equipment pad, plumbing, and valves so we can see what you are dealing with.

Finding the right balance of valves to get a vacuum running seems to be an art in some pools. Best thing is to get a robot cleaner



That is not good for your pump as tabs are very acidic and get acid water in your pump. You should be using a floater for tabs.

 

[rp7777]

I actually never use tabs. I just did this so in case there was something stuck in the pile the chlorine piece would eventually dissolve and not further clog the pipe any further.
I will send photos later but I have had this setup running successfully since 2014.
I personally installed the piping, pump, filter, solor panels and solar controller.
I always had the valve open 100% on the skimmer side with the vacuum connected

what is the benefit/cost of a robot cleaner?

 

[ajw22]

what is the benefit/cost of a robot cleaner?

You can browse the Pool Cleaner section for the discussions on robots. Folks seem to like the Maytronics line of Dolphin cleaners.

 

[rp7777]

Corroding Pentair Variable speed pool pump. Anyone else have this issue? I saw an older post about this same topic but it as pretty old.
Im kind of upset because I purchased this $1000+ pump that has already had the controller changed, its corroding and also sound like the bearing are going bad.

This is the original post

Intelliflo Motor Corrosion Issue

Hi All, I just replaced my 5 1/2 year old Intelliflo pump motor due to excessive noise, probably a bearing. The original motor exhibits what I feel is a lot of corrosion (see pictures). My pool guy tells me that this is a common problem with Intelliflo motors that they often corrode like this...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

rp,

We have seen a few IntelliFlo pumps with this issue.. Out of the thousands and thousands of these pump that were made, there are very few issues... The are regarded as the "gold standard" of pool pumps.. That does not mean there will not be issues, but they are the exception and not the rule..

Let's see some pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JamesW]

I would suspect a seal leak.

I think that the motor casing is aluminum or magnesium.

Either of those will corrode quickly under the right or wrong conditions.

Does a magnet stick anywhere on the motor casing?

Does a magnet stick where the corrosion is?

Is the pump bonded?

 

[rp7777]

I’m not sure in either case whether a magnet sticks and if it is bonded.
What would either one of those situations tell me?

 

[setsailsoon]

rp,

Definitely looks like a seal leak that has caused a bearing failure in the motor. This is a common failure mode for all pumps. That's a permanent magnet motor and could be a little harder to get apart than the video's you see. Also, be prepared that the long skinny bolts that hold the motor together may be frozen in the front flange. Use a lot of TLC getting them out or you risk breaking them off in the housing. If this happens it's not impossible to fix at all but this then requires you drill out the screw and re-tap or use a longer screw and put a nut on the other side of the flange. If you go this route put some anti-seize on the bolts before you install and they will come off easily next time. In the future, inspect your pump when you're at the equipment pad and look for drips of water. If you catch it early it's an easy seal replace instead of a motor bearing failure.

I hope this is helpful.

Chris