Polaris 280 cleaner not moving

[sugast]

I'm in Dallas Tx and survived the freeze! All of my pool equipment seems to work fine except the Polaris 280 cleaner with Polaris PB4-60 booster pump. The cleaner is not moving at all. I disconnected the cleaner hose from the side of the pool. There's a weak stream of water coming from the pool outlet. The weak stream is the same whether or not the booster pump is on. That tells me the booster pump is not working. Because I can feel the stream from the pool outlet, I assume that water is flowing to the booster pump. If not, I shouldn't feel anything from the pool outlet where I normally connect the cleaner hose. Correct assumption?

When I turn on the booster pump, I can hear and feel the pump vibrating so there's power to the pump. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot the pump?

Corey

 

[sugast]

I'm in Dallas Tx and survived the freeze! All of my pool equipment seems to work fine except the Polaris 280 cleaner with Polaris PB4-60 booster pump. The cleaner is not moving at all. I disconnected the cleaner hose from the side of the pool. There's a weak stream of water coming from the pool outlet. The weak stream is the same whether or not the booster pump is on. That tells me the booster pump is not working. Because I can feel the stream from the pool outlet, I assume that water is flowing to the booster pump. If not, I shouldn't feel anything from the pool outlet where I normally connect the cleaner hose. Correct assumption?

When I turn on the booster pump, I can hear and feel the pump vibrating so there's power to the pump. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot?

Corey

 

[sugast]

an update...I was able to remove the cap on the rear of the motor and freely turn the shaft by hand. I powered on the pump and the shaft is spinning. there is a really small leak at the front bottom of the pump. Does that mean I have a seal problem? How can I test the impeller? Thanks

 

[ajw22]

You need to disassemble the pump and take a look at the impeller and see if it is broken.

 

[sugast]

got it. I'll try it. thx

 

[sugast]

here's the culprit! The impeller is broken where it connects to the shaft. Should i replace anything else while I'm replacing the impeller?

 

[ajw22]

The mechanical seal and maybe the O ring...

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When installing the seal parts, using a lubricant can help. However, you want something that provides only transient lubricity. You can use a seal installation lubricant such as P-80 or US Sealube or dish soap. A Hayward video suggests vegetable oil.

http://www.ussealmfg.com/pdfs/U.S.-SEALUBE.pdf

When installing a pump shaft seal, it is good practice to use the proper lubricant to make installing the seal easy without creating adverse conditions for the seal. Ideally, the lubricant should provide good lubricity for only a short period of time and then wash away.

If a lubricant, such as a silicone or Teflon based lubricant, is used, the seal won't be as secure as it should be during operation of the pump. This is because the seals are rotating against each other creating some level of torque.

Also, the silicone or Teflon can have an adverse effect on the seal materials over time.

 

[sugast]

Thanks!

 

[rhouck]

Same issue, guess I'll be taking my booster pump apart.

 

[rhouck]

Yep, mine looks the same. Impeller part number P15 (old style) based on the serial number. Thanks for posting OP!

 

[wireform]

I would replace it only with a quality us seal mfg part. Lots of what's sold aren't great and will sometimes start leaking earlier due to poor quality parts.