Polaris PB4SQ Booster pump leak

[ksifenj]

My pb4sq (1yr old) just started dripping behind the drain plug this week. I open my pool and it worked all good until about 6 weeks now after opening. Now it’s a steady leak about a half inch back behind the plug opening and I have to manually run. Orig I thought it was just an o ring but that seems fine. Seems like it could be a hairline crack. I put some pipe glue on it (blue water based) and it stopped for about an hour but then started back up. Tried a few more times and it just seems to be worse. It’s on auction side which is what confuses me. Do I need to just replace the pump body? Can’t find it anywhere. After a few long calls to Polaris they agreed to send me a housing but in have to have a local pool co install it at labor rates. Anyone know if any other parts would need replaced at same time. Should I just buy a new pentair booster and move on from Polaris? Fearing I’ll spend $250 just getting this back up if I’m lucky after pool co has critiques. I’ve swapped 3 of these pb4’s already in 6 years, plumbing is simple and not worth paying pool co to install but they have me and these things just don’t last. Pics below, anyone have thoughts? It’s getting dirty and I have guests this weekend.

 

[mknauss]

Sorry you have not received any responses. Your best move would be to abandon the pressure side cleaner entirely and get a robot to clean the pool.

Let's see if some other's can provide some guidance.

 

[ksifenj]

If by robot you mean a dolphin or other electric item that has to be manually plugged in and put in the pool, I’m just not interested. The convenience of the Polaris is what’s great, it’s always in and cleans on a schedule from my intelliconnect controller and I can tap a button on the app to start/stop/etc. The Polaris cleaner itself is very easy and of great quality, it’s just these pumps that seem to be junk?

 

[mknauss]

Great that you like the pressure side. Just giving you options that cost much less to operate and clean far better.

The pumps tend to be cheaply made. I have never dealt with them personally, but we see many issues with them here on the forum.

 

[SDor]

Reading the amazon reviews for the Pentair version of the pb4sq, they're not exactly loved either. Many reports of them lasting less than 2 years, plus DIY only has 60 day warranty (whereas Polaris has 0 day warranty for DIY). I have a pb4sq that's worked fine for going on for ~3-4 years and seems as good as new. Perhaps I'm just lucky. I could never go back from the pb4sq style pump because they're so quiet.
My choice order would be to
1) DIY the part from Polaris (if I felt I was able to do this). How does Polaris stop you from doing this? If the pump is 1 year old, then the other internal parts should still be good, but, without knowing the internals of the pump, it's possible you need to break some seals to replace the part. Sorry, I can't help with this.
2) Buy a new pump of your choice (by the time the pool guy gets done with you, it will probably be more than 1/2 the cost of a self-installed new pump).
3) Pay for the install of the replacement part. If you have a trustworthy pool guy (rare, I know), it's possible that there's a problem with your install and that's why your pump keeps failing. It's not always a cheap part (although in the case of this crack, it's either a cheap part or freeze damage). There are reasons why Polaris doesn't warranty DIY (people can do silly things). You might want to look into this one if you replace the pump, and the replacement fails prematurely.

 

[sktn77a]

I gave up with Polaris pumps years ago - noisy, cavitate if you look at them, and break down every couple of years. I've used a Hayward 6060 for 10 years and never had a problem. MUCH quieter, too.

 

[ksifenj]

Anyone have view on if booster pump should be before or after heater? Definitely after filter but is it an issue if it’s after the heater vs before?

 

[Jack Parker]

Did you resolve this?
(A: if you have a spa, the recommendation is to put booster after the heater, after the spa diversion, see Polaris install docs)

Did you decide on a new pump?
I'm also in the market, so wondering what you came up with, and are you happy with it?