@1poolman1 And do you think I should go with Doheny's for cost for value? Would a more expensive pump last a lot longer?
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Pool pump hums but doesn't run normally
- Thread starter ewinter
- Start date
Its your motor that went bad and pump manufacturers don't make motors, they purchase them.
Regardless of how much you spend on a pump, without maintenance it (the motor) will be damaged. The "wet-end" of a pump is seldom damaged unless a pump is run without water flowing through it. But yes, a good in-ground pump could last longer. At the current price of the clone of the pump you have, $159.99 at Doheny Pool (possibly manufactured by Hayward, they make a lot of private-branded pumps), you could buy two and have one ready for the next time one quits. No, I don't work for them or get a benefit, I just know that they have been around for a very long time. At that price, unfortunately, they are considered "throw away" items, not worth fixing. A variable-speed pump is worth it if proper care is taken. Doheny has one for $449.99 that is the same as yours only VSP. It could be run at a low speed 24/7 for less than what your pump costs now to run a few hours each day. When swimming you speed it up for a while.
In the picture of the pump with the back cover off it appears that there is a lot of moisture around it and a lot of corrosion on the motor itself. That corrosion is usually the result of a leaking shaft seal. The design of that particular pump and the sand that is right up against it (which is blocking the front vent and can be sucked into the motor) mean that a leaking seal may be harder to detect as you won't likely see a water dripping.
Pumps on above-ground pools have a tendency to also have issues with water getting into the pump-motor if they are not run regularly. Just the water pressure from the fact that the pump is lower than the water in the pool will force a very small amount of water past the seal. The seal is not a 100% seal as some water get between the mating surfaces to lubricate them in use.
@1poolman1 Thanks so much for your help! I'm going to buy a new pump, just wanted to check if you think that 1 HP is appropriate for my pool? It's about 12,000 gallons, but the filter spec says that average flow rate is 40 GPM. I've had a 1 HP till now, but just wondering if that was correct.
@1poolman1 One more question. The pump died right after running during a thunderstorm, and I think the electrical connections got wet. Do you think that has anything to do with the pump dying? Just trying to figure out if I need to worry about this in the future and make sure the connections stay dry or avoid running when it's raining or lightening.
Maximum flow rate for your filter is, apparently, 40 GPM. The horsepower rating of the pump is very misleading and should only be used to determine how much energy will be used. Likely, the pump you have was supplying 35-40 GPM, but no more. An inground pump of .5hp will move more water than an above ground of 1hp. There's a reason an above-ground pump is so inexpensive.
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