Pump leak

[UKjames]

I have a leak from my pump. Sad face.

What do I do - turn off the valves for the skimmer and sump and set the multiport on the filter to closed.

Then drain the two drain valves on the pump.

Slacken the metal band and extract the motor but Do I need to undo the plumbing otherwise?

it’s wet on the metal band so I wonder if that gasket is leaking - what’s the best approach to diagnosis the leak cause?

 

[UKjames]

Is it ok to take the pump apart in situ or should I not do this?

 

[UKjames]

Is it ok to take the pump apart in situ or should I not do this?

So I went ahead and took the motor off, leaving the wet end in situ.

I didn’t really know how much water was going to drain out so I used the wet vac to take the water out of the pump basket.

it seems that the last time the pump was serviced the seal between the wet end and the dry end inside the metal clamp has been bodged with white silicone sealant so I cleaned it up and put a good helping of silicone lube on. I will get a seals kit and take it apart a bit more next time.

i know pretty straight forward stuff for most of you but having never done so before wasn’t too Sure what to expect!

 

[Texas Splash]

Hats-off for separating the motor from the wet end to investigate. It is somewhat common for a shaft seal to fail resulting in water leakage from the wet end into the motor area. I had a hard time seeing the leaking area in the first pic, but it's good you seemed to have find it. When you research a new shaft seal, you might inquire about a complete seal kit, sometimes referred to as a "go-kit".

 

[UKjames]

Thanks Pat. It’s really hard to tell where the leak is. there was some white corrosion on the nuts that hold the implellar housing but then it didn’t seem wet and there is similar corrosion all over the motor housing.

The metal band was wet so hoping that the problem was simply the clamp o ring. It seems to have stretched a bit too.

there seem to be seal kits and seal kits!
I don’t use the drain plugs as can use a wet vac. So figured maybe I’ll only need the diffuser, clamp and motor shaft seals. Not sure on the likelihood of needing the square gasket too. I think you’re saying best to do all of them.

i noticed silicone lube doesn’t seem to go very far either given how big the rubber o rings are!

Sta-Rite 5P2R

Sta-Rite 5P2R pump spare parts

www.poolpumpseals.co.uk

 

[Texas Splash]

Yes, if I was going to replace the shaft seal, I'd be sure to go ahead and replace the other O-rings as well (diffuser, clamp, and strainer gasket. All of those should help to keep the pump water-tight. Best of luck!

 

[UKjames]

Just wondering do shaft seals have a typical service life / Is taking the pump apart to check the shaft seal something that should be done regularly?

 

[ferretbone]

Think of your shaft seal as a brake pad, clutch, or tire. The pump seal is a sacrifice part. It will wear out. You only really need to replace them when they leak, or when you remove them.

 

[UKjames]

Presumably you see the leak before it kills your pump…

I had a small leak that I think but am not certain is from the clamp o-ring. So i put a good layer of silicone grease on to see if the leak stops. If it does I’m just wondering if I don’t see any more evidence of leaking then I should be ok without opening up the unit and disturbing the shaft seal.. I realise no one can answer definitively but- in general.

 

[Texas Splash]

A leak at the shaft seal can present itself typically in two ways .... water seeping-out from the motor casing or signs of corrosion. I believe in your other thread we discussed the seal package options (Go-Kit), so if you do continue to see water leaking that will probably be the next logical step.

 

[UKjames]

Soo.. I replaced the clamp o ring and the diffuser o ring. Now although the o ring looks like it fits better, the pump leaks something chronic- not masses of water coming out other than drips however you can feel the air rushing in around the clamp and the filter glass bubbles never purge. Any tips for what I might be doing wrong?

one thing I don’t get is how compressing the pump and strainer basket with the clamp has the effect of drawing the two together or does it not and I need to somehow load the two together and then do up the clamp?

 

[Texas Splash]

Let's see if @JamesW can help give us more troubleshooting to go on.

 

[UKjames]

Thanks Pat. I took things apart again and tried tapping/hitting the motor towards the wet end and tapping round the clamp as I was doing it up. It’s a sta-rite 5P2RC-1B

 

[Texas Splash]

James, you may have already seen some of these videos on YouTube, but just in case, here is one example from a series they did.

 

[UKjames]

Thanks Pat. It’s the Reassembly that I think I’m struggling with. Couldn’t see the video in that series for that.

 

[Texas Splash]

@mas985 do you have any experience with this model?

 

[UKjames]

I’m wondering if I’ve cracked the housing now. So need to take the wet end off to get a proper look at it.

When reconnecting the plumbing do you put ptfe tape on the threads of the threads being inserted in to the pump unions?

 

[Texas Splash]

When reconnecting the plumbing do you put ptfe tape on the threads of the threads being inserted in to the pump unions?

Often times you can. Many unions have an O-ring inside, so theoretically you shouldn't have to, but it's common to give the threads 2-3 good wraps of tape.

 

[mas985]

That pump model is notorious for leaking including cracked housings. Might be time for a new pump.

 

[UKjames]

Thanks MAS.