Pump ran dry - what should I watch for?

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W

wags22

0
May 14, 2016
65
Yucca Valley, CA
Pool Size
12500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
My pentair VS3050 pump ran dry, could have been for up to two weeks. It melted the basket. The pump still turns on, but I had the cover off so I don't know if it still creates suction.

What should I be watching for or replace immediately to avoid future problems?

TYIA!
Jonathan
 
Wags,

Wow that's pretty hot! Very likely burned up or cracked the ceramic part of the mechanical seal. Luckily this is easily replaced and only costs $20. Could also have weakened or deteriorated the o-rings in the pump body. Do you have it running now? Are there any leaks? If not that means you didn't warp or damage the pump body in the sealing areas. If it were me I'd replace the mechanical seal even if you don't see a leak. To do this you're going to need to take the pump apart anyway so replace all the seals and inspect the impeller, diffuser and other parts for damage. When the mechanical seal leaks pool water gets on the motor bearing and this will quickly cause a very expensive repair or require a new motor... pretty expensive on a VS pump.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
Chris,
Thank you for the response. Let me clarify, it warped the basket, didn't melt it down completely.
I don't know the pump well enough to know which parts you're referring to. I'm attaching the manual for the pump, would you be willing/able to point out which parts from the schematic on page 26 of the manual (34 according Adobe reader).
I don't currently have the pump running, I did start it just to make sure a bearing hadn't seized and froze the motor. I'm going to get a new basket today and start it up and watch for problems.

https://www.royalswimmingpools.com/IntelliFloVS-Manual.pdf - link to the manual online.

Thanks again,
Jonathan
 

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  • IntelliFloVS-Manual.pdf
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wags22 said:
Chris,
Thank you for the response. Let me clarify, it warped the basket, didn't melt it down completely.
I don't know the pump well enough to know which parts you're referring to. I'm attaching the manual for the pump, would you be willing/able to point out which parts from the schematic on page 26 of the manual (34 according Adobe reader).
I don't currently have the pump running, I did start it just to make sure a bearing hadn't seized and froze the motor. I'm going to get a new basket today and start it up and watch for problems.

https://www.royalswimmingpools.com/IntelliFloVS-Manual.pdf - link to the manual online.

Thanks again,
Jonathan
Click to expand...

MS,

Sure. You'll need a complete o-ring and seal kit. Some supply houses have them all made up. The parts you need are:
  • #30 357100 GASKET SANTOPRENE MOLDED
  • #20 350013 O-RING LID CH/WF 2-436
  • #10 071444 O-RING 238, 3.484x0.139, Buna-N 70
  • Mechanical Seal not is numbered on the drawing but from Inyopools. It is part number 26 here
You may also need the diffuser and impeller if they are cracked or damaged.

If it were me I'd rotate the impeller to see if it's frozen. You can usually do this from inside the suction housing via the hole behind the strainer. Do turn off the breaker and not just the controller before doing this to keep all your fingers. If it turns freely you can bump the pump momentarily to see if you hear any rattling. This would likely be some of the other parts I mentioned. I've done a lot of work on pumps but I'm not a pool pump expert so I'll ask a couple of our experts to opine also. @Jimrahbe @mas985 @Texas Splash

I hope this is helpful, good luck and feel free to ask any additional questions!

Chris
 
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Jonathan,

If it warped the basket, I would be thinking about a new pump.. it may have warped things enough that it will no longer seal the pump lid correctly..

That said, let's see what mas985 has to say first...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
It runs, it pumps. Moderate leak at the outlet pipe, could be it just broke the seal, could be it warped the pvc, could be it warped the pump housing. I'm going to start by replacing the pvc fitting as it is the lowest cost and I wanted to redo some of the plumbing anyway.


Thanks for all the responses. I'll keep you posted.
 
wags22 said:
It runs, it pumps. Moderate leak at the outlet pipe, could be it just broke the seal, could be it warped the pvc, could be it warped the pump housing. I'm going to start by replacing the pvc fitting as it is the lowest cost and I wanted to redo some of the plumbing anyway.
Click to expand...

That's what I would do - never know, the pump may last another 10 years! Is the pressure and flow similar to before the "event"?
 
Wags,

That's great to hear. I want to play your lotto number. If you don't plan to do any repairs just watch very closely for any signs of a seal leak. They are sometimes hard to spot and it won't leak for very long before there's damage to your motor bearing. If it was me I'd do the repairs. and put some unions like Jim R recommends.

Chris
 
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