Update Old Motor/Pump?

[Coreyed]

I am a Brand new pool owner. Just purchased a home with an ungrounds pool. I can’t say I’m completely excited about it. I can say that the local pool store is getting really sick of my constant questions. Anyways, the “pool guy” that came over said the motor needs replacing. It finally turnEd over after he cranked some rust off of some bolts, however it does run particularly loud. The noise seems to come from the impeller which I’m confused if that is actually the pump or not?
When I google the motor ID (USQ1072) a replacement seems fairly cheap ($150ish)
Is this model old? I’d like to replace and or update the whole scene (will require cutting pvc)

Does anyone have a suggestion on what to replace, what’s worth the investment and is less than $1k to accomplish.

Also I believe air is getting into the trap near the pump so that also might need replacement.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Coreyed]

 

[Hootz]

If the pump seems to be ok you can replace the motor. The options are single speed (highly inefficient), two speed, or variable speed. Two speed is the middle price choice; your pool would do well on low speed. Some two speed pumps use a manual switch for
low/high speed selection, others use a two timer setup to control speeds. Variable speed motors offer more flexibility as far as run times and speed selection, and do not require an external timer. A pump running at half speed uses close to 75% less power.
Air in the pump basket is an indication of a suction side leak; air entering the system between the skimmer or main drain and the pump. While the pump is running, use a stream of water from a garden hose to check for external plumbing leaks. Video link

 

[Coreyed]

Thanks for the response, this is very helpful.

 

[setsailsoon]

Cor,

Welcome to TFP!

Sometimes it's a little difficult to determine exactly where the noise is coming from since the parts are pretty close together. Loud noise usually comes from the motor bearing which is located in the hole on the front flange that bolts directly up to the pump. Another common source of noise is from a cracked impeller or an impeller that has something caught in it. You can turn off the breaker and then remove the basket strainer and see if you can reach into the pump impeller to see if there's anything inside the housing. It should rotate freely.

I replaced my 2 speed pump with a variable speed pump about 6 months ago. It was a piece of cake to do. I bought it online for about $400 and will payout a little over a year. It's also very quiet since most of the time it's running it does so at 1700 rpm. If you replace the motor do the pump seal as well and get new o-rings. There are great videos on You Tube that show how to do it. If you need more details just post your questions here.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Coreyed]

Cor,

Welcome to TFP!

Sometimes it's a little difficult to determine exactly where the noise is coming from since the parts are pretty close together. Loud noise usually comes from the motor bearing which is located in the hole on the front flange that bolts directly up to the pump. Another common source of noise is from a cracked impeller or an impeller that has something caught in it. You can turn off the breaker and then remove the basket strainer and see if you can reach into the pump impeller to see if there's anything inside the housing. It should rotate freely.

I replaced my 2 speed pump with a variable speed pump about 6 months ago. It was a piece of cake to do. I bought it online for about $400 and will payout a little over a year. It's also very quiet since most of the time it's running it does so at 1700 rpm. If you replace the motor do the pump seal as well and get new o-rings. There are great videos on You Tube that show how to do it. If you need more details just post your questions here.

I hope this helps.

Chris

Awesome information. I am currently looking at this VS Super Pump. A few people on here have said it is an easy process. Is the pump plumbed in with glue and therefore requires cutting PVC or are there threaded connections that connect to the pump.
Also I believe I need to replace that valve (see image above) that has duct tape covering a hole. I am fairly certain that is going to require cutting some pipes.

 

[Hootz]

There are parts available for those types of valves to fix most any problem. You may have to cut that valve out and start over due to the fact there is no plumbing to work with between the valve and the pump. If you can move the pump further back that would give you some room to work with. The pump you are looking at as well as most new pumps have union type fittings that make it much easier to remove the pump for service. The new pump fittings most likely will not line up the same as the old pump so you need to take that into consideration.

 

[setsailsoon]

Awesome information. I am currently looking at this VS Super Pump. A few people on here have said it is an easy process. Is the pump plumbed in with glue and therefore requires cutting PVC or are there threaded connections that connect to the pump.
Also I believe I need to replace that valve (see image above) that has duct tape covering a hole. I am fairly certain that is going to require cutting some pipes.

The VS Super Pump should work great. I can't see both fittings in the photos you supplied but the one I can see does not look like it has the standard pump union. You'll probably need to cut and re-pipe anyway. Normally the pump is supplied with half unions for suction and discharge. The fittings will glue to the PVC and then screw to the pump. This is the standard way to connect to all pumps that I'm aware of. I would check with your supplier to be sure they are included.

If you want to make the job a little easier you can always just remove and replace the motor only. Eventually you'll probably need to do the piping with the correct half-unions but this can save you some money even if you replace the pump fittings.

I think you have a Jandy valve there and you can get the parts as Hootz indicates. It also looks to be close coupled to the pump. If it were me I'd get the valve parts Make sure you get the parts for the right model valve. They are good valves and last a long time.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Coreyed]

There are parts available for those types of valves to fix most any problem. You may have to cut that valve out and start over due to the fact there is no plumbing to work with between the valve and the pump. If you can move the pump further back that would give you some room to work with. The pump you are looking at as well as most new pumps have union type fittings that make it much easier to remove the pump for service. The new pump fittings most likely will not line up the same as the old pump so you need to take that into consideration.

If I replace the pump and re-do some of the plumbing, should I put a short pvc pipe between the pump basket and the actual pump?

 

[setsailsoon]

Yes, you want some room to replace fittings in the future. Doesn't need to be real long. 18" is plenty.