How long should a pump motor last?

[Spurgeon]

I need to replace my pump motor for the 3rd time. The pump is a Sta-Rite Dura Glass 1 hp. How long should the motor last? Is there a pump and motor with a 5 or 10 guarantee available? The motors are running around 100-125.00 each.

Thanks for your responses.

[Poconos]

How are they failing? They should last several years at least even under harsh conditions. My Hayward is starting its 10th season with nothing more than torquing four bolts each spring to stop a small dribble. Then again, it's in a poolhouse out of the weather.
Al

[CarlD]

I need to replace my pump motor for the 3rd time. The pump is a Sta-Rite Dura Glass 1 hp. How long should the motor last? Is there a pump and motor with a 5 or 10 guarantee available? The motors are running around 100-125.00 each.

Thanks for your responses.

While Al is usually more knowledgable about pumps than I am, I have some questions:
1) Are you replacing just the motor? How do you know the pump isn't making the motor work too hard?
2) How's the pressure on the system? If it's too low the motor may spin to fast, too high it will lug and burn out the motor.
3) How's your current? If the voltage at the pump is dropping too low, or spiking too high, you'll burn out motors. And that would probably indicate a wiring problem.

These are just starter questions.....

[Spurgeon]

I am replacing the electric motor on the pump. It is exposed to the weather and my pressure runs around 25 to 30 lbs I think. The gauge gets stuck a lot so we just back wash nearly every other day.

The bearings in the motor is what fails it starts making a noise that just gets louder and louder. I am on my 3rd motor in less than 8 years. The pump runs 24/7 after we open the pool in the middle of May and close it usually in the middle of September.

I notice each time the motor is replaced there has been leakage from the pump seal. The ceramic seal has been replaced each time the motor has. Last year I just replaced the seal again as I noticed some seeping between the motor and pump. The motor quieted down some but still makes a lot of noise.

This is an inground pool with about 15000 gal capacity. The pump is a 1 hp.

We have had times it has gotten stopped up with leaves which I am sure has put extra work on the motor but you would think it would last longer than this.

[CarlD]

(just erased a long response--ARGH!!!!)

I think you have too much pressure on your pump 25-30# is, IMHO, too high. For a 15,000 gal pool and 1 hp pump that tells me something simply is just plain wrong somewhere. I have 19,000 gal, a 1hp SuperPump (Hayward) 2 speed and a 200# sand filter and I'm going into 6 years with no problems. When I hit 25# I backwash immediately!

Something is causing your excessive pressure and I think that's burning out your motors. It may be a blocked pipe, improperly routed plumbing, or too small a filter or a blocked filter, but probably not a bad pump. Can you disconnect key parts of the system and see if the pressure changes? If pressure jumps excessively, you've probably found the problem and blockage.

BTW, what filter are you running (type, brand, size and model)and is your pump a 1hp full-rated or up-rated?

Al, what do you think?

[mackeeg]

We just opened our pool today and the front part in front of the motor is squirting out water. Do you all think it is a seal or what and can we replace them ourselves??

thaks

[Steamer]

The motor bearings can be changed out pretty easily, instead of changing the whole motor, my local hardware store carries the right size bearings for mine they cost about 3 dollars each and every few years, since I am too lazy to take the pump indoors during the winter and the pump starts to sound like a truck, I change the bearings.
Mike

[Poconos]

A good source of all kinds of bearings is
http://www.mcmaster.com
Get the measurements and you can probably find something. Then the trick is going to be Tried removing the bearings on Watermoms old pump and could not do despite all the tricks.
Al