Another humming pump...........

[Poconos]

Something I thought about after we chatted.....since you can't see exactly where the water is leaking, from the mating surfaces that that O-ring is supposed to seal or from the motor air vents which would be the shaft seal, while you have it apart take a close look for any cracks in the pump housing. Highly unlikely but if there is one it could be opening up when you torque the bolts.
Catch ya later.
Al

[aylad]

OK, I'll check. The one thing I forgot to mention is that every time I put it together, the leak gets worse--hoping that confirms the suspicion about the bad seal....

Jan

[aylad]

The seal was the problem--the old one just crumbled away when I took the pump apart. So now it's working, not leakng, but it's VERY loud..and since I had to run it overnite last night because I'm cleaning up the green that happened while I waited for warm weather to work on it, the longer it ran last night, the louder it got. So--am I correct in thinking my bearings are bad. And if so, What kind of time do I have before it quits?

[waste]

Hi, Jan. Happy 2012!

I'd say the bearings are indeed bad. If they are, I can't give you a time-frame on total seizure but it should still start as long as you can manually get the shaft to spin.

Do you have a small electric motor repair place nearby that will give you a 60+ day warranty on repacking the bearings? If not, I fear you are looking at a new motor for the new year.

Please keep us informed as to what's going on and we'll advise/ help, as best we can.

[PoolDoc]

Janet,

You might want to look at the economics of a 2-speed motor, like these:
http://www.a1poolparts.com/-strse-Mo...Categories.bok

A 2-speed motor will move 1/2 the water on low for 1/6 the electricity.

I wouldn't bother with the electronic multi-speed motors. As far as I can tell, they do not save any more than then regular 2-speed . . . IF you have sized your pump correctly. And they do cost a LOT more.

However, you often won't find ANY multi-speed motors (2 speed or more) in local stocks, so if you want to go this way, you'll want to order parts BEFORE your motor finally dies.

[Poconos]

Hi Jan,
If the bearings are squealing then I wouldn't bother trying to repack them, if that is even possible. Just replace. If the races aren't rusted in place then replacement should be relatively easy with the right equipment. As for how long before total failure? Anybodys guess.
Al

[PoolDoc]

As for how long before total failure? Anybody's guess.

What he said!

I've seen pumps that make a racket, but keep on going for a year or more. But, I've also seen them die almost immediately.