Pump Motor: Repair or Replace?

[CarlD]

So, after 10 years, my 1hp 2spd SuperPump didn't want to start this season: It was stuck and would hum. I got it open and broke the impeller loose and so it ran, but it was making that high-speed hum that indicates...bearing failure.

I ordered a set of bearings and seals from WeT Head Pumps and started to install it today. But the long bolts through the casing into the motor bell snapped off. I attempted to get the pieces of screws out of the bell and they sheared--bi-metallic welding--steel into threaded aluminum. So the bell is no good and the bolts are no good.
New set (used), over $60. The bearing kit was $30. Strap wrench, $30, bearing puller, $12.
Here are my choices:
1) Go ahead and order these new used parts and wait 6 days for delivery, meanwhile my pool sits.
2) Find a new 2spd 1hp motor to fit my pump...approx $300, but I could have the motor today or tomorrow.
3) Replace the 11 year old pump with new: approx $500 all-in.

So, is there any general consensus of the best way to go? Seems silly to invest in a new motor AND new parts for the old. Should I just wait and hope like crazy I can fix the pump with the new parts? Or take the partial plunge to a new motor, a full plunge to a new pump?

Ideas, suggestion?

[CarlD]

I feel like an idiot. I was worried about my pool not being turned over every day. Then I realized: I have a Blue Diamond robot I use to vacuum. It's supposed to be the equal of one turnover. So...I'll run it everyday until I get the parts for the pump motor and repair it.

I can't use or even test my new SWCG, though.

[mas985]

That is a tough choice but after 11 years of use, the housing may be nearing it's end of life as well but there is no way to know for sure. Based on forum posts alone, older pumps seem more prone to housing cracks. You would hate to go through the expense of repair to find a housing crack a short time later.

Have you inspected the motor shaft? Sometimes, the shaft can get bent which then makes the seal fail and then makes the bearings fail. So fixing the bearing may only be a temporary solution. The only way to tell is to run the motor with the impeller (outside of housing) and watch the impeller for any wobble. Also, are the bearings clean and free from rust?

BTW, did you check to see what a motor shop would charge for bearing replacement?

If you decide on replacement, Superpump's are great work horses and I wouldn't hesitate to get another. However, the Pentair Superflo is a great replacement as well and you can sometimes find them cheaper than the Superpump.

[CarlD]

Changing the bearings was actually a piece of cake. That's already done. My problems have stemmed from the long bolts seizing into the motor bell house--bi-metal binding/welding, whatever and they snapped off. I had run just the motor with the impeller with the old bearings and it ran true. But the disassembly caused the problems.

But I'm thinking if the motor fix doesn't work, it's really not worth replacing the motor (one estimate was higher than a new 2spd Superpump! And that's just for the parts!). I'm about $90 into parts, plus tools (but I get to keep those ) and I don't need to pay someone else for the labor. If it works, I'm good for several more years. If not, new 2spd Superpumps can be had for $500 all in.

Can't test my new SWCG yet, though.

[CarlD]

Update:
Still waiting for the pump motor parts. I ordered them last Thursday, was assured they'd be here by Wednesday, yesterday, and found out, after I called them, that they hadn't even SHIPPED the parts till yesterday morning. What were they waiting for, Halley's Comet? If I'm lucky, they'll arrive tomorrow afternoon, with my pool without a pump for over a week. Not happy with this company. They don't keep their promises.

[CarlD]

What a nightmare! I went to a company called wetheadpumprepair.com out of Rochester. Today, the parts I needed were supposed to show up, a used bell, four long bolts and the clip that holds the bell to the bearing. A bell came, used, in some of the roughest condition I have seen, and filthy. It's in a parts bath. But no bolts, no bearing clip...it's all of a sudden back-ordered. To reverse the order, I have to pay shipping to return the bell. So I cancelled the order, I'm stuck with having spent $65+ on bearings, seals, a used bell, all of which is now useless because the critical parts are....back-ordered--and no pump.

So...I went back to my old standby, Leisure Living, aka poolsupplies.com and ordered a new Hayward 1hp 2 spd Superpump. I considered the Pentair but that was only about $60 cheaper...and now I have spares of just about everything. I should have the pump Monday and I'll try to keep my pool from turning green till then. This is one time that tri-chlor erosion pucks are worth their weight in gold!

Also, I, personally, will never do business with WeT HeaD ever again. I cannot recommend them.

[BigDave]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad time. Good luck with the new pump.

[CarlD]

Thanks, Dave. The new one should be an easy drop-in. I'll just put on the fittings and wire it up and be ready to go!

[CarlD]

The new pump arrived today! FedEx Ground left it by my garage and never even rang the bell, though I was home all day. I checked tracking around 5 and the person had left it with no notice several hours earlier...and nobody who went in or out of the garage mentioned it. ARGHHHH!

But I got it installed and running, only one wrong connection that popped the breaker. Found it, fixed it, now it's running!

Now I cannot get the SWCG to run properly....Sean, Please help! It powers up but says it can't communicate with the cell.

If it's not one thing, it's another....

[CarlD]

Just an update: It was a setting and the SWCG has been running nicely. I'm slowly bringing the chlorine gen level down to try to get to match the ideal for the CYA (currently 60) but the FC today was 8.
Meanwhile the new pump is silent and wonderful.
I still need to fix the old one. Now the impeller is stripped and one of the switch blocks has a snapped-off mounting ear. But time has kept me from addressing these problems.

I found my pH trending DOWN--surprise! So I added a very sophisticated combination of pH increaser and T/A increaser...Arm&Hammer Washing Soda!