We know that preventative maintenance is the most economical way to maintain equipment which is why it is best to address any issues with your pool pump as quickly as possible. The pool pump is the heart of your pool responsible for circulating water through the entire system, without this vital piece your pools equipment operating properly it does not take long before it causes follow on problems/ symptoms such as other dependant pumps/ equipment being starved of water, running dry or even worse overheating and burning out.
How do I know if my pump needs to be repaired?
There are various symptoms which can indicate that your pump may need to be repaired.
1/ There is a pool of water forming underneath the pump.
If you can identify that the floor underneath your pump is wet, this could be a sign that the Mechanical seal between your pumps motor and wet end has failed and is now allowing water into your pumps motor which will lead to corrosion of the motor bearings and pump chassis.
Being proactive in identifying these symptoms and others is what Pool Aide technicians do on our regular pool servicing which can save you hundreds of dollars on pump replacement.
2/ Your pump sounds noisy or funny.
A noisy pump is often a tell-tale sign that your pumps motor bearings are in need of a change. Early attention to this can prevent the total collapse of the motor bearings and therefore prevention of motor burn out.
3/ The pump takes a while to start working.
If there is a delay in the time it takes for your pump to start working from the time you turn it on or if it will not turn on at all, it could be as the result of your pumps capacitor ( starter) failing. This is a common issue which again if addressed early can prevent a follow on effect of damage to other equipment. I relate this issue to the starter motor in a car. Sometimes your car begins to take a little longer to start, which is the first sign that it needs a service, then eventually it just won’t start.
Your pool pump can experience the same type of issue, until one day it just won’t start. You may or may not hear is humming or buzzing as well.
4/ The power is tripping to my pool equipment.
Not sure why your power keeps tripping at the circuit breaker. Well it could be because your pool pump motor or capacitor have failed or burnt out. This can sometimes be the first sign of anything being wrong with your pool equipment. The easiest way to isolate this as your problem is to unplug all the pool equipment before resetting the circuit breaker to restore power to the filtration equipment. Then plug in a switch on each pool equipment appliance one at a time to determine which appliance is tripping the power.
5/ There is no water in the pump when it’s on.
Your pool pump losing prime is a common problem which can be caused be several factors. The first thing to ask yourself is, did you just open the pump lid, and was it working beforehand.
2 things to check if you did open up the pump lid are
- a) Is the pump lint pot basket sitting correctly in place with its locating notch and or the inlet opening facing the inlet pipe.
- b) Is the pump lid Oring clean and lubricated with the lid sitting properly and hand tightened?
If you have done both these things and primed the pump with a bucket of water (if pump is located above pool water level) the next thing would be to eliminate back pressure in the system which may have been caused by air entering the pool system and compressing in your filter. To eliminate this as a factor you can place your filters Multiport Valve in the waste position before turning on your pump. Allow it to prime for 1minute, if it fully primes that is the pump lint pot basket fills up with water as per normal, then simply Backwash and rinse your filter system as normal to bleed the air out of the filter.
The easiest way to explain this phenomenon is to think of your filter like a big beach ball. It is virtually impossible to push a beach ball under water, just like it is for your pump to push all the air now compressed inside your filter (beach ball) back to the pool underwater via the return pipes. Rather by pushing the air out via the waste line by backwashing there is less resistance plus you are now trying to fill your filter up with water from the bottom of the filter to the top.