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| Paddle your own canoe  |
The last several pool motors I have had were Century 1 1/2 HP two speed. Pool is a saltwater pool converted from chlorine 4 or 5 years ago. Problem is that it seems that every year I need to have the bearings and seal replaced, so much so that last year I decided after two or three years in a row, to replace with an entirely new Century motor, with a 12 month warranty. Fourteen freaking months later, I need new bearings and seal. DAMMIT! I have a 2hp Hayward that is original circa 2005 and still runs but it is on the spa which is rarely used so not sure the there longevity is remarkable. Curious as to if we have any experts here. I am of the belief that the salt is having a detrimental effect on this situation, but have no plans to go back to chlorine. Looking for recommends on better options than these Century motors. I believe the original was a Hayward 2hp 2 speed. I don't recall how long it lasted, but has been replaced every time with the Century brand, which I am sure is cheaper. Opinions welcome!! | ||
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| Member |
Our salt water pool has a sacrificial zinc anode inline in the plumbing and the ground is attached to it. I am not sure if that helps or not. I currently have a Century 2 speed pump motor that is working fine. We will have to see how long it lasts. had the same setup on our previous pool at another house and had no problems. In my experience pool motors last around 5 years. The sun/rain hitting them all the time is partially to blame. They do make covers for them but I have never bothered with one. FYI - you still have a chlorine pool, you just make liquid CL2 from the salt instead of using the floater and the tablets, or some other method, fwiw. | |||
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| Gone but Together Again. Dad & Uncle  |
We've had a 30k gallon chlorine pool for 23 years. So far I've replaced the main pump 2x and the Polaris pump 1x. We must be lucky given both your posts above. | |||
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| Run Silent Run Deep  |
I inherited my pool on move in in 2012...and only this year have issues with my cleaner pump seal. Main pump seal is fine... Are you on a DE filter? Maybe small amounts are getting past filter screens and getting recirced back into pump suction from pool main drain suction? DE is tenacious. Any other gritty type contamination into pool? _____________________________ Pledge allegiance or pack your bag! The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher Spread my work ethic, not my wealth | |||
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| Paddle your own canoe |
I am not on DE, but a sand filter, and I have seen that sand is on the low end of the totem pole as far as filtering efficiency. I have had two other pools, both with sand and don't recall the issue of needing bearings and seal nearly every year. Of course stuff was just made better way back then. I just had the pool re-plastered, so some fines are sluffed off as part of that curing process. This whole seal and bearing failure has been consistent for about the last 10 years. Not the motor's fault, I realize, just curious as to a better product with better seals. My repair man is due here tomorrow or next day, so I will discuss with him. | |||
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| Thank you Very little  |
Went through that for years, having the motor rebuilt, pump was a hayward and lasted pretty long but finally gave up the ghost after 10 to 12 years. Now run a variable speed hayward, it's better on sound and power as it doesn't have to run full speed all day. If you have to replace it, get a VSP the noise reduction and power use savings is worth it, going on 5 years so far. Taint cheap but nothing is anymore. Link a dinka doo | |||
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Member |
The problem isn't the motors: century, AO Smith, etc, all use the same bearings which do not react well with water. The problem is with the pump seal. Pump seals fail for two reasons, the pump runs dry and overheats them or they get contaminated by oil from you fingers when they're installed. the filter comes after the pump and it nor its media choice has no effect on seal life. VS pumps are nice and can save serious money if your electricity rates are high. They're also VERY expensive to replace when the seal fails and cooks the motor bearings. If you see water dripping under the pump, that's the time to replace the seal, not when the bearings are shot and the pump is grinding. Seal failures happen. This is how I handle it. First time, buy a new motor and seal and replace. I take the old motor to a motor shop and have the bearings replaced for $100. Then I keep that motor and a new seal on hand for the next eventuality. What you don't want is to have the pump grind to a halt and you're in a mad dash to find a new motor before the pool turns green. | |||
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Member |
I've had this issue. The first 15 years was no trouble. Then i was replacing the pump every year or sometimes i'd get 2. After the last time i decided i was going to fix it where i could quick disconnect the pump assembly and put it in the garage for winter. I've not had to replace a pump in 5 years. I used to dread opening the pool up and the colossal pain in the ass they are. The best pool is one owned by a neighbor or family member. If anyone wants a pool, don't! Regards, P. | |||
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| Thank you Very little |
We rarely had pump and pump seal issues, the motors though crapped out constantly, especially the local shop replacements, I was spending enough on replacements that after a while getting a whole new system with warranty was easily equal in value. VS pumps are not inexpensive, but they do work down here our pumps run every day. | |||
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| Paddle your own canoe |
This is good information! However, my experience has been most times hearing the change in the sound (grinding) of the motor, rather than a leak developing first. I did do a motor rebuild and change out after one of the hurricanes drowned the damned motor. Had to do it myself as far as uninstall and reinstall, after a local shop did the rebuild, but much prefer my pool guy do it. The were way busy after that hurricane. I think I read somewhere that Century is formerly AO Smith, but not sure of that. I do have a 3/4 HP Hayward pool pump that I bought to drain water from under the pool prior to emptying it for the re-plaster. Thought I would not need it again. Right now it is circulating water in the pool. May not be helping but pool is crystal clear after 3 days of no filtering. If my downtime was way extended I could rig its out flow into a skimmer and through the filter, but hoping not to have to do that. | |||
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I Deal In Lead |
I've had my pool for 16 years, but it's 17 years old (previous owner). I ran a Hayward pump for 11 of those years before it started making noises and I replaced it, but it was still working fine. I'm now using a Pentair Intelliflo variable speed pump and have been for around 5 years with absolutely no problems. Salt water pool here, cartridge filters that get cleaned every year and replaced at around 5 or 6 year intervals. | |||
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| Just for the hell of it  |
My experience is a dated few years and revolved around commercial pools. But we did have some smaller ones and baby pools. For the small pumps, under 2 HP, Hayward Super Pump where always the best. They just always worked. Out of 100 problems with pumps, under 2 HP less, than 5 would be a Hayward Super Pumps and they accounted for easily 75% of what I dealt with in that size. You couldn't break them if you tried(well maybe). They just always worked. Self-primmed better than anything else in that size. Simple lid design on the H/L strainer. Getting to the impeller was a little more work than the ones with the clamp style connection but again you very really needed to disconnect the motor from the hair/lint strainer because they just always worked. _____________________________________ Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain. Jack Kerouac | |||
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Member |
I am having a "spare" motor and pump rebuilt now and the guy doing it confirmed what was said before that if there is *any* grease on the ceramic seal when it is installed, it will fail in a year. The only lubricant used anywhere in assembly should be soapy water when you slide the seal over the impeller. The pool water is the lubricant on the wet-end so avoid dry startups. -Scott -NRA Pistol Instructor -NRA Shotgun Instructor -NRA Range Safety Officer -NRA Metallic cartridge & Shotgun Reloading Instructor -MA Certified Firearms Instructor | |||
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