Facts About Pool Pump Repair

Facts about pool pump repair largely come down to preventative maintenance.  To steal a phrase, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Preventing Pool Pump Breakdown

Two of the biggest items to keep in mind when it comes to facts about pool pump repair are: prevent pool pump breakdown by always keeping fluid running through the pump, and keeping the pump clean inside and out.  Running the pump dry is a sure way to cause excessive wear and tear on your pool pump.  The more times your pump runs dry, the more chance your impellor and the plastic housing and O-rings encasing it will wear and not seal anymore.   Essentially, a bad seal will create cavitation in your pool plumbing and keep the pump from priming, causing your pool to not circulate and filter.  Running your pump dry long enough will burn out your mechanical seal.  Once your mechanical seal burns out it will leak water which could transfer into your electrical motor.  Needless to say, water and electricity don’t mix well.  Once water leaks into the electrical motor, outright replacement of the pump and motor is not far behind.  Keeping your water level at operational level, keeping your pool filter, skimmer, and pump basket clean, and keeping your weir door in working order should help to always keep your pool pump full of water and circulating.  Inspect your skimmer basket and pump basket regularly for cracks and breaks.  A good defense is a good offense and your skimmer and pump baskets are the defense for your pump lasting a long time.  If your baskets have breaks in them, shut the pump down immediately and replace the basket.  Any debris that gets by the basket will plug up your impellor and eventually cause your pump to run dry.  Keep the area around the pump clear of dust and debris.  Conventional pool pumps have vents underneath the motor that are great areas for dust to gather.  Blow out the dust from this area on a regular basis to prevent damage to the motor.

The Future of Pool Pump Repair

The new pool pumps of this day and age are kind of what the smart phone is to the old pay phone.  Variable speed pumps have built in sensors so they know to shut down power when there is low flow, thereby eliminating a dry fire of the pump.  The pumps are programmed to try to re-prime automatically but to shut down again after a predetermined amount of time if enough water is not present to circulate the pool.  If your skimmer basket is plugged this feature should save your pump.  This feature in itself will prolong the need for repair on the pump.  These pumps also have cooling fans in the motor so while the pump is running it will keep the motor cool and free of dust/debris prolonging the motors life.  Dial in a specific speed with the LCD screen on the pump for your particular pool to circulate.  Use less energy to create flow and extend the life of the pump.

Water and Electricity

Two things your pool pump needs to run.  Two things that need to be in good shape/condition for your pump to run without requiring repair.   Make sure your electrical wire feed and switch to your pool pump are sized correctly, especially if you are changing out or upgrading your pump.  Make sure your pool water is balanced by a professional pool water testing lab.  Water that is acidic or alkaline will damage your pool pump and eventually the electrical motor if left uncorrected long enough.  If your not sure your pump wiring is sized correctly, if your not sure your water is balanced, or if you just want to spend less time and money on pool pump repairs and make a move to the smart pump of today- contact our service department: service@aqua-tech.ca and we can fix things up for you.