What maintenance is needed with pool pumps?
When you own a pool, there is more to worry about than just clean water and adding the right chemicals. The inner workings of the pool also need to be a priority in order to achieve the ultimate performance. If the other components are not working properly, this will affect things like the color and quality of your water. This means you need to stay on top of all of your swimming pool repairs, including maintaining and repairing damaged pool pumps.
Pool Pumps are Vital for Your Pool’s Health
One of the parts that you should always keep well maintained is your pool pump. Your pool pump contributes greatly to your pool’s health. As soon as you notice something is wrong, it’s crucial to seek pool pump repair as soon as possible. A neglected pool pump problem can lead to bigger and more expensive problems down the road.
Your pool pump is the home base of your pool. It’s how clean water gets filtered and into your pool. A typical pump includes an electric motor that spins an impeller inside the pump housing. The impeller then drives the water from the many drains through the filter and then back out to the water inlets.
Before the water can go into the pump, it has to pass through a strainer basket that catches leaves and anything else that might clog the pump. If the pump is clogged, you’re not getting the cleanest water possible.
When your pool water is filtered, dirty water from the pool comes in through the filter’s inlet pipe, which leads to the water distribution head inside the tank. As gravity pulls the water down, any dirt and debris is caught. At the bottom of the tank, the filtered water flows through the pick-up unit and to the outlet pipe.
As you can see there are many parts that make a pool pump work. When one is not working properly, you will need pool pump repair.
Different types of pool pump maintenance you may need
When you have your pool serviced regularly by Lone Star Pool Services, our experienced technicians will be able to detect a problem and can then work to repair it. Some common problems with pool pumps include:
Leaking Pump
Your pump may be leaking for several reasons. One could be due to the fact that the threaded fitting carrying water out of the pump ended up shrinking because of the heat. This causes water to drip and then spray.
Water can also be leaking because a mechanical shaft seal is worn out. A licensed and experienced pool technician will be able to determine the root of the problem and perform the appropriate pool pump repair.
Air in the pump basket
Another common pool pump problem that can require maintenance is when air builds up in the pump basket. While you may think that air can’t cause many problems, it can when you’re talking about your pool pump basket. The pump should operate air-free in order to work as a vacuum. When air builds up in the basket, you’ll notice that the pump cannot filter as well as it used to. The water does not move around properly and the result is dirty water. Many times this is an easy aspect of pool pump repair and can sometimes even be as easy as adding more water to your pool.
Air leak in the suction line
Air in the suction line can be another source of problems with your pool pump. Besides air in the pump basket, air can leak in the suction line. Since air has less mass compared to water, it will cause the pump to suck in air instead of water. When this happens, you can’t expect your pool pump to work properly. This may be an easy fix that an experienced technician can take care of for you.
Noisy pool pump
Generally speaking, a pool pump should run with minimal noise. While you may be able to hear it working, it shouldn’t sound like it’s grinding or working overtime either. If you think your pool pump is making a strange noise, it could be because something is jammed inside the impeller. If you’re tempted to try to find the problem on your own, you’ll be better suited to call an experienced pool repair technician from Lone Star Pool Services. We can assess the problem and carefully remove any items that are lodged without causing further problems. If you try to do it on your own, you may end up doing more harm than good.
Motor not running properly
If you sense the motor in your pool pump is not running properly then you should call for repair help because it can be due to a number of reasons. You’ll probably first notice something is not right because your water is not clean. It could be an electrical issue or because something is clogged. In either event, you don’t want to tinker with it on your own.
Other common pool pump problems that will require maintenance include:
- Dried up lubrication of bearings inside the pump
- Worn out mechanical seal
- Impeller issues
Swimming Pool Maintenance and Repair
While many issues can be repaired, there are times the repairs cannot be done or would be too costly. When this happens, it is usually recommended that you get a new pool pump. Pool pumps typically last anywhere from eight to ten years. If you are experiencing multiple issues quite frequently and your pool pump falls in that age range, it may be time for a new one.
If you are interested in learning more about pool pump maintenance and pool pump repairs, call Lone Star Pool Services.
