Protect Your Pool Pump From Damage
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Protecting your pool pump from damage should be a priority for you if you want to avoid poorly timed, expensive and avoidable repairs to your pool system. A swimming pool pump is the heart of your filtration system and if you experience a failure with yours this is going to cost you money directly to replace it or repair it, but also you might experience some secondary cost and inconvenience because you pool might turn green while you are dealing with the pump. At certain times of year, during the busiest periods, you might need to wait days or even weeks for a service call from a qualified professional. In recent years we also have been seeing long drought periods where new products, like pool pumps, go on backorder for weeks or even months. Having your pool pump break at the wrong time is definitely something you want to try and avoid.
Fortunately in most cases a sudden, broken swimming pool pump can actually be avoided. If not avoided, in some cases you can drastically extend the service life of your pump simply by making some proactive changes to the way the pump is installed. In other cases a simple inspection can reveal a deficiency which is very minor at this stage but if left to continue to deteriorate then likely you can end up with a problem like premature motor failure. Perhaps not every case of pool pump failure can be predicted and prevented but I think it is reasonable to say that more than half can, and that is really quite a high number. So how can you go about protecting your pump from failure? I am so glad you asked. Let's jump right in:
Pool pump sizing - Step one to preventing your pump from failing early is to install a pump which is sized correctly for your pool system. If you already have a pump installed perhaps verify it was the right one for the application in the first place. It is surprising how often pool pumps get installed or replaced with one entirely inappropriate for the specific situation. The world of pumps is very confusing. One way to illustrate how similar pool pumps are not similar at all is to have you read the chart at the bottom of this page which compares the actual flow rate of each pump based on 30ft and 60ft of resistance to flow: pool pump flow rate comparison.
5x pipe diameter on the suction side intake - Most installation manuals now stipulate this, however there are many existing pumps, and even some new ones that get installed still which do not follow this important installation requirement. The way the water enters the wet end chamber on the suction side is important. Laminar flow specifically. If there is too much turbulence this introduces significant inefficiency in the hydraulic system which causes the pump to work harder and less efficiently. You should have 5x the pipe diameter as a clear and straight run (no fittings or valves) as the minimum value going into the pump. Never have an elbow fitting tight to the pump suction side...though you definitely see this enough when working on pools for a living. When I see this I expect this pool to perform worse and fail earlier than a pump with a proper hydraulic installation.
Proper air flow around the pump - Electric motors for pool pumps generate heat and run hot. Heat in general is a killer of electric motors and pool pumps can end up falling into a cycle of increased heat and increased electrical draw until the point of total failure. You can read about this more in this article about overheating pool pumps and most commonly this overheating failure is in relation to the demands on the pump, where it is located, how much air flow it gets. But if you are a person who has stuff piled all over and around your pool pump you definitely want to go and move it. Give the pump breathing room on all sides, and this includes pump inside of sheds and bunkers. Be sure you have adequate air flow to the room in addition to the pump to help keep the operating temperature as low as possible on the motor.
Reduce motor speed - Most swimming pools have made the conversion to variable speed filtration pumps and soon all swimming pools will have them. One particular benefit of these is that you are able to operate them at motor speeds lower than 3450 RPM. When the motor moves slower it develops less heat from friction. In addition to this the amount of power consumption at maximum speed is very high. Reducing the RPM even a little will only reduce the flow rate by a little, but the power consumption will drop dramatically. Reduce speed, reduce power consumption, reduce noise and reduce heat generated by the motor. All of these are benefits to pool owners.
Fix suction side / pump leaks - Many pool owners ignore even obvious signs of deficiency such as leaks from the pump or known leaks in the plumbing system itself. The pump in particular is susceptible to leaking from the threaded connection ports. Newer pumps often come with union fittings for connecting the pump but there are still many which have only a female thread for making the connection. Many pool owners use a threaded PVC male adapter for this, which technically does work, but leaves a lot of room on the table for small leaks to develop in the future which you may or may not notice before it causes further damage to your pump. Here is a video example of a threaded male adapter, and the better solution which is a high temperature union fitting: high temp unions for pool pumps. Additionally, suction side leaks in the plumbing system make it harder for your pump to prime and prevent it from running without air in the pump wet end chamber. Suction side leaks are a problem that you can and should solve for your pool as opposed to leaving to operate like this long term. If you are wondering how you would know, air in the pump, water loss in the pool diagnosed to the plumbing system and a pool pump which is hard to prime, or harder to prime than it used to be. These are all symptoms of suction side leaks in swimming pool systems.
Surge protection for pool pumps - It used to be pool pumps were just a simple electric motor and not too much more. Modern variable speed swimming pool pumps are computer controlled pieces of high tech equipment and while this is great for reducing costs on your filtration pump operation this does come with the additional risk of power related problems. You basically have a computer sitting out on your lawn, and while the pump is designed to work in outdoor weather, things like power surges or lightning strikes are beyond the scope of the ability of the pump to protect itself. Much like how you might protect computers in your home from power surges you may also like to protect your variable speed pool pump from power surges. This can be done at the pump circuit, or at the main house electrical panel level. Given the cost of a variable speed pump, and the fact that it is fairly well known they do not handle power surges well, a surge protector seems like a prudent investment for a pool owner looking to avoid untimely pump failures.
If you were to follow the steps outlined here and protect the pump from power surges, install it according to the instructions from the manufacturer, give the pump lots of room to breathe and cool itself, reduce pump motor RPM operation lower than maximum speed, and then monitor the pump and plumbing system for deficiencies and leaks then you vastly have reduced your chances of having a sudden (or early) pool pump motor failure. If you enjoyed this article be sure to check out this one that looks at how to make other parts of your swimming pool last as long as possible.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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