Pump Up The Volume: Why Is My Pool Pump Noisy, And How Can It Be Fixed?
Adding a swimming pool to your property is a surefire way to add a touch of luxurious relaxation to your home life, as well as a reliable way to beat the summer heat. However, lounging by your personal pool doesn't feel quite so relaxing when the pool's pump is making an ungodly din.
However, a noisy pool pump can represent far more than a simple annoyance, and a pool pump creating unusually loud noises should be deactivated and inspected as soon as possible. Excessive noise from your pump may be a simple issue of wear and tear, but it can also signify more pressing mechanical problems, so having your noisy pump professionally inspected and repaired is always the safest bet. Listed below are some of the most common causes of pump noise, along with ways they can be tackled and repaired:
Blockages
If you're lucky, your pool pump's excessive noise will be caused by a simple blockage. Leaves, grass clippings and other detritus can easily find their way into a pool pump if the pool itself is not properly covered and protected, and over time this debris can build into substantial blockages that impinge your pump's performance dramatically. A tell-tale grinding sound coming from your pump's impeller generally signifies a blockage and mandates turning off the pump as quickly as possible before permanent damage is done.
Luckily, blockages can generally be removed fairly easily by disassembling the pump housing (while the pump is powered down, of course) and removing the blockage manually. However, if your pump is an unusual model, or is integrated into your pool deck, you should call in professionals to assist in removing the blockage, and check that no permanent damage has been done to vital components.
Cavitation
This is one of the more common causes of pump noise, and also one of the most dangerous. Cavitation occurs when the pool pump cannot remain completely full of water at all times -- this lack of water allows air bubbles to form within the pump's impeller, which subsequently causes heat levels within the housing to rise dramatically. The loud, rhythmic throbbing noise created by a cavitating pump is actually the sound of thousands of tiny shock waves, created as these superheated pockets of air collapse -- needless to say, cavitation can wreak havoc on the most robust of pool pumps.
Successful repairs of a cavitating pool pump are largely dependent on how long the cavitation is allowed to occur, a good reason to turn off your pool pump if it makes any unexpected noises. Once opened, an impeller housing that has fallen victim to cavitation will often be badly damaged, with tell-tale pockmarks and patches of rust indicating where cavitation has occurred. These damaged components can be repaired in certain circumstances, but more often they have to be replaced entirely.
Trained pool pump mechanics can tell what type of cavitation problem you have from the extent of the location of the damage; some types of cavitation can be caused by low water pressure, while others are caused by high pressures, with distinctive damage patterns indicating each type. You should also engage their services to make sure that your pool's pump system is not inherently flawed, as a badly designed system can be far more prone to cavitation and will need to be modified.
Worn motor bearings
When inspecting a noisy pool pump, it's important to check where exactly the noise is coming from. Often noise will come from the impeller housing, but in some cases, the motor that drives the pump may be the culprit and start emitting an annoying screeching or squealing noise.
This high-pitched noise generally signifies that the bearings of your motor are starting to wear out. These small metal spheres are located around the motor's main driveshaft, ensuring the shaft can spin smoothly and freely, and are vulnerable to wear after years of service. Replacing them is a fairly quick job, but should not be taken without professional knowledge to avoid damaging the main driveshaft, so professional assistance is, once again, the recommended option.
Contact a company that specialises in pump repairs for more information and assistance.