TimRegan Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Hi all,My attempts to bring a 2001 Hot Spring Vanguard back to life continue! The Wavemaster 9000 (ver. 2) Jet Pump has a leak. As you can see in this animated .gif or in the full linked video (click here) it looks like it comes out from both around the shaft and through the volute cover. My question is if anyone has an opinion about whether I should first try to replace the shaft seal and volute o-ring, or whether I should just go for the complete wet end replacement.Obviously the first is much cheaper, but if it's clear from either the quantity of water or the location of the leak that it requires a whole new wet end I'd rather do it right the first time. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg98adams Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I have a Sundance I have had to deal with leaks over the years.... When the leak occurs on the backside of the wet end and you see it on the shaft it's usually the pump seal (2 ceramic pieces spring seated), which is replaceable and common to wear and leak and way cheaper but requires removal of the wet end. Your water PH going hi can cause particles in the water and allow the spinning seal to wear. I can't tell on the other leak if it's coming from the threads on the PVC ring or the actual seal of the wet end flange. Might as well take the wet end off the motor and see if you can order a seal and a new o-ring for the flange of the wet end. Depending on the age of the wet end, you might also have to get a new impeller (sometimes they can be hard to remove and break). I would hate to fix 1 leak with the seal and not the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimRegan Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thanks for the reply. It looks to me like the leak is coming from the shaft on the backside of the wet end, and from the space between the volute cover and the volute (with the leak concentrated around the screws that secure the volute cover.) Intuitively it makes sense to me that a shaft seal kit would fix the former and possibly the latter, with a new o-ring also helping to fix the latter. But as you say, it would be a bummer to drain the tub, remove/disassemble/reassemble/reinstall the pump, fill it back up, and then see that I have to it all over again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Great video! The water isn't coming from the shaft seal. The water first appears above the shaft, and spills onto it, then gets slung in the 360 degree arc just like a shaft seal leak. Either a bad volute O-ring, bad union O-ring, or crack in the wet end. Either way, on a spa that's nearly 15 years old, replace the entire wet end. Not worth monkeying with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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