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Circulation pump lifespan (E14 and WTC5M)


tsf

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I was going to post in "swim spas" but was worried I wouldn't get the benefit of all your hot tub expertise..!!

1. Background

I've had my "Endless Pool" for 12 years. I am on my 4th circulation pump.

It was shipped with a Laing E14 low power pump, running 24/7 (controlled by a Gecko in.xe). There is only 6 feet of plumbing so seemed fine.

The E14 pumps seem to last about 3 years between failure. The failures seems quite consistent - a grinding noise when starting and then refusal to run. Sounds quite similar to https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/48883-master-spas-multiple-circuit-pump-failures/

2. Heat Pump

Anyways.. I've recently added an air source heat pump (Gecko in.temp & in.ye) and another 20 feet of plumbing. My 3rd E14 failed soon after. Possibly related to the extra load.. or maybe it had just done it's 3 years of 24/7 service.

So for my 4th pump I've gone for a simpler, cheaper, more powerful traditional pump (250 watts compared to the E14's 108 watts)

https://www.poolandspacentre.co.uk/products/wtc50m-circulation-pump.html

Questions

Q1. What contributes to the lifespan of a pump? Is it total run time, or does starting / stopping the pump add extra trauma to the pump? I expect chemistry plays a part. I keep a reasonable ph level but I am far from obsessive about chemistry, so I expect my pumps could suffer a bit.

Q2. I am thinking the OEM 24/7 circulation pump cycle was possibly a bit overkill and I am OK to reduce this significantly. The new pump can move 240 litres/min. And my pool is only used for 1hr 3x per week. In theory the new pump can circulate the full pool every hour. So how about activating the pump for 1 hr evening, 1 hr morning? Is that enough? And is 2 x 1hr causing twice as much cycling trauma on the pump than 1 x 2hr?

(The 2 hrs circulation would be in addition to the circulation that takes place whilst heating. I activate the heating for a couple of hours before my swims to boost up the temp to around 23 celcius. Then turn off heating until the next swim day)

 

 

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The Laing pumps are what we call a "Mag Drive" pump. They eliminate the problem of wearing out a "Mechanical Pump Seal" Instead, the impeller is driven by a magnetic flow behind a wall encompassing a ball and socket. They are also sophisticated enough to sense the load on the pump via an amperage detection, and turn itself off if dry. However, They Suck.

The ball and socket have to be balanced or they will scar themselves and sound like wolverines mating.

This failure can be from scaling, or corrosion.

I am constantly warranting, or eating the cost of these things, and am really getting tired of it.

 

(I Digress)

In all fairness, it's not you, It's the roll of the dice on those things.

Consider a "Grundfos" pump if it will fit.

All 24 HR circ pumps do just that.

If we can get 4 years out of one then "Groovy", but 9 months etc...Pisses me off.

Thank you for allowing me to vent......I feel much better.

P.S

I bet this didn't help at all

 

 

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On 9/15/2022 at 3:43 AM, tsf said:

chemistry plays a part.

Yes. The magnetic drive pump impeller has no physical connection to the motor and floats in a magnetic field. Any imbalance, from calcium scale to hair, will cause it to wobble (your grinding noise) and eventually lock up. These pumps were made for closed systems, like heat exchangers, where they last decades, 24/7. 

On 9/15/2022 at 3:43 AM, tsf said:

I am thinking the OEM 24/7 circulation pump cycle was possibly a bit overkill

If it's feeding ozone, uv, or such you want it 24/7.

On 9/15/2022 at 3:43 AM, tsf said:

So for my 4th pump I've gone for a simpler, cheaper, more powerful traditional pump (250 watts compared to the E14's 108 watts)

Upsizing a pump on existing plumbing can burn up your pump. If the pipes can't handle the flow rate, your new pump won't last half as long. Avoid anything you have to adapt down to fit the pipes, especially the suction.

On 9/15/2022 at 10:16 PM, In Hot Water said:

Consider a "Grundfos" pump if it will fit.

No better than laing.

On 9/15/2022 at 10:16 PM, In Hot Water said:

Thank you for allowing me to vent......I feel much better.

🤣

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