A friend was visiting yesterday from the north and was hot to install a pool at home. I have one and was keen to put a couple over 60 off the idea. they cost da bomb, are a lot of work and only swimable for short periods. We stood over the pump as I explained the pump hummed away.
24 hours later and the pump is squeezing like a stuck pig and roasting hot.
I got it apart finally using a strap wrench and the mechanical seal had failed ages ago, seizing the forward bearing.
How do these mechanical seals work? I just see a spring with a rubber grommet coming out of the motor side with a ceramic disk set in rubber on the impeller side. Does the pressure push the spring down or what?
Lots of calcium build up on the motor side so its been leaking a while.
The idea is that the seal face is sealed to the rotating part and the other side is sealed to the static part.
The smoothness of the seal faces is so perfect that only very few molecules of water get through. These actually lubricate the faces preventing wear. However nothing is perfect and they usually fail suddenly.
When setting them up, absolute cleanliness is essential for a long life.
