Top signs your pool pump is going out

Does your pool water look suspiciously cloudy and not too pleasant to swim in? It may mean a few things, but the most common reasons are the chemical imbalance or pump issues. As a pool pump is a piece of equipment that is primarily responsible for sustaining the filtering process and keeping the water safe for swimming, its malfunctions may cause serious discomfort and ruin the summer fun.

At the same time, it’s not that easy for a homeowner to determine if it’s the pump or any other piece of equipment that is causing problems and needs to be fixed. Luckily, there are few traitorous signals that may expose a failing pool pump to an attentive homeowner. As soon as you notice any of them, it’s better to contact professional pool services from HireRush so that they look into the issue, determine if your pump is eligible for repairing or if it has to be replaced.

How to tell if your pool pump is going out

1. Pool water appears to be quite cloudy and dirty

Of course, your pool needs time to recover after a huge pool party. But, if the water remains cloudy for an unusually long period of time, it certainly means that something is going wrong. However, cloudy water may warn you not just about pump issues, but also irregular chemical levels, pH imbalance, faulty filter or environmental factors that contributed to the pool contamination (heavy precipitations, hot weather, excessive debris, pool algae, etc.). That’s why you need to check a few other things before blaming everything on a pump.

And don’t rush to shock your pool with chemicals before you do that, as if it turns out that it’s the pump that causes all the trouble, you will make your water completely unsafe and it will take ages for it to get rid of the extra chemicals.

2. Low-pressure readings on a filter gauge

If your pool’s filter and water circulation system fails to perform properly, the quality of water will deteriorate. Low readings on the filter’s pressure gauge (normal levels depend on the pump’s output and the kind of filter that was installed) are what you need to check to confirm that the filter/water circulation problem does exist. But, it’s not always the pump that disturbs the operation.

Low pressure readings may just mean that your filter is clogged up. So, go ahead and back wash it to make sure that the filter is out of your concerns and that the pump still reserves its position of a prime suspect. If the results are negative, your pool pump’s impeller may be too worn out and you need to hire pool maintenance contractors to get it fixed.

3. Cleaning the skimmer basket doesn’t solve the issue

A filled up skimmer basket may contribute to the pool cloudiness as well. But, if it doesn’t clear up after you backwash the filter and empty out the basket, you need to look further (and closer to the pump).

4. Water coming out of the pump’s housing

That’s quite obvious, isn’t it? If you notice the water coming out of the pool pump’s housing, there’s definitely something wrong with it. It may be as simple as a worn-out O-ring, which produces the leak and has to be replaced, or as complicated as a faulty pump. Usually, a consistent puddle on the equipment pad, but not a thin water jet spraying out of the pump’s housing and caused by the disturbed seal, serves as an indicator of a broken pump.

5. Your pool pump produces weird sounds

Strange sounds are never a good sign. So, if you suspect a pump issue, listen to it while it's still running: does it produce screeching, grinding or humming sounds? Does it pop and click? Or is it completely silent despite the fact that it’s turned on? All these sound issues should be considered as clear signs of an equipment failure.

6. Your pump is 10 years or older

Pool pumps are expensive, I get that. But if you think about how much work they do during the season, you’ll understand that they’re not supposed to function for that long. So, if your pump is consistently going out after 10-15 years of operation, don’t even spend your money on fixing it and get a new one. It will be a long-lasting and more reasonable solution, especially given the fact that finding compatible parts to get it repaired and purchasing those rare parts will be more time-consuming and expensive than installing a new pump.

Helen Sheplyakova, a passionate blogger writing about social issues, home improvement, lifestyle and sharing her inspirations with people.