Broken Pool Pump: Replace or Repair?

Your pool pump is literally the heart of your pool! It’s the one in charge of circulating your water, ensuring that all pool chemicals are thoroughly mixed and everything is properly filtered our through your pool’s sand filters or cartridge filters. A common question that comes across our desk is if it’s a good idea to replace a pump once it breaks or if it’s still possible to fix it?

Well, there’s no real simple answer to that question as it will ultimately depend on a number of factors. Let’s go over all of those and factors so that you’ll be able to make an informed decision on whether to ultimately replace or repair your pool pump.

The first thing we have to do is determine the overall health of your pool pump. Remember that even though your pool pump may look alright, it is subjected to daily heat, rain, pool chemicals, and even the occasional surge caused by lightning strikes!

• Age of the pump - This is the number one factor when it comes to determining whether to replace or repair a pool pump. Again, your mileage may vary, but once your pump passes the five or six year mark, you’re already looking at a lot of wear and tear on tear on the internals of the pump. So generally, if you run across problems with your pool pump before the five or six year mark or if it’s still covered by warranty, then repairing it is the way to go, after that mark, you may have to think about getting a new pool pump altogether as the other components of the pump may start to fail anytime as well.
• Availability of parts - Even if you have a fairly new pump as purchased, there are things that are called “new old stock” where it’s a fairly old model that’s been sitting around, still technically brand new when you get it. The problem with this is that if for any reason the manufacturer discontinues that model, the availability of parts may become a problem, driving the price of repairs up!

• Pump housing damage - If for any reason you discover that your pump housing has a crack or damage then in our opinion, it’s time to replace your pump. Why? Well, modern pump housings are made with a composite material that’s virtually impervious to the elements, if for any reason it cracks or breaks, then that would mean that your pump has gone through some really nasty times! Not only that, the pump housing actually protects all of the internal components of your pool pump from the elements, a crack can mean that moisture has already entered and may already have caused corrosion to the internals, leading to an eventual pump failure. If your pump is still under warranty, check with your manufacturer if you can get a replacement, but if it’s no longer under warranty then maybe it’s time to get a new pool pump.
• Your DIY-skills - While not directly related with your actual pool pump, your skills and confidence will come into play when it comes to repairing a broken pool pump. Why? If you’re confident in tinkering with your pump then repairing it will only be the cost of the replacement parts, but if you’re paying someone else to do it, then the cost of repairs may sometimes cost more than the parts themselves!

If you’re fairly confident in your DIY skills then you can always do minor pump repairs like changing the mechanical seals or changing your pump bearings. Replacing your pool pump’s impellers and replacing your pool pump’s capacitors also fall under the category of minor pool pump repairs so no need to worry about replacing your entire pool pump if you’re faced with these kinds of problems. In fact, we’ve prepared a series of guides on how to do minor pump repairs which you can check below.

• How to replace your pool pump's mechanical seal
• How to replace your pool pump's bearings
• Why do my pool pump capacitors keep failing?
• What are the parts of my pool pump?

If your pump motor has died (burnt smell coming from it) then you may have to take the above into consideration. You can opt to replace your pump’s motor, but usually it will run to about 60%-70% of the cost of a new pump, plus the cost of installation, and if you do the math and factor in depreciation (yes, just like with anything that isn’t a collectible, your pump depreciates in value every minute you use it) you’ll probably come to the same conclusion as us, that it’s really not worth it to replace a burnt out pump motor.

Yes, you can save a couple of hundred dollars in the short term, but is it really worth it? Remember, all of the other components of your pool pump has already degraded as well and it will only be a matter of time until they need to be replaced or repaired as well, leading to more expenses over the next few years, which will add up (or even exceed!) to the cost of getting a brand new pump!

Before you go ahead and tinker with your pump or order a new one, be sure to check out our ultimate pool pump troubleshooting guide here! Your pool pump problem may be something that can be fixed quite easily. But when all else fails or if your pump is way past its prime, then we highly recommend getting an energy-efficient variable speed pump. Yes, it may cost a few hundred dollars more than a standard pool pump, but the energy savings will actually pay for the pump itself in under a year! How is that possible? We’ve outlined the actual electrical costs of running a standard pump vs a variable speed pump like the Water TechniX Pump Dual Variable Speed Pump pump which you can read about in our variable speed pump savings by the numbers article here.

The Water TechniX Pump Dual ECO is our fastest selling variable speed pump! So if it's sold out and you need a variable speed pump ASAP, check out the other variable speed pumps available on our online shop here.