Solar Pool Pump Maintenance Guide

The great news is that your HydroJet solar pool pump will require very little maintenance over its lifetime. Of course, as with any device, there will be issues to deal with from time-to-time. The simple guide below will walk you through the most common maintenance issues you may run into with your solar pool pump.

Basic Solar Pool Pump Maintenance

The only regular maintenance your HydroJet solar pool pump will need is to empy the strainer basket. The strainer basket holds all of the debris that is flushed out of your pool water. Cleaning out the basket is important because if debris piles up, a piece might get into the working parts of the pump and cause failure or damage.

How often should the strainer basket be cleaned? This is really up to you as there is no recommended schedule. A number of factors affect how often you should clean the basket:

The amount of debris (leaves, etc) you notice falling into the pool
The flow rate of your solar pool pump
The amount of debris falling may change seasonally

How do you clean the debris basket?

Turn the pumps power off or disconnect the pump
Open the lid and remove all visible debris inside the basket
Check the opening that brings debris from the pump and clear debris from there as well
Close the lid
Turn the pump back on or reconnect the power

Leakage Repairs For Solar Pool Pumps

Leaking is one of the most common issues with any pool pump. The leaking can happen from a number of places on the pump, but are generally easy to fix.

If water is leaking from the plugs you may simply need to tighten them. No special technical skills are needed for this and you should be able to handle it, no matter how technically savvy you are

If water is dripping from the threaded fitting this is also a simple fix. In this case, you should replace the threaded fitting with a high temperature fitting. High temperature fittings are more durable and reliable, and are still inexpensive and easy to install

If water is leaking from the seal between the wet & dry parts of the pump the seal may have become worn out and need to be replaced. This part is inexpensive and simple to replace as well.

Motor Troubleshooting For Solar Pool Pumps

One day you may start up your pool pump but find that the motor is not running at all. Don’t panic…chances are this is also an easy fix and can be addressed pretty quickly.

Start by turning off the pump or disconnecting the power source. First, check the debris basket and the opening that leads into the debris basket for any debris that may be lodged in there. After you have cleared any debris, restart the pump. If the motor still doesn’t work there are a other small issues to check.

Inspect all of your pump motor responsible for its working. The parts to check include:

The breaker
The switches
The time clock
The wiring connections

You can easily fix these minor issues and get your pool pump running again. If these fixes do not solve the problem, you should contact a pool maintenance professional for assistance.

Noisy Motor Troubleshooting For Solar Pool Pumps

Modern pool pumps run rather quietly. If you notice an abnormally high amount of noise coming from the pump, it may be a warning sign of trouble.

If the bearings in your pump become damaged, they will cause a high-pitched shrieking sound. At this point the bearings should be replaced to prevent more serious damage

When you solar pool pump has not been run in long time, there may be a blockage somewhere in the lines or the pump which will cause a grinding sound. Again, this blockage should be removed to prevent any damage to the pump

Other noises can be caused by damage to the pump’s impeller or internal fan – that type of damage typically means your pump needs to be replaced

Final Maintenance Notes For Solar Pool Pumps

If you have any questions about pool pump maintenance, or are not able to solve any problems you come across, we highly recommend that you contact a pool maintenance professional for assistance.