Welcome to the heart of pool season, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully, your pool is up and running without issue; chances are if you are reading this blog it likely is not. This article is here to discuss how to properly match a gasket kit to your pool pump.

It is that time of the season, when motors you were hoping to limp through until August have finally given up the ghost. Those poor motors gave it their all but the summer was just too long. You’ve probably already picked out the correct motor if you have read our previous articles or how to guides on finding the correct pool motor replacement or how to read a pool motor label. But what about the correct shaft seal? Or even the rest of the gaskets?

Why Do You Need a Shaft Seal?

You may not know but, when you replace a pool motor the shaft seal should be replaced as well. The shaft seal being the two-sided seal that prevents water from gushing into your shiny new electric motor. Over the past 5 years pool pump tune up kits have become very popular as well. The tune up kit consists of a shaft seal, diffuser gasket, pump lid o-ring, housing gasket and lubricant for the o-rings. Normally if you try to use your old shaft seal the seal will not mate up properly with the new motor and you will have leaking. Also when you have the motor disconnected from the pump this is a great time to replace the shaft seal, gaskets and o-rings. One of the reasons the tune up kits are so popular is because the complete kit is not much more expensive than purchasing the shaft seal by itself. One last point is that the warranty on a pool motor is void if any damage on the motor was due to shaft seal leakage, so it really makes sense to replace your shaft seal when you get a new motor.

What do you need to find the correct gasket kit?

Short answer: the model number of your pump housing.  The shaft seal is vital to a motor replacement, but to find the correct shaft seal or gasket kit, we need to know the pump housing model number or the make and model. The motor you are replacing can be fitted to dozens of pump housings that may use different shaft seals.

Where to Look?

The best place to find your pump model information is on the pump housing tag. Pool pump manufacturers label each housing with make and model information as well as serial numbers. The pump model number is the golden ticket to finding the proper tune-up kit, so we will want to find that most of all. The tag is usually placed on the side of the strainer basket or near the discharge port for easy access. Model number formats vary depending on the manufacture but should be marked clearly.

Once the label info is found, input the pump model number or name like Pentair Whisperflo in our keyword search at the top of the InyoPool page. The results page should provide a match for your pump model and a link to a parts breakdown.

No Label, No Problem

If your pool pump has been sitting outside for 5 or so years there is a good chance that label info is obscured, faded, or totally gone; have no fear. If the pump label information is no longer on the pump we can source pump info. from the parts themselves. Parts like the pump strainer lid, basket, impeller or diffuser usually have part #’s embossed into them and we can use this information to source the proper shaft seal.

Email Us a Picture

If you cannot find a model name or part #’s then take a few pictures of your pump and send us an email to upload@inyopools.com Normally our swimming pool technicians can spot the model of pump right away with a few good pictures.

If you are having trouble determining which shaft seal or tune up kit is right for your pump then post all the information you have in the comments below and we would be happy to help. As always feel free to give us a call at 1-877-372-6038 if you have any questions or need any assistance.