GregHouston
posted this
25 April 2020
- For the shaft seal, I used a small amount of 100% silicone caulk on the metal side, and used a 1" PVC coupling to push it into place, taking care to not get anything on or touch the surface
- The part that goes on the impeller pushed into place with no issues - I did not use any sealant or lube
- For the seal plate gasket, I first coated the gasket with the silicone lube that came with the GOKIT, then tried to push it into the groove around the edge of the seal plate, but it seemed too wide - I had to squeeze it in, and it kept popping out - I gave up and put the old gasket back in, though it was a bit rough at the bottom. Initially, this seemed to work, but after a couple hours, it started to seep at the bottom.
- I tried again with the new gasket, this time cleaning off all the silicone and letting it dry. This helped, as it was less likely to pop out after squeezing it into place. It took half an hour to squeeze it into the groove bit by bit, but eventually it stayed. I coated the top with silicone lube and reinstalled. This time water started to seep out immediately at the same place.
- I found a Pentair parts list which lists two different seal plate gaskets, an almond one used pre-2008 (which matched my old one), and a black one used post-2008 (which matched the new one). They have different cross sections - the new black one seems a bit larger. It's not clear to me if the new one is supposed to be used on pre-2008 models, but it came with the GOKIT32 - I didn't see another option.
- I found and ordered an old-style gasket on Amazon, along with a new shaft seal from U.S. Seal (it's not clear who made the seal from the GOKIT32) - most videos I've seen recommend the genuine U.S. Seal product.
- I'll try these when I get them. I'd still like to know whether it's the shaft seal or gasket causing this type of leak - or possible something else?
