Four signs a pool pump is failing: it hums or trips the breaker (often a $50–$80 capacitor), it grinds (worn bearings), it leaks at the base (a $60 shaft seal), or it moves less water with normal filter pressure (worn impeller). Early repair prevents a $400+ motor replacement.
Warning Signs That Show Up Before Failure
Hard starting or tripping the breaker. If your pump hums for a second and shuts off, or trips its circuit breaker on startup, that's a capacitor or motor winding issue — not a random event. Capacitors are a known wear item on Florida VSPs (variable speed pumps), especially in the 3–7 year range. A capacitor replacement is a $50–$80 fix. Ignoring it leads to a burned motor.
Unusual noise. A grinding or screeching sound from a previously quiet pump means the bearings are going. Bearings failing produce metal-on-metal noise first, then complete seizure. Once you hear that sound consistently, the clock is running on how long before it stops entirely.
Water around the pump housing. A wet spot at the base of the pump, or moisture along the motor shaft, is a shaft seal failure. The shaft seal keeps pool water out of the motor cavity. Once it's leaking, water migrates toward the motor windings. Running a pump with a failed shaft seal turns a $60 seal repair into a $400+ motor replacement.
Reduced flow with no filter issue. If your return jets feel weaker than they used to and your filter pressure is normal, the problem may be impeller wear — the pump is spinning but not moving the same volume of water. This is gradual and easy to miss without a flow meter test.
What "Runs But Doesn't Work" Looks Like
A pump can run continuously, show no error codes, make no unusual sounds, and still be failing to circulate adequate water. This is impeller wear or a programming issue on a variable speed pump — the pump is technically on, but your pool isn't getting the turnover rate it needs. Chemistry problems that seem random are often filtration problems in disguise.
Hearing something off with your pump? We diagnose it on a service call — we bring a flow meter and amp draw tester on every equipment visit. See our pool equipment repair page for what we cover. Just had a new pool installed? Our 28-day new pool startup program protects new equipment from day one.