Pump keeps tripping?

[NullQwerty]

Hey folks,

I've got a 2 year old Hayward pump that has worked like a champ. Opened the pool 5 days ago and it has been running smooth. Last couple of days it's been raining. This morning when I went to go check things out the pump was off. I noticed that the outlet it's plugged into needed to be reset. So I pushed in the reset button, but it immediately tripped again (i.e. the reset button popped out). It kept doing it each time I tried.

To make sure it was the pump causing this, I unplugged the pump and hit reset. All was fine. I then plugged in my dolphin robot...that worked fine as well. Then I plugged in the pump again, and immediately the reset button popped out and everything turned off.

I imagine it must have something to do with the rain?!?! Do you guys agree? I know very little about electric lines, so... Any advice other than letting it dry out and then covering it up in the future?

 

[spishex]

It could be the rain, or it could be a leak on the back side of the wet end (usually around the pump seal). Have you noticed any water around the pump when it was running (on dry days, of course :-D ).

 

[NullQwerty]

Hard to say...the pipes around my filter tends to drip. Been meaning to fix it.

So...if I let it dry out, it should start up again?

 

[spishex]

If you let it dry out, keep your fingers crossed, and help 3 old ladies across the street today you might be in luck, but it could also be a non-moisture related problem. If it doesn't start back up, take the end cap off and see if you notice any scorched areas back there.

 

[NullQwerty]

I tripped 2 old ladies this morning...I hope that doesn't count against me

Ok...Thanks for the help!

 

[NullQwerty]

Ok...So luckily there was no rain today. I got home from work and tried out the pump. Same problem...As soon as I plugged it in, the reset button popped out and I've got no pump.

So then I took off the end cap. No visible moisture I could see (although the inside of the cap had some rust). Nothing on the pump electronics itself looked at all brown...everything seemed nice and clean. Although the last 1/2" of the white wire of the power cord was brown.

I should note too that while the cap was off, I tried turning it on to see if I could see any sparks or anything unusual. When I did, the motor did start turning for a second and a half before shutting off and the reset button popping. I tried again, but other times the reset button popped before the motor had a chance to start turning.

So...What do you guys think? New power cord and I should be all set? (Please say yes)

 

[mdhwoods]

Well if what you have is a gfi that's tripping then there is a ground leak in the pump. Gfi's detect current leaks to ground and trip thereby not electrocuting us.

Ground faults are usually cased by moisture, but not always. The fact it happened during rain leads me to believe that's what it is. Once it completely dries out it should reset though the next rain will cause it to trip again.

Good luck.

 

[NullQwerty]

Yep...it's a GFI outlet that's tripping.

Well that's a relief. I'll give it another couple of days and cross my fingers.

 

[mdhwoods]

Yep...it's a GFI outlet that's tripping.

Well that's a relief. I'll give it another couple of days and cross my fingers.

Just remember, GFI's are there for protection and usually when they trip there is a reason. Sometimes GFI's themselves go bad, and will run some equipment but not others. It may be more cost effective to change that out first before replacing the pump if you cannot get it to reset.

 

[NullQwerty]

Thanks! What about the fact that the bottom 1/2" of the white wire was brown? Anything to be concerned about?

 

[JohnT]

Yep...it's a GFI outlet that's tripping.

Well that's a relief. I'll give it another couple of days and cross my fingers.

I'd go after the plug with a hair dryer. You'd be surprised how little moisture it takes to trip a GFCI.

 

[mdhwoods]

Thanks! What about the fact that the bottom 1/2" of the white wire was brown? Anything to be concerned about?

not normally, brown isnt usually an issue. black and burnt is an issue. Just make sure all the screws are tight.

 

[98xc600]

I would replace the GFCI first. They can get old and start to trip for no reason and there's a chance that after you reset it enough times it'll hold and never trip again because it's shot. Ive seen it on job sites when we do our weekly tests of GFCI's on temporary services. Of course no one tells an electrician something might be wrong they just keep resetting it and they hope the problem will go away.
If you do replace it and it trips again at least you are only out 10-15 bucks, but now you know you have a bigger problem that really needs to be looked at. $10-15 is cheap compared to your families lives.
Make sure the circuit is shut off before you change it.

 

[NullQwerty]

Woo Hoo...After a few days to dry out...all is good! Pump started up again tonight!

I took a hair dryer to it last night and 2 minutes into it don't you know it started drizzling. I didn't think it would be a good idea to continue using the hair dryer in the rain so I turned that off and quickly put the pump cap back on.

I'll look into replacing the outlet as was suggested.

Thanks!