I have a 21' AG with a Sta Rite 1.5 hp pump that has worked great, albeit loud, until yesterday. There is power to the circuit, but the pump does nothing. No visible damage, no burns. Motor turns freely. So I whipped out a screwdriver and removed the rear electrical cover plate and the wire that may have been white had arced and removed itself from the connector that was still plugged into the pc board. it's now a cream color, lol. The end of the wire was burnt pretty good and when it came apart turned back onto the rubber shielding and singed it too. So my question is... Is this a catastrophic failure, or can i simply clean and reconnect it? I cant help but think this may have caused other damage that i cannot see. Any electricians out there? I attached a pic, but am not sure if it worked- may have been too large a file...
pump stopped wont restart
- Thread starter joeyz87
- Start date
There is a possiblity that the wire was not crimped tight enough to the connector. Then in time there was enough resistance to generate heat and the connector completely failed.
Carefully cut a bit of the wire back and reconnected it by either putting it under the screw terminal or getting another connector.
Then throw the start switch. Turn it off quickly if the pump does not start and take it in to a motor repair shop.
Carefully cut a bit of the wire back and reconnected it by either putting it under the screw terminal or getting another connector.
Then throw the start switch. Turn it off quickly if the pump does not start and take it in to a motor repair shop.
thanks, Alben. Too sick to do it today, but plan on following your advice tomorrow. I hope it runs- I don't know of any motor shops in the area... but have a feeling I will be lookin for one.
I'll post again when there is something new, possibly with some more pics. Any tips on preventing this from happening again?
Thanks for the help!
~Rob
I'll post again when there is something new, possibly with some more pics. Any tips on preventing this from happening again?
Thanks for the help!
~Rob
Ok, same issue returned after I cleaned and reconnected the wires from my previous post. The pump tripped the gfci breaker again, so i opened the motor and the first 2 inches of insulation on the black wire was crispy and crumbling. I cut it back and attached it under the nut like I did with the white wire last time. Now when its running the plug end of the wire (about 4 feet long) is hot to the touch after two hours. I checked the green wire and it's properly grounded. There is also an external ground on the case that connects the pool frame and motor directly to ground via a heavy copper wire.
Questions:
1) Why is the wire getting so hot inside the motor that it burns?
2) Why is the plug end of the wire getting hot, 4 feet away? Seems to be cooler in the middle!
3) Just thought of this, but the mechanical timer I was using on this circuit failed recently... just before the motor failed the first time. Coincidence? or voltage/amperage/resistance problem in the circuit?
I'm not sure offhand what size the breaker in the main panel is, but it was installed by a trusted pro electrician who knew it was for a pool pump circuit, so I'm almost positive it's sufficient... Crud. Now I gotta find out!
Anyone have any advice so I can prevent a possible fire and/or electrocution?
Questions:
1) Why is the wire getting so hot inside the motor that it burns?
2) Why is the plug end of the wire getting hot, 4 feet away? Seems to be cooler in the middle!
3) Just thought of this, but the mechanical timer I was using on this circuit failed recently... just before the motor failed the first time. Coincidence? or voltage/amperage/resistance problem in the circuit?
I'm not sure offhand what size the breaker in the main panel is, but it was installed by a trusted pro electrician who knew it was for a pool pump circuit, so I'm almost positive it's sufficient... Crud. Now I gotta find out!
Anyone have any advice so I can prevent a possible fire and/or electrocution?
Sparkmaster
In The Industry
Very good possibility that either the male cord end or the receptacle has some sort or corrosion or not making a good contact resulting is sparking and causing heat to generate.. I would replace the receptacle and also the cord and definitely the male plug..
When i repaired the burnt white wire the first time i noticed the connector was corroded, shoulda cleaned & reconnected the black wire (which failed this time) but it was the middle of the night when i did it. Now both white and black are clean and connected, and so is the green ground wire. I figured it would solve the heat problem, but it didnt. Gonna replace the entire cord assy tomorrow and see if it helps. Then I'll open the receptacle its plugged into and make sure the connections in there are clean and tight.
Should I use some kind of corrosion inhibitor like the felt pads on a battery, or dielectric grease or something? Gotta keep it from happening again. I cant imagine it's too wet where it is- pump is a foot from the pool wall and the receptacle is about 4 ft further. Should I move the pump further away from the pool? Guess it couldnt hurt.
Thanks for the help!
Should I use some kind of corrosion inhibitor like the felt pads on a battery, or dielectric grease or something? Gotta keep it from happening again. I cant imagine it's too wet where it is- pump is a foot from the pool wall and the receptacle is about 4 ft further. Should I move the pump further away from the pool? Guess it couldnt hurt.
Thanks for the help!
bad news for me... got the water balanced (thank you TFP for the BBB and Pool Calc!) and went to vac the pool today and when i hit the switch- POOF! cloud of smoke from the 3-yr old Sta-Rite pump motor. 
It was a 1.5hp JWPAS5F-2A4. Shown in my previous posts were the wiring issues I was having where they were getting toasted, and then i fixed the connections. When i opened the inspection cover this time the connections were all still ok, no signs of arcing- but the new white wire's insulation is discolored and a little crispy near the connection to the board, leading me to believe I have not resolved the real issue... I just put a Band-Aid on a heart attack. So now when power is applied there is not even a sound. it's dead. I actually saw it give up the ghost in a eerie little cloud. Oddly enough- it did not trip the breaker.
Ok, I can just replace the motor, right? everything else is in order- the GFCI is correct & working, the 3-prong cord is new. I tried searching for the motor #JWPAS5F-2A4 and keep getting pump/motor combos for $400-$500. Then tried searching the motor # from the label "S48674A03" and got nothing. I just want to replace the motor...the rest of the assy is fine so if it aint broke dont fix it, right? (Besides, i'm broke.) I found an AO SMITH #UST1152http://www.aquasuperstore.com/products/Pool-Pump-Motor---Mount-(Round-Flange)---1.5-HP~3594.html for $175 incl shipping that seems like it should be a direct replacement, but I want to be sure before I buy. Really want a cheaper option... but it is what it is- the heart of my summer relaxation source. On my Sta-Rite the bolts go thru the motor body into the plastic pump housing, looks like what they call 'Round-flange'. But what I dont know is how the shaft is attached or how to remove it. I've seen a couple of different ways, including the aforementioned AO Smith threaded-end shaft type. Any advice on how to attack it? (besides the sledgehammer & checkbook approach)
Is there an easy way to get a direct-fit replacement motor? a good website for more technical info on this subject? Or will it be cheaper to take it to a motor repair shop (think there's one 10 miles away)?
Sta-Rite's website was not much help except to verify the model specs. On the label is an acronym i didnt recognize. What does "1.5 SPL" mean? also shows "115v, 60hz, 1PH, kW, 3450 rpm" what does the "1PH" mean?
Any help will be appreciated!
It was a 1.5hp JWPAS5F-2A4. Shown in my previous posts were the wiring issues I was having where they were getting toasted, and then i fixed the connections. When i opened the inspection cover this time the connections were all still ok, no signs of arcing- but the new white wire's insulation is discolored and a little crispy near the connection to the board, leading me to believe I have not resolved the real issue... I just put a Band-Aid on a heart attack. So now when power is applied there is not even a sound. it's dead. I actually saw it give up the ghost in a eerie little cloud. Oddly enough- it did not trip the breaker.Ok, I can just replace the motor, right? everything else is in order- the GFCI is correct & working, the 3-prong cord is new. I tried searching for the motor #JWPAS5F-2A4 and keep getting pump/motor combos for $400-$500. Then tried searching the motor # from the label "S48674A03" and got nothing. I just want to replace the motor...the rest of the assy is fine so if it aint broke dont fix it, right? (Besides, i'm broke.) I found an AO SMITH #UST1152http://www.aquasuperstore.com/products/Pool-Pump-Motor---Mount-(Round-Flange)---1.5-HP~3594.html for $175 incl shipping that seems like it should be a direct replacement, but I want to be sure before I buy. Really want a cheaper option... but it is what it is- the heart of my summer relaxation source. On my Sta-Rite the bolts go thru the motor body into the plastic pump housing, looks like what they call 'Round-flange'. But what I dont know is how the shaft is attached or how to remove it. I've seen a couple of different ways, including the aforementioned AO Smith threaded-end shaft type. Any advice on how to attack it? (besides the sledgehammer & checkbook approach)
Is there an easy way to get a direct-fit replacement motor? a good website for more technical info on this subject? Or will it be cheaper to take it to a motor repair shop (think there's one 10 miles away)?
Sta-Rite's website was not much help except to verify the model specs. On the label is an acronym i didnt recognize. What does "1.5 SPL" mean? also shows "115v, 60hz, 1PH, kW, 3450 rpm" what does the "1PH" mean?
Any help will be appreciated!
ok I figured out what the "1PH" on the label is- Single Phase.
I also found the owner's manual for the pump, so I'm gonna take it apart and check it's guts tomorrow; before I go buying anything. Now that I have a breakdown of the pump & motor parts it will be much easier. Yes, I broke my own rule #1: RTFM. Read The Freakin Manual. (slaps self)
Turns out that after much internet searching the place I bought the pool from originally (TrueFamilyFun.com) has a replacement motor... but it comes with the plastic housing assy I dont really need. Good news is that it's $220 incl shipping, which is just $45 more than the cheapest motor-only i could find.
Still gonna perform the autopsy first. I just hafta know what happened and why. Who knows, maybe I can prevent it from doing it again.
All help still appreciated!!
I also found the owner's manual for the pump, so I'm gonna take it apart and check it's guts tomorrow; before I go buying anything. Now that I have a breakdown of the pump & motor parts it will be much easier. Yes, I broke my own rule #1: RTFM. Read The Freakin Manual. (slaps self)
Turns out that after much internet searching the place I bought the pool from originally (TrueFamilyFun.com) has a replacement motor... but it comes with the plastic housing assy I dont really need. Good news is that it's $220 incl shipping, which is just $45 more than the cheapest motor-only i could find.
Still gonna perform the autopsy first. I just hafta know what happened and why. Who knows, maybe I can prevent it from doing it again.
All help still appreciated!!
DeckSgt
0
- Jun 22, 2008
- 17
Were you able to get the pump and motor separated? I have the same pump/motor setup, and the problem I ran into while attempting to change out the shaft seal was that I could not get the impeller off the shaft. According to the diagrams, the impeller was attached using a 5/16 hex head screw. If this is true, the screw head is "rounded off" due to erosion from water passing over it. Anyway, I was unable to remove the impeller, so I just put everything back together and let it run. I have not checked my wires yet, but I am having issues that sound a lot like what happened to you.
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