Opened pool, pump not starting

Jump to latest Follow Reply
A

am777

0
Jun 2, 2011
12
Central NJ
Hi All, opened the pool this weekend, when I turned on the pump there was no movement or turning that i could tell, and i heard a very faint buzzing sound for about 10-20 seconds which then stopped by itself. Trying to turn on or off again didn't do anything, no buzzing either. I am completely new to pumps in general. Any ideas/suggestions on what to do?

The pump is a Hayward 1HP pump, must be at least 4-5+ years old and has had no issues at all the last 3 years that I have used it. It is exposed to the elements outside (under a tree/large bush though), but is raised on a pad and definitely hasn't flooded, etc.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Ah, was reading the Hydraulics 101 sticky post and found this -

Pump motor will not start:
Shaft turns manually but motor hums and will not turn - Bad start capacitor, replace capacitor
Shaft is frozen and motor trips breaker - Frozen motor bearings, replace motor

Will have to try that....
 
So i followed the video and took out the capacitor, but when i tested it with an OHM meter as shown in the video it tests ok, the OHM meter registers a spike in the reading.... so it seems like the capacitor may be good... not sure what to check/test next. any suggestions welcome. thanks!
 
Can you spin the shaft by hand?

If you can't spin the shaft, then it might be a frozen bearing. You could try freeing up the shaft with a wrench on the back end of the motor. Then once it spins, reconnect and see if it starts on it's own

Where you located in Jersey? I'm in central jersey as well.
 
Also check the centrifugal switch on the back side of the motor. When the motor gets to a certain speed the weight opens the start circuit and switches to the run circuit. My switch had gotten a little rusty and stuck in the "run" mode. A little WD-40 fixed it right up.
 
Good news, the pump is working fine. So it turns out that the shaft was frozen up (thanks cyclingcraig!!) Grabbed it with some pliers and gave it a tug to break it free and then it spun freely, so I put everything back together and viola, the pump started up just fine! Tested it on and off a few times and seems ok :)

Thanks for all the help, this forum is great and you guys are all awesome. A friend just moved into a new house with a pool and I told him that THIS is the place to learn all the right things about the pool :)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Here's a pic of the pump shaft, it took me a few min to find it :) so hopefully this will help someone else locate it. It's the dark piece behind the centrifugal switch (with the 2 springs), kinda narrow access so had to use needle nose pliers to grab it and turn it.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    99.3 KB · Views: 31
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply