Pump failure

[Bassjack]

My water filter pump just up and stopped today in mid cycle. Fortunately I was working in the yard and realized something wasn't quite right, and when I saw that my cleaning gizmo was still moving around and the booster pump was still going I knew something was up.

It did not trip the breaker, nor would it come back on. I tried again after a couple of hours had passed and it fired up just like always and w/o any oddball noises. I let it go for a bit and after 45 minutes or so it shut down again.

Any ideas of what's going on? It's a maxiglas or duraglass 1.5hp on a Sta-rite system. I believe it to be the original pump which would mark it 12 years old or so. I had to replace the booster pump about a year ago.

Maybe a bearing going bad in that it heats up and shuts down?

Any help appreciated!

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP!

Did you notice whether it got any louder right before it shut down?

 

[Isaac-1]

Sounds like the motor is likely over heating and tripped the self resetting thermal overload, one possible cause is a bearing going out in the motor.

Ike

 

[Bassjack]

Actually, during the first failure, I could hear something odd but didn't put 2 and 2 together. The second time I was out of hearing distance before it shut down. I'll try it again today and pay close attention.

I guess I'm leaning towards a bearing, especially given the age of the unit. Are there ways in which to sure that's the problem? Tnx!

 

[mas985]

There are a couple of ways to check if it is the bearings.

First is by sound. If the motor is louder than normal with a grinding or screeching sound, then it is probably the bearings.

Second is by feel. With the motor breaker shut off and the end cap removed, turn the motor shaft by hand. It should turn easily and freely without any vibration.

Since the motor is running 45 minutes before shutting down, the friction is fairly light so it could also be a bad seal, a bad impeller ring or other restriction in the wet end. It might be worthwhile to remove the motor from the end to inspect all of the parts. You can check the bearings at the same time.

 

[Bassjack]

Ok, fired up the pump and sat right there and sure enough, about 45 minutes later it just shut off...no change in sound i.e. no bearing screech. I removed all the " on" and "off" clips from the timer so it's not operator error from that standpoint.

The pump is in full sun and it was hot to the touch; my booster pump which was not running during this test was not nearly as hot.

Is there some thermal overload switch that can go bad. Looks like I may be pulling it apart as in the previous post to check things.

Frustrating!

Tnx.

 

[JamesW]

A 12 year old motor that is overheating will probably need to be replaced. I would suspect that the windings are bad. I would suggest checking the voltage and current under load.

If the motor has a run capacitor, check to see if that's OK.