Hayward pump humming but not running. Where is the capacitor???

Jun 28, 2015
59
Greenville/SC
Hi all, I have a SP1580X15 Powerflo LX pump/strainer. When I went out the other day I had no power at all to the pump. I had to replace the electrical wire all the way back to the house like it had fried it. Once I did that, I now get the dreaded "hum" when turning it on. I've tried rotating the impeller by hand and by screwdriver, and it moves fine... it's not stuck at all. I've even tried to "jumpstart" it, and it's still just humming along. ;)

I've heard that if they're not stuck, it's normally a capacitor that is bad. Where on this type of motor (A.O. Smith sp1515 is the capacitor)? I've tried looking for it by taking everything apart, but maybe I'm missing something here.

Thanks!
Heygreene
 

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I just did some more reading and it sounds like there isn't a capacitor on this one, but that the centrifugal switch may be bad. It said it's near the impeller (propeller?), so I'll try removing that tonight and see if it's "stuck" or clean it and see what happens. This thing is ancient, I'm not holding out much hope. :D
 
I second the opinion that motor is pretty worse for wear. The rotor is in horrible condition and the rear bearing doesn't look much better.

You also don't need a pump that big at all. A 2-speed 1HP pump should be plenty for your pool. Not to mention way cheaper to run electrically.
 
I found a company in an industrial part of town here that sold not just motor parts but complete motors - at about half the price that they want at most of the local pool stores. I would check around your area before going through a pool supply - look for somewhere that repairs or sells electric motors.
 
I second the opinion that motor is pretty worse for wear. The rotor is in horrible condition and the rear bearing doesn't look much better.

You also don't need a pump that big at all. A 2-speed 1HP pump should be plenty for your pool. Not to mention way cheaper to run electrically.

Thanks, all pool stores want to sell you a 1.5hp pump which makes no sense to me. I've got 5ft of head and a 13.5k gallon pool. Everything I've read says the same thing you're saying... 1hp should be plenty AND will save me a good bit on energy. Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Buying a dual speed Hayward SP15922S PowerFlo Matrix 1 HP tonight off Amazon from Hayward. About $100 cheaper than anywhere else I've seen.
 
Just to close the loop on this, I bought the SP15922S 1hp 2 speed pump and installed it yesterday. On high it moves the water just as good as my 1.5hp old one did,but of course uses less electricity doing so. I plan to set it to low over the next few days, and I expect that it will move the water easily enough to keep it clear. I love the 3-setting switch on it: High/Low/Off. Much better than my old pump, so thanks for the encouragement to kick that old thing to the curb!!! :)
 
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