Pump stuck in low speed

[bdearen]

Hello,

I have an aqua link RS with a 2 speed pump. I do not use the low speed really at all as the high speed (2.5HP) is sufficient to turn my pool over 1x per day in about 3-4 hours. I live in Southern California and It's been getting cold here so I came outside yesterday and noticed the filter was running. I then realized the system was in freeze protect mode and the filter had been running all night long which can get expensive. I went through the settings on the touch panel in the house and it wouldn't let me completely disable the freeze protect. Being in Southern California, there really isn't a chance for it to completely freeze so I figured I would use "low speed" for this setting instead of high speed. My pump normally runs from 12PM-4PM on high speed and I never use low speed. I came outside later that day and the pump was on via it's normal scheduled time but was in low speed. I turned it off and back on but still low speed. I also flipped the breakers off/on to see if that would help but it's still stuck in low speed. I took the covers off my system and disconnected/reconnected the wires from the filter pump breaker but they were all fine. I turned everything back on but still stuck in low speed. Is my pool pump done? It was replaced about a year ago by the previous owner I was told. I posted some pics of my panel and wiring, hoping for some help here. I found another post on this site mentioning a "stuck relay" however, his wiring was a bit different than mine and I don't know much about how the wiring/relays/etc.. work.

 

[mas985]

First, you are far better off running on low speed that high speed. High speed uses about 4x the energy use of low speed. Plus low speed filters the water better than high speed which can force debris through the filter.

Also, it is a myth that the pool needs one turnover per day. Many on this forum filter for far less than that without any issues at all. But even if you wanted 1 turn per day, low speed would do that in with a 50% savings in energy costs.

On to your programing problem.

To set freeze protection on or off:

4.1.5 Set Freeze Protection
MENU > SYSTEM SETUP > FRZ PROTECT > SELECT EQUIPMENT
The AquaLink® RS freeze protection senses when the air temperature falls below 38° F (3°C) and will automatically turn on the filter pump to circulate the water. To add freeze protection to other equipment press the MENU button. Scroll to SYSTEM SETUP and press ENTER, then scroll to FRZ PROTECT and press ENTER. Press the button for the equipment you want to protect. 4.1.6 A

For pump speed, it is hard to troubleshoot without knowing exactly how you set up the system.

Have you setup one of the Aux relays for low speed? Did you change that schedule or the high speed schedule?

Also, I believe there is a manual override for speeds if it wasn't set in the schedule.

If you haven't set up a relay for low speed, then is there a switch in the back of the motor for the speeds?

 

[Poolbreh]

Also check dip switches

 

[bdearen]

Thank you for this. The problem is I can't use only low speed because my pool vacuum won't work. So I found this section in my Jandy panel, but it makes me select at least one device to run during "freeze protect" and I can't deselect filter pump. The low speed has a separate button I press to turn it on. It used to work as I tested it a few times. The problem now, whatever I push low speed or just filter pump without low speed it won't get off slow speed. What dip switches can I check? I found another post on this form that talked about "bypassing" the low speed by connecting 2 wires together temporarily but the wiring was a bit different than mine so I can't follow. Is there any way I can override the relay on the electrical panel? I included attachments of this.

 

[bdearen]

Also, I need a new o-ring for the pump strainer lid, it's a hayward but not sure the model as it's wore off. Can you tell me by looking at it which o-ring I need or which mode this is?

 

[mas985]

The dip switch settings are in the manual. They are used to setup the Aux relays for high and low speeds.

That is a Hayward Northstar pump. But the gasket comes in two types depending on when the pump was purchased (pre-2003 or after).

 

[bdearen]

The dip switch settings are in the manual. They are used to setup the Aux relays for high and low speeds.

That is a Hayward Northstar pump. But the gasket comes in two types depending on when the pump was purchased (pre-2003 or after).

Thanks, it was installed around 2006. any other way to tell specifically what I need to order?

 

[mas985]

You want the SPX4000TS (2003-2007).

 

[bdearen]

You want the SPX4000TS (2003-2007).

Awesome thanks.. As far as running in low speed.. Current pump says 2.0HP / .33HP what is the GPH or GPM @ .33HP?

 

[mas985]

Low speed of a two speed pump is always half that of full speed. But again, turnovers just don't matter so flow rate doesn't matter (except for a cleaner).

 

[bdearen]

First, you are far better off running on low speed that high speed. High speed uses about 4x the energy use of low speed. Plus low speed filters the water better than high speed which can force debris through the filter.

Also, it is a myth that the pool needs one turnover per day. Many on this forum filter for far less than that without any issues at all. But even if you wanted 1 turn per day, low speed would do that in with a 50% savings in energy costs.

On to your programing problem.

To set freeze protection on or off:



For pump speed, it is hard to troubleshoot without knowing exactly how you set up the system.

Have you setup one of the Aux relays for low speed? Did you change that schedule or the high speed schedule?

Also, I believe there is a manual override for speeds if it wasn't set in the schedule.

If you haven't set up a relay for low speed, then is there a switch in the back of the motor for the speeds?

Hello,

So the middle (I marked blue on it) is the breaker for my pump. If we trace those 2 wires they go to the relay in the bottom most left position, the 2 wires on top go to the filter pump option on my Jandy. I see a red wire split off that relay which goes over to a capacitor and I am not sure what the thing is above the capacitor. I am thinking this is what brings the "low speed" switch in as the red and black pair that are connected to the bottom of this portion (also marked in blue) go to aux 3 which on my setup is "low speed" does this help diagnose what I need to change/do to get the high speed working again? Do I change the relay that is on the bottom left or whatever is connected to the capacitor on the right side.

 

[bdearen]

After doing some research I am fairly confident it's the 2 speed relay which is the blue arrow on the top right.. Also read that these tend to go out when it's cold/wet outside which it was for a few days here. Hoping this fixes it but won't know until January when the part comes in Hoping low speed with no vacumm my pool won't turn on me. How long would you run a 20k gallon pool on low speed? my pump says 2HP/.33HP (high speed / low speed)

 

[mas985]

There are several reasons to run a pump. The most important is chlorination. Getting enough chlorine in the pool to meet the CYA/FC target. If manually dosing, that would take only about 30-60 min. After that, it is only about aesthetics. Is the pool clean enough for your liking. There are those on the forum that run their pumps only 30 min per day while others with VS pump run on very low speeds 24 hrs per day. It will take a bit of experimentation but if 3 hours was good enough on high speed, 3 hours might just be good enough on low speed too.

How are you chlorinating the pool?

 

[bdearen]

There are several reasons to run a pump. The most important is chlorination. Getting enough chlorine in the pool to meet the CYA/FC target. If manually dosing, that would take only about 30-60 min. After that, it is only about aesthetics. Is the pool clean enough for your liking. There are those on the forum that run their pumps only 30 min per day while others with VS pump run on very low speeds 24 hrs per day. It will take a bit of experimentation but if 3 hours was good enough on high speed, 3 hours might just be good enough on low speed too.

How are you chlorinating the pool?

Thanks for all the info I appreciate it. I am using liquid chlorine, about 2 quarts every 3-4 days. Since it’s been so Dang cold I have let the FC drop down in between dosing.

 

[mas985]

During our winters, the water gets below 50F and SWG stops producing so sometimes I don't bother with running the pump at all. Algae is pretty much non existent at lower temps plus the residual chlorine lasts for quite a while as well.

During the summer, I use solar so run the pump pretty much when the sun is shinning, 8+ hours @ 1500 RPM. But solar is the only reason for the extended run time.

So it is perfectly acceptable to change run times with varying conditions.

 

[bdearen]

The only problem I have is the 2 speed relay/control won't be here for a few weeks and I would really like to run my vacumm before Christmas so I need high speed. Someone told me I could wire together the wires from the pump relay (left blue arrow) to the 2 speed control relay (right blue arrow) and get back high speed. Can someone tell me the correct way to do this? On the right side under the blue arrow I have a spade connector that goes over to my pump relay and is tied into another connection and then the other 2 leads (red/black) go over to my pump. Which of these can I connect together to bypass low speed?

 

[mas985]

It is hard to tell from the picture but does the top red wire of the two speed relay connect to the other relay on the far left?

If so, that is the common and other two are the high and low speed wires. Usually, black is the low speed but that is not a given. So if the above is true, you would only need to swap the bottom two wires on the two speed relay to change speed. But turn off the breaker first.

 

[bdearen]

It is hard to tell from the picture but does the top red wire of the two speed relay connect to the other relay on the far left?

If so, that is the common and other two are the high and low speed wires. Usually, black is the low speed but that is not a given. So if the above is true, you would only need to swap the bottom two wires on the two speed relay to change speed. But turn off the breaker first.

Thank you so much man! I am back to high speed and can run the vac while I wait for the 2 speed relay to get here. Appreciate all your replies on this thread.

 

[mknauss]

Thank you so much man!

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