Experts, my old and rusted out motor started shutting down every a few seconds. After several more seconds the thermal switch cooled off, clicked and the motor turned on again.
Considering the motor and pump age and condition I assumed they were at the end of the lifespan so I have bought and installed a new motor-pump combo (increasing slightly the power from 1.25 to 1.5 HP, both at 110V).
The new motor and pump unfortunately shut down in exactly the same way. So I'm guessing some pipes could be plugged up. I disconnect the output outlet from the pump, connect a pipe leading out into the open space, and let the pump run. The water is gushing freely for a few seconds, and the motor shuts down again. Cools off, clicks, and runs for a few seconds etc. I keep the motor covered in a shade and even put some ice-packs on it to ensure no ambient influence.
So it's not a blockage in the outlet piping. I'm looking at the inlet - could be either from the skimmer or the pool bottom. I set the valve to skimmer - same shut down problem. I set the valve to draw from the pool bottom - same problem. Not likely that both pipes plugged up in the same way at the same time. So I disassemble the common denominator - skimmer/bottom selector valve - clean and working correctly, no problem here.
Any ideas for the next step in troubleshooting? Thanks for any advice!!!
Considering the motor and pump age and condition I assumed they were at the end of the lifespan so I have bought and installed a new motor-pump combo (increasing slightly the power from 1.25 to 1.5 HP, both at 110V).
The new motor and pump unfortunately shut down in exactly the same way. So I'm guessing some pipes could be plugged up. I disconnect the output outlet from the pump, connect a pipe leading out into the open space, and let the pump run. The water is gushing freely for a few seconds, and the motor shuts down again. Cools off, clicks, and runs for a few seconds etc. I keep the motor covered in a shade and even put some ice-packs on it to ensure no ambient influence.
So it's not a blockage in the outlet piping. I'm looking at the inlet - could be either from the skimmer or the pool bottom. I set the valve to skimmer - same shut down problem. I set the valve to draw from the pool bottom - same problem. Not likely that both pipes plugged up in the same way at the same time. So I disassemble the common denominator - skimmer/bottom selector valve - clean and working correctly, no problem here.
Any ideas for the next step in troubleshooting? Thanks for any advice!!!