Pump Shutting Down (Pump Shudder)

Hi everyone, I just had some pool upgrades done on Thursday, June 10th and am now experiencing some problems with my pool equipment shutting down somewhat randomly.

The issue seems to have started on Saturday morning and has been happening daily since. When I went to check on the equipment on Saturday morning I noticed that the pump was off and that the pump basket was full with leaves and debris (I had my vacuum in the water overnight and it must have collected a lot of leaves). I thought the pump shut down because it was overheating Now the pump is shutting down regularly and when I go to turn it back on again, I notice that the switch is still mostly in the “on” position. The slightest pressure to turn the switch back on and the pump starts up again. What I have noticed is that the pump will give a shudder almost like it is receiving resistance of some kind. I have checked the skimmer basket and pump basket and they are both clean.

I had a Raypak 266 BTU gas heater (electronic) installed as well as a Pentair IC40 salt system. My 3/4 HP Hayward pump and Hayward sand filter stayed the same. There was a Jandy check-valve installed to prevent back flow into the heater added to the line as well.
Is this something I can troubleshoot with my pump? Also, the pool company moved my sand filter to get access to the heater area and I am wondering if the sand could have gotten moved around and is that a possible reason for the shudder that my pump is experiencing?
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will be taking pictures and attaching shortly.

JamesW said:

What was done recently?

What wiring was done?

Looks like a low voltage problem.

The switch looks like is it not fully engaging.

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Hi James,
I added a Pentair IC40 and a Raypak 266 Electronic gas heater. My pump has now been “bonded” (I think that’s the correct term) to the switch that you see in one of the pictures. The electrician told me that it is now code to have the equipment bonded together. I posted two links to YouTube videos of me starting up the pump about an hour ago. You can see that the pump has slightly tripped the switch...it is not in the “off position”, it’s just not all the way into the the “on position”. In one of the YouTube videos you can see the pump give a little shudder at around the 10-11 second mark.
Any idea on what the next step is? Is this an electrical issue or a pump issue?

JamesW said:

Seems like it's an electrical issue.

It looks like the switch is not working correctly and the pump is not getting the full voltage.

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Thanks James. Can you tell me what you think is happening in the first YouTube video I posted? The switch is in the off position and when I move it to the on position the first couple of times, the motor does not kick in. On the third attempt it kicks in. You can also see the copper wire that is now bonding the pump to the heater to the switch as well.

JamesW said:

Looks like a defective switch.

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Okay James, thank you.

sktn77a said:

^^^ That second video looks like the switch is in the ON position but doesn't turn on until you give it a tap. Those sealed switch enclosures sometimes do that.

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Yes, it was in the “on position” but not fully. Almost like a circuit breaker that has been partially tripped. A slight touch up and it kicks back on. That is the way I have been finding it when it shuts down on its own.

So maybe the switch is defective? Is it just a matter of replacing the switch then? A trip to Home Depot to pick one up and I can swap it in? Shutting all the power off, of course.