Motor

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Pamela01

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Aug 15, 2014
137
Hattiesburg, MS
I put the pump on a timer while I was away for 6 weeks. When I returned the pump was not working. The impeller was broken. I replaced the impeller. Prior to me leaving I replaced the shaft seal.

Trying to replace the impeller and shaft seal has led to one problem after another. Get one thing resolved and something else seems to go wrong.

My current problem now is, some how I broke the red connect wire that connects to the stationary switch. I got from Home Depot a different type of terminal and put it on, and it seems to fit nicely on the post of the stationary switch.

Put everything back together, and now the motor hums. You can spin the shaft, and the motor tries to start but don't. In a very short time the motor gets hot, and turns off.

Could this be caused by the red wire/terminal, the stationary switch, faulty installation of the impeller or the shaft seal?

Any help would be appreciated. I also have had a computer crash and am typing this from my phone so please forgive any typing errors I may have.
 
A motor humming but not turning is indicative of the starter capacitor not functioning like it is supposed to.

You can test the cap. Do you have a voltmeter? The analogs are nicer for this test because you get nice visual feedback better than the digital one but both work fine as long as you know what to look for. Put the meter in the lowest range for resistance and then put one meter wire on one wire of the cap. As you put the other meter wire on the other cap wire, watch the analog meter's needle sweep to high resistance quickly and then drop back down to zero very soon thereafter. The digital meter will do the same but with numbers. This tells you the cap is likely fine. If this doesn't happen, the cap is probably bad.

It could be in all your messing around that you did something to the cap. It could have a loose lead or maybe it was just damaged inadvertently by you.
 
Agent 99 thank you for your help. I do have a digital voltmeter. Is what I called the stationary switch the same as what you refer to as the starter capacitor? You state for me to test the cap. I am not sure what the cap is, can you please explain.
 
First, make sure that the shaft turns freely. If it does, then the problem could be the start capacitor, switch, improper wiring or a bad motor (failed windings etc.)

The capacitor is a black cylinder. The best test is a capacitor testor or a multimeter that can test for capacitance in the range of the capacitor. Discharge the capacitor before testing. Or, just buy a new capacitor and try it.

The capacitor will probably be in the 121-148 MFD or 161-193 MFD ( microfarad) range.
 
Download yourself a copy of the manual. It should contain a blown apart of the motor and identify things for you so that you can possibly try a new capacitor and or figure out how to disconnect it from the motor. It ought to be pretty straight forward. I haven't looked at this particular motor but most start caps sit in a large bulge on the outer case of the motor. Removing that cover reveals the cap and it ought to be pretty clear how to remove it.
 
Before writing on this thread I had looked at the owner's manual to ensure that I identified the parts correctly when I spoke about them. I did not see in the owners manual where it showed that end of the motor. It only diagrams parts on the wet end.

I'm certain Agent 99 was correct when he said I probably did something with all the messing around that I have done, although I am not certain it is with the cap. As stated previously I broke the red wire and put a new terminal on it. Does the fact that it hums indicate that the red wire/new terminal is working? Somehow I believe the problem may be the stationary switch. Is there a test for that to ensure that ithe stationary switch is working properly?
 
The fact that it hums but isn't moving says that something is amiss related to the start cap/windings to get the motor moving in a particular direction. If the start cap/windings aren't working (for some reason), the forces pulling the motor to spin CW and CCW are exactly equal therefore it doesn't move. Now the cap may be fine but in your workings with the motor and breaking a terminal, perhaps somehow you disconnected one lead of the start cap or something in relation to this area of the motor that allows it to start spinning a particular direction.

I just tried to find some kind of internal diagram of your pump's motor and came up with nothing. Can you post pics of the motor with the cover off so we can see how things are wired, what you broke, how you fixed it, etc.? I don't know how much it'll help but it is the next best thing I can think of. After that it is a pool repair place. Maybe you'll find a good one that will charge you minimal to simply go over with you what you did to the motor and maybe what you missed or further broke. I have a good guy here but that doesn't help you much unfortunately!
 
James W thank you for your help. The shaft does turn freely when manually rotated. In fact when the motor hums you can spin the shaft, but the shaft does not have any momentum, and in a short time the motor gets hot and shuts off.

In writing this I happen to think that I had to have my air conditioning unit worked on this week, for something seemingly like the pool shaft. The fan on the AC would hum, but the fan would not turn on. You could manually get the fan going, but it would not stay on. The AC.guy said it was the start system, and replaced it. AC is working fine now. It took the AC guy 15 minutes to fix it, and he charged me $214. Also, he lives in my subdivision and did not travel far to get to my residence.

Anyway, it seems that the pool motor has a similar problem as the AC. The AC was fixed by installing a new start system. Could these problems be similar?

Zip
 

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It might be the start capacitor. You can try a new one. It could be the contact points on the start switch. You can try cleaning the contact points. Possibly, something got miswired. Make sure the wiring is correct. Maybe it's the voltage. Check that the voltage is correct.
 
I believe you are referring to the centrifugal switch, as you are writing stationary switch.
Yes, if you didn't align the spring component correctly, it would not allow the two copper bars to make at the contact point.

Make sure power is off and disconnected from the pump. Then test resistance across the copper bars. If it doesn't read near 0 Ω , then you likely have the spring incorrectly installed.

The red wire connects to one of the centrifugal switch bars.
When the contacts make, the red wire from the start winding connects to the white with red trace to the capacitor.
 
James W, you mentioned the start capacitor and the start switch. I'm assuming the start capacitor is the cylinder gizmo and the start switch is the gizmo with the copper strips. Prior to posting on this forum I searched and searched for a way to check the gizmo with the copper strips, but could not find anything. I believe that is where my problem lies since I broke then repaired the red wire that connected to that. Can you tell me a way to test that gizmo with the copper strips?

- - - Updated - - -

It dawned on me later that when you say cap, you must mean the capacitor.
 
Remove the start switch and check for continuity between the two posts where the red and white/red wires connect while pushing the white button to close the contact points. It should be 0 ohms. If it's not close to 0, clean the contact points.

Then remove the capacitor and replace it.
 
Probably ok. You can spray the contacts with contact cleaner to help clean them, but it shouldn't be necessary. It could be the start capacitor.

Some multimeters can test capacitance, but most can't. If yours can, remove the capacitor, discharge it and then measure the capacitance. If it's outside the label specs, replace the capacitor.
 
I could not get the screw loose that held the band that held the capacitor, so I just measured the capacitor while it was still attached to the motor, although I did undo the terminal connections. I was not certain how to measure it but I assumed that you measured across the two top terminals. The reading was .1. I saw on a YouTube video that if it is bad it would read 0, or OL for open line. Can I assume with this reading that the capacitor is good?
 
The proper test of a capacitor is capacitance. If your meter does not test capacitance, you could take it to a motor shop to have it checked.

Is the motor in good enough shape to warrant the effort? If it's old and in poor condition, it might be better to just replace it.
 

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