Dead pump?

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L

Logan97

0
Aug 13, 2016
6
Marion Heights
Hi all,

I have a 33k gallon pool with a Hayward S244T 300 lb sand filter and a Hayward 1 HP Super Pump (Model: C48K2N143B1). I've been having problems with the pump recently.

It started a slight hesitation when turned on, like the pump was trying to turn over but met resistance. This only happened for a split second and it was fine after that. It had been doing this for a while but it was slight so I didn't pay much attention to it. More recently, I had a problem with an air leak (which I'm assuming is related) where air would be let into the system only when the solar panels were on. Because of this, the pressure was around 11 PSI rather than the normal 20 PSI with the solar panels on and a lot of air bubbles were coming out of the jets, continuously. I read on either this forum or another pool forum that it occurred only with the solar panels on because of the difference in back pressure and that air was being let in somewhere in or around the pump, rather than through the solar panels like I thought. In the past few days, I figured out that if I turned the pump on with the solar panels on, I could hear the air going through the pump like it has been. But, if I turned the pump off for ~2 seconds and turned it back on, it would function normally with the pressure around 20 PSI as it should be. However, the pump struggling to turn over on start up was getting worse. Yesterday, when I turned the pump on, the buzzing resistance sound stayed for at least 4 seconds before finally turning over and moving water as it typically would. This morning, it did the same thing, but this time, it buzzed and wouldn't turn over for probably 6 seconds, and then stopped completely. I shut the fuse switch off and went down into the basement. The fuse box for the pool/related things has 8 breakers. Breakers 4 and 7 were tripped. I shut them off, and I turned 4 on, and when I flipped 7 back on, they both tripped again. I flipped them off and back on again, and they stayed on this time. However, the pool pump is still not doing anything when turned on and the breakers are staying on. Has the pump died? Is there anything I could check or repair to potentially fix it? I can't put a number on the age of the pump but it is at least a few years old.


Thanks in advance,
Logan
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! This pump is dead. It does not have a start capacitor to replaced. You have the option of just replacing the motor, or you can replace the whole pump. Replacing just the motor is less expensive, but whether or not it is the best option depends on your DIY skill level, how much room you have to work with on your equipment pad, and whether or not you would like to change to a 2 speed or variable speed pump. If you do decide to replace just the motor you will need to replace the shaft seal as well. Another thing you may want to do before buying a new motor is to see if you can get the old motor off. I recently replaced an old motor on a Pentair Dynamo and had difficulty removing the wet end from the motor. The long bolts holding it together broke off and I was luck enough to have a spare wet end from a previous pump replacement to use.

Here is a video with information on replacing the pump. How To Replace the Motor on Your Pool Pump - INYOPools.com
 
zea3 said:
Hi, welcome to TFP! This pump is dead. It does not have a start capacitor to replaced. You have the option of just replacing the motor, or you can replace the whole pump. Replacing just the motor is less expensive, but whether or not it is the best option depends on your DIY skill level, how much room you have to work with on your equipment pad, and whether or not you would like to change to a 2 speed or variable speed pump. If you do decide to replace just the motor you will need to replace the shaft seal as well. Another thing you may want to do before buying a new motor is to see if you can get the old motor off. I recently replaced an old motor on a Pentair Dynamo and had difficulty removing the wet end from the motor. The long bolts holding it together broke off and I was luck enough to have a spare wet end from a previous pump replacement to use.

Here is a video with information on replacing the pump. How To Replace the Motor on Your Pool Pump - INYOPools.com
Click to expand...

That's what I feared. If I decide to replace the whole pump, what pump do you think would be best for my pool size and filter size? I'm also on a budget.

Thanks!
 
pooldv said:
Please add your pool info to your signature so that we can better help you. More here on what to add and how to do it, Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post
Click to expand...

Done.

A little update. There was another breaker that I was unaware of that was tripped. The motor still hums and tries to turn over. Here's a quick video I just took of it:

00001 - YouTube

I assume the verdict is still the same?
 
Is the pump old? I would replace the motor with a 2 speed motor. Run it on low to filter and his to vacuum. You'll save 75% off your electric bill for the same run time. Inyo can get you a motor for that.
 
See if the impeller will spin. With the pump off (at switch and breaker), take out the pump basket and reach into the hole going to the impeller to see if the impeller will spin. If the impeller spins, try a new start capacitor (black cylinder under back cover). It that doesn’t work, it might be the centrifugal switch. Try cleaning that.
 
JamesW said:
See if the impeller will spin. With the pump off (at switch and breaker), take out the pump basket and reach into the hole going to the impeller to see if the impeller will spin. If the impeller spins, try a new start capacitor (black cylinder under back cover). It that doesn’t work, it might be the centrifugal switch. Try cleaning that.
Click to expand...

The impeller spins freely. I tested the start capacitor with a multimeter (credit to: Hayward Super Pump "humming" Noise For About A Second | Wet Head Media). It says:

3)CONNECT MULTIMETER TO CAPACITOR LEADS(OBSERVE THE POLARITY IF ELECTROLYTIC). AT SOON AS THE LEADS MAKE CONTACT, THE METER WILL SWING NEAR ZERO. IT WILL THEN MOVE SLOWLY TOWARD INFINITY. FINALLY THE METER WOULD COME TO BE INFINITE OHMS BECAUSE THE CAPACITOR IS BEING CHARGED BY THE BATTERY OF THE MULTIMETER.
Click to expand...
4) IF THE CAPACITOR IS BAD, IT WILL GO TO ZERO OHMS AND REMAIN THERE. THIS IS CALLED A SHORTENED CAPACITOR

5) IN THE CASE OF AN OPEN CAPACITOR THERE WILL BE NO OHMMETER INDICATION.

6)SOME CAPACITORS HAVE A LOW DIELECTRIC LEAKAGE. YOU WILL KNOW THIS IF THE OHMMETER COMES TO REST AT A POINT LOWER THAN INFINITE. TEST A KNOWN GOOD CAPACITOR OF THE SAME TYPE TO BE SURE
Click to expand...

It came to a rest at 9.0-9.2.

The centrifugal switch looks nearly brand new but has a little bit of possible corrosion on it.

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2mhas0m.jpg

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Could that little bit cause a problem?
 
I would replace the capacitor just to eliminate that as a possibility.

Also, make sure that the wires that go under the capacitor are not left outside the capacitor support posts. If a wire is left outside the posts, it can get snagged by the centrifugal switch weights as they swing out at speed.

To really test a capacitor, you need a capacitor tester or a multimeter that can test capacitance in the range of the capacitor.

You can get a new capacitor at a local electric motor repair shop. Bring the old capacitor for matching and they can test the old one with a tester.
 

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