Pool pump freezes

Jump to latest Follow Reply
D

dscut

0
Jul 8, 2013
34
I am in Houston, Texas and have not yet had any winters below 30 degrees for a while. I did not keep the pump running when the temperature dropped to below 30 last night. This morning the pump decided to quit. It appears that the capacitor is working fine. Not sure what else I can try to ge t the pump running. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave
 
Thank you Duraleigh for your reply. I tried to rotate the motor and it appears to be working OK. The current also passed through the running capacitor ok. Some of the water pipe including the tablet feeding controller is frozen. I thought there might be a starting capacitor inside the motor (A.O.Smith 2.5 HP, replaced May 2015) but could not find one after openning up the back cover. It was about 28 degree for around 6 hrs two days ago. I will keep looking up for info on starting capacitor. The weather will warm up in two days so I will wait to see what will happen after thaw.
 
pabeader said:
What does the motor do when it tries to start? If it's not stuck, and it hums, it's most likely the capacitor. If it doesn't even hum, then I would suspect bad connection.
Click to expand...

The motor does not even hum. I also thought about bad connection and checked wires. When I turned on the switch, the running capacitor (on top of the motor) pass power to the motor. So whatever is going on wrong should be the components inside the motor. I did not see the starting capacitor after opening the back cover but I am trying to research to locate the starting capacitor.
 
There is no start capacitor. There is only the single run capacitor.

Check voltage at line terminals.

Also, the proper way to check a capacitor is to discharge it and test capacitance using a meter.
 
JamesW said:
There is no start capacitor. There is only the single run capacitor.

Check voltage at line terminals.

Also, the proper way to check a capacitor is to discharge it and test capacitance using a meter.
Click to expand...


Thank you! I checked for voltage- it only stays at around 5 volts. So I guess there is an issue with the power supply. I traced back to my timers, which are fed with power from a Len Gordon As Multi Combo controller. It might be something I need to look into. However there was no diagram for the controller- Does anyone on the forum have experience with the controller, which is about over 20 years old?
 
JamesW said:
Can you post some pictures and model numbers?
Click to expand...

I retested the voltage for the terminals at my pump. The voltage between two positives (?, both red) and the ground are 125V. I guess I only tested the voltage between two reds before and that read around 5 volts. So I guess I am back to my original search - could the running capacitor be the problem? I took it out and use om test - the reading starts from zero to infinite. I searched online and some videos says that the om should go back to zero. However I was confused based on what I read - only starting capacitor provides large torque to start the motor yet there is no starting capacitor that I can locate on the motor. So would a dead running capacitor also prevents the motor from starting?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
If you're not getting 240 volts line to line, you probably have a tripped or bad breaker. Try resetting the breaker.

There is only one leg that is getting power. The reason that both show 120 to ground is that the power is going through the windings to the other terminal.

If you disconnected the wires from the pump, you would probably find only one leg with power.

It could be a bad wire or maybe a tripped breaker, especially if you have two single breakers with a connector. Sometimes only one leg trips and the connector doesn't pull the other leg.

Sometimes a double breaker will fail and only disconnect one leg.
 
JamesW said:
If you're not getting 240 volts line to line, you probably have a tripped or bad breaker. Try resetting the breaker.

There is only one leg that is getting power. The reason that both show 120 to ground is that the power is going through the windings to the other terminal.

If you disconnected the wires from the pump, you would probably find only one leg with power.

It could be a bad wire or maybe a tripped breaker, especially if you have two single breakers with a connector. Sometimes only one leg trips and the connector doesn't pull the other leg.

Sometimes a double breaker will fail and only disconnect one leg.
Click to expand...

Thanks James for the suggestions. I followed your suggestion to check all breakers - they all perform well. I also check the wires to the pump and found out they were also supplying an outlet and a security light, which suggests that the wire may should have been carrying 120 v before. I also checked the wiring in my timers and found both wires connecting to my L1/2 on the pump are carrying 120 v. Now I think I am going back to the pump again - it has been a loop circulating me back to the starting point. :brickwall:
 
If you're not getting 240 from L1 to L2, you probably have a bad line.

Try disconnecting the wires from the pump and then check voltage from Line to Line and Line to ground.

If you have pictures, that might help.
 
JamesW said:
If you're not getting 240 from L1 to L2, you probably have a bad line.

Try disconnecting the wires from the pump and then check voltage from Line to Line and Line to ground.

If you have pictures, that might help.
Click to expand...

Thanks James. Yes, I replaced the 20A double breaker switch and now the pump is working :cool:
Now time to fix the chemicals as my 2-yr old new plaster is getting rough in the spa.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply