New Pool Pump - Electrical problems

[JamesW]

Before you replaced the motor, how did you shut off power to the pump?

How do you normally turn the pump on and off?

Before checking each line to ground, disconnect one of the wires from the pump.

 

[RickAstley]

Before you replaced the motor, how did you shut off power to the pump?

How do you normally turn the pump on and off?

Before checking each line to ground, disconnect one of the wires from the pump.

I would turn the pump on and off by spinning the timer to trigger and put power through. I never had a need to turn off power, but I imagine I would just turn off the whole breaker.

 

[JamesW]

Ok, when working on the electrical, you don't want to turn off power at the timer because it can turn on power by itself.

What happened to the old motor?

 

[RickAstley]

Ok, when working on the electrical, you don't want to turn off power at the timer because it can turn on power by itself.

What happened to the old motor?

I don't think I know what you mean in the first sentence. Turning my breaker box off isn't good enough?

I'm not entirely sure what happened to the old motor, but when I came back from being out of the country my wife said the pool pump hadn't run for a few days. I went out and looked and the capacitor had exploded. We put a new capacitor on there but the motor wouldn't turn on, so I bought a replacement. Pictures are in this thread: Something blew up...

 

[JamesW]

Turning off at the breaker is sufficient.

I suspect that a connection to one of the power wires got fried. I suspect that you will probably find one power wire energized and one not.

We'll see when the power is checked tomorrow.

 

[JoeGolan]

Turning off at the breaker is sufficient.

I suspect that a connection to one of the power wires got fried. I suspect that you will probably find one power wire energized and one not.

We'll see when the power is checked tomorrow.

Or the timer contacts were fried.

 

[RickAstley]

So I went out this morning and unhooked the wires, then turned the power back on. I was getting readings of 0.2V for all wires. Just as a test, I checked the voltage coming out of the power outlet next to the switch, and I was getting readings of 124.7V. The 0.2V is the same reading I got last night when the wires were still connected to the motor.

 

[JamesW]

There's a problem somewhere from the breaker to the pump. You're going to have to follow the wiring from the pump to the breaker or the breaker to the pump to see where the power dies.

I don't know how comfortable you are doing that. Do what you can do safely. Call an electrician when you get to something you don't feel safe about.

 

[weird_tolkienish_f]

Sounds like a ground fault.

 

[JamesW]

Did you check voltage for each line to ground?

I don't think that there's a gfci and I don't think that the breaker is tripping. I don't think that it's a ground fault.

I suspect that a breaker, timer or switch failed on at least one leg.

 

[RickAstley]

Did you check voltage for each line to ground?

I don't think that there's a gfci and I don't think that the breaker is tripping. I don't think that it's a ground fault.

I suspect that a breaker, timer or switch failed on at least one leg.

I checked voltage for all combinations of wires, both blues to green and both blues together. I got the same results for all. There's a GFCI on the outlet, but the pool lights are working and they are coming from the same timer box so I don't think that got tripped. In the past I've had to click the reset on the outlet to get the lights working. I'll likely have to call an electrician as I'm not sure what I'd be searching for if I traced the wires around.

 

[Meadow]

I checked voltage for all combinations of wires, both blues to green and both blues together. I got the same results for all. There's a GFCI on the outlet, but the pool lights are working and they are coming from the same timer box so I don't think that got tripped. In the past I've had to click the reset on the outlet to get the lights working. I'll likely have to call an electrician as I'm not sure what I'd be searching for if I traced the wires around.

Sounds like a good plan to me. If you took the advice to open the cover on the timer you will prolly find the culprit. I strongly believed the original problem had drawn high current and I would think the issue you're having now is already mentioned above "I suspect that a breaker, timer or switch failed on at least one leg" or this "Or the timer contacts were fried". And I would also open the wire nuts and check the connections that may have come loose or burnt! Of course with the CB off.

side note:
1. Always make sure to loop the bare conductor around the screws in the clockwise direction when terminating electrical wires.
2. To post your image(s) without redirecting readers outside the forum do this....
a. Copy the "Direct" link ie... http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj521/DomingoMontoya/20170529_185609_zpsak3sukwj.jpg
b. Edit the link like this...

[/URL] Please note, I added "s" after the http and replaced the word "zpsak3sukwj" with example just for this purpose.
c. This is how it should look like if you followed the above steps.


The old fashioned way of copy and paste the direct link does not work for me anymore. Others can chime in. Good luck!

 

[RickAstley]

Sounds like a good plan to me. If you took the advice to open the cover on the timer you will prolly find the culprit. I strongly believed the original problem had drawn high current and I would think the issue you're having now is already mentioned above "I suspect that a breaker, timer or switch failed on at least one leg" or this "Or the timer contacts were fried". And I would also open the wire nuts and check the connections that may have come loose or burnt! Of course with the CB off.

side note:
1. Always make sure to loop the bare conductor around the screws in the clockwise direction when terminating electrical wires.
2. To post your image(s) without redirecting readers outside the forum do this....
a. Copy the "Direct" link ie... http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj521/DomingoMontoya/20170529_185609_zpsak3sukwj.jpg
b. Edit the link like this...

[/URL] Please note, I added "s" after the http and replaced the word "zpsak3sukwj" with example just for this purpose.
c. This is how it should look like if you followed the above steps.


The old fashioned way of copy and paste the direct link does not work for me anymore. Others can chime in. Good luck!

Thanks! I figured there was a way to do that, but for sake of speed I didn't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. As for checking underneath the timer, I'm getting a little out in front of my skis. Even if I found the source I don't think I'd know how to fix it.