My 1.5 hp pump motor was recently replaced by a home warranty company with a 1.25 hp motor. Don't know why they put a smaller one in - discovered it after the fact. It's working okay, sometimes having problems priming it. But now my booster pump is not working consequently my pool cleaner is not working. Could this smaller motor have affected the integrity of the booster pump?
what size motor is required for a whisperflo pump?
- Thread starter rindy
- Start date
- May 3, 2007
- 16,832
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
A smaller motor will probably fail soon unless they also replaced the impeller at the same time. Check with service company and see if this is what they did. Otherwise, I would get them to change the motor out soon or else it will eventually fail.
As for the booster pump, the change in motor should not have affected that very much. It should be able to compensate for a lower flow rate if that is the case. What exactly is it doing or not doing?
As for the booster pump, the change in motor should not have affected that very much. It should be able to compensate for a lower flow rate if that is the case. What exactly is it doing or not doing?
mas985- I doubt they replaced the impeller, being that they acutally installed the motor incorrectly by switching the ground and the hot wires and then telling us we had an electrical problem - my husband is the one that figured out their error. I'll have to check. When the main pool pump is on and I turn on the booster pump it sounds like it is running, but there is not enough power to fully mobilize the pool cleaner. If I turn off the main pump and then try to turn on the booster pump there is no sound at all.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,832
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
rindy said:
That is the frame type of the motor. Not quite sure why that was posted though.
As for the booster, if the main pump is off, the booster is probably wired so that it can't turn on. This is to protect the pump. So that is working as it should.
Also, when the main pump is on, is there the same amount of flow coming out of the returns as before the motor change? What about filter pressure, has that changed? Also, is the main pump hot when running? If the flow from the main pump is reduced, then the booster will also have problems.
Another problem could be that when the work was done to fix the main pump, debris got in the line and clogged the booster impeller so the flow rate is compromised.
Anyway, if the motor is incorrect on the main pump, that should be fixed fairly soon. Hopefully, the people who did the work will install the correct motor for no charge.
Okay, I'm a dolt. They actually replaced the motor with a bigger one. It went from 1 hp to 1.25 hp. The flow and pressure seem about the same. The booster pump worked fine after they changed the motor. It just stopped working the pool cleaner arbitrarily. I used to be able to turn it on though without the main pump. This is an old pool.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,832
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
rindy said:
Having a slightly larger motor is fine. At the same time they may have changed the wiring from the booster so now it will only turn on when the main pump is on. This is the way it should be so I wouldn't worry about that.
So does the booster work sometimes or not at all? Have you checked the cleaner itself? Perhaps something is stuck in the gears or the supply hose. Remove the cleaner from the fitting and turn the booster pump on. Is there plenty of flow coming from the wall fitting? If there is pressure and flow coming from the pump it is likely the cleaner. If the flow rate is slow, it is likely the pump or supply line.
I think I figured out the problem. I think the backup valve is bad on the Pentair Legend. It is staying on continously so all of the power if going thru there instead of thru the cleaner. I noticed that there was always water going thru there, but now a lot of water is going thru it and as I said it is not cycling off. Thanks for your help.