Update and Question? Thunderstorm = fried pump

[savdoc2]

I think the severe thunderstorms we had overnight fried the pump. You can see our set up in my signature. Some have said this pump was oversized to begin with.

What would you replace it with?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

I'd recommend either a 3/4hp 2-speed full rated pump or a 1hp 2-speed uprated pump. Either of those will give you the turnover required and if you want to run t 24 hours a day on low will save you some money too.

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

I like Bama's suggestion for dual speed...a little cheaper alternative would be a 0.5hp full rated pump...either a hayward superpump or Pentair Superflo would work fine...I'm currently running the later. If uprated then a 3/4 hp would do just fine

 

[geekgranny]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

Not meaning to hijack, but, how does one protect against pool equipment getting fried? We have some really serious lightening out here and we've never had a problem. I had a whole house protector installed with the new main panel a few years back but we never had any problems for almost 20 years before that. We also use many UPSs and surge protectors but not on the pool equipment (except for the relatively new protector in main power panel).

Way, way back, when we first moved out here. I had a surge come through a phone line, to an external modem, then to 8086 system. The monitor and everything else, was unplugged from electric but CRT monitor lit up, the modem was undamaged, but it fried the power supply in computer. Everything else was fine. I was actually bending down to unplug the phone cord when it happened.


gg=alice

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

Highly rated whole house units installed at the entrance is as good as anything. Nothing is going to protect you from a direct lightning strike but the good whole house systems are the next best thing to an online UPS.

 

[Isaac-1]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

You can often replace a pump motor for about half the price of a whole pump, I had to do it on a 1.5 HP Hayward Super Pump just a couple of weeks ago, 4 bolts to remove the motor from the pump, 2 screws to remove the electric cover, disconnect the power leads (with the breaker off for all this of course), a small wrench to hold the base, unscrew the impeller, 4 more bolts to remove and transfer the cover to the new motor, then put everything back together. Total time less then 30 minutes, and best of all I did not have to remove any of the plumbing.

Ike

 

[savdoc2]

Re: Thunderstorm = fried pump

OK, well maybe that wasn't the issue. Not sure exactly what the problem is though.

12 hours of thunderstorms producing 4 inches of rain.

When I went to check on the VERY full pool, the GFCI had tripped. The one fro the SWG did not trip. Usually the one for the SWG trips in t-storms and the pump does not. OK. So I reset the GFCI, tripped immediately. Switched GFCI's - the one for the SWG was fine, the one for the pump tripped immediately. Brought a power tool outside and both GFCI's would run the power tool. 6 hours later after driving 100 miles each way to buy a new pump, I tried the old pump once again. Pump began to ran, did not trip the GFCI. Hmmmm........ now what? Something was causing the GFCI to trip. 24 hours later the pump is still running just fine. We are still a little nervous about why the GFCI was tripping earlier.

Any thoughts?

 

[Isaac-1]

My guess is water in the pump from the rain grounding it out. GFCI breakers work by measuring the amount of electricity going down one wire vs the amount coming back the other, with the theory any unaccounted for must be finding its own path to ground this would /could happen if water were to get in the vent holes of the motor or onto the electrical connections..

Ike