Pump Motor Blown

Jump to latest Follow Reply
N

Noggin

0
LifeTime Supporter
Mar 14, 2010
102
My pool pump failed after a nasty storm came through a few days ago. The pump and motor went underwater and tripped the circuit breaker. When I turned the breaker on, the motor winding blew out. The pump is 10 years old according to the sticker on the side of it so I figure I should just replace the whole thing. The dead pump is a Jacuzzi Cygnet 1-HP 115/230v unit. The one I am thinking of replacing it with is this one. Cost is a pretty big concern right now as we have to replace the hardwood flooring downstairs due to the storm, so I can't get a really expensive pump/motor combo. Considering this one is under $300, I'm pretty happy considering that I expected to spend more than that.

Is this a decent replacement pump? I'll be doing the install myself. My biggest concern is plumbing. I haven't done much with pvc pipe stuff and don't want to screw it up. I'm HOPING that I won't have to cut and replace anything, just that whatever new pump I get can just be set down in it's place and everything will line up. I probably won't be so lucky though. If not, then I suppose this would be a good time to install some unions.
 
Also, since my main pump isn't running I haven't been running my booster pump either. Is it OK to run the booster without the main pump or will it not get enough flow and possibly overheat? My pool is turning green and is in dire need of circulation and chlorine. I do know that the booster pump will drive the cleaner so I figure that might stir up enough water to mix the chlorine fairly well.
 
You should run the main pump with a booster since they are in series. Otherwise, you will starve the booster and perhaps damage it.

The Superpump is good cost effective pump but I would suggest getting the two speed version while you are at it so that you can save a bit on energy costs as well. The two speed shouldn't be that much more and you will make it up in energy savings
 
The two speed can be had for about $425 if you shop around but your savings will depend on what you pay for electricity. Another option would be to put a two speed motor on your existing pump.
 
mas985 said:
Another option would be to put a two speed motor on your existing pump.
Click to expand...

If you're handy, this could be a way for you to save money up front AND down the line. And if you need help with it, there's lots of us here ready and willing.

BTW, you're not alone. Two of my pumps burned up about a week ago. One for the hot tub, and the pool pump. We had some of the same bad weather as you, guess it claimed another pump.
 
mas985 said:
The two speed can be had for about $425 if you shop around but your savings will depend on what you pay for electricity. Another option would be to put a two speed motor on your existing pump.
Click to expand...

My biggest concern about the pump (not the motor) is that it's old and the company that made it is no longer around. I would think that this means that I couldn't replace the impeller if it ever goes out, or are they somewhat universal? A local pool store has a single speed 1 HP motor for about $150, I was actually thinking of going that route. Also, why use a two speed pump instead of just a smaller pump? Don't you end up running it longer at a lower speed?

Edit: I found this information. Looks pretty interesting. According to it, everyone should go variable speed instead of dual/single speed. Assuming I went with a variable speed pump, how would I determine the optimum settings?
 
A variable is a great choice if you can afford it. Note that article is published by Pentair who is very interested in selling variable speed pumps so of course it will be somewhat biased. In most situations a variable speed pump will have a lower lifetime cost than a two speed but a two speed is still better then a single speed. It really comes down to how much you are willing to spend up front for cost savings down the road.

As for settings, the Intelliflo reaches optimum energy performance around 800-1000 RPM but that may or may not work well for your pool. If skimming is not working well enough or you need to run a cleaner, higher speeds may be necessary. It is a bit of trial and error.
 
I went ahead and ordered the single speed pump. If we didn't have to shell out $4k for the living room floor to be replaced (it would be $1500 if wifey would let me put the tile down myself) in 3 weeks I probably would have swung for a more expensive pump. I just can't justify to myself spending the extra $170 right now on something that would take a year or two to recover costs.
 
Well I got my new pump in last night. Would have had it in a day before, but the plumbing had been done and redone to the point that there wasn't any fresh/bare PVC remaining to work with. There was a union at which I could disconnect the plumbing, but I couldn't find that particular style of union online or off anywhere, so it was pretty much worthless. Ultimately, I had to dig up the yard to find the PVC underground, cut it, and install a compression fitting on it with the water flowing out of it. I think I'm going to pick up a couple extra unions to match the one I used this time and keep them in my pool supply box.

So now, my pressure is reading 18 PSI after backwashing. When I woke up this morning it was at approximately 30 PSI. Filter is rated for 50 PSI so I should be OK there. However, my old pump was at about 10 PSI. Is my new pressure too high?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Your new pressure may be prefectly normal for your new pump. Or it could be that sitting without circulation for a few days allowed something to get started growing and your filter started picking it up as soon as it started running. Clean it a few times and see what the pressure settles to.
 
Bama Rambler said:
Your new pressure may be prefectly normal for your new pump. Or it could be that sitting without circulation for a few days allowed something to get started growing and your filter started picking it up as soon as it started running. Clean it a few times and see what the pressure settles to.
Click to expand...

Backwashed 4 times so far, 18 PSI each time afterwards.
 
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