Intex pump disassembly

[comawhite12]

Hey all,
I have an Intex 2500 gph pump that is giving me some problems as of late. When the pump starts it seems to be bound up for anywhere 10 seconds to almost a minute before it starts up. During this time it just hums loudly.
Has anyone here had the same problems? I am wondering about opening up the pump to see what might be wrapped around the shaft. I am guessing this is the problem.
Any information on cracking this thing open would be very helpful.
Oh, and the pump is only 1yr old.

Thanks.

 

[bobodaclown]

Is it still under warranty? Could be something wrapped around the impeller/shaft or could be the capacitor. Remove power/ disconnect from power. Isolate the pump from water and try spinning the impeller by hand if it turns easily it might be the capacitor. Should be an easy fix.
Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-cVgpz7GYQ

 

[comawhite12]

Ok, ok, ok........this is getting stupid.
I pulled the capacitor out of the pump and this is what it looks like.

I have been ALL OVER and no one has this. The closest I found was a can type that is twice the length.
I have no idea how I will get it to fit in the housing.

Does anyone know where to find this part? I would really like to put the original in and not have to mod the s#%t out of the housing to make this fit.

Thank you.

 

[comawhite12]

I did indeed replace this capacitor with a can type one. Luckily I was able to stuff it in the housing and could still screw it back down with some effort. the pump starts like it was brand new again.
Hopefully this will last longer than the original capacitor (not even 1 yr) and help any who have the same issue.
It can fit with some butter and luck.

 

[JasonLion]

Those aren't easy to find, but you can find them on the Internet, at least at higher voltage ratings. They appear to all be imported from China and go for around $30 delivered.

 

[comawhite12]

I ran across those on the net before I headed out to look for one. Problem with these sites is they seem to all have minimum orders of 100 to 1000 pcs. I didnt dig any farther than about 5 sites.
Maybe I should buy a 100 or so and sell em off here to all the Intex folks, or they could grab the type I did and stuff it in.
I think the bad one has been on its way out for longer than I thought. My pump is running stronger than it did right out of the box! I guess size really does matter.
Oh, and I paid $14.50 for the new capacitor. Not too bad.

 

[JasonLion]

These people sell one at a time, though I can't vouch for how good a company they are.

 

[comawhite12]

Thanks for the info. I will keep the site info. But I dont think it is quite the same capacitor even though the voltages are similar.
The one in the Intex pump has 4 tangs and uses 3

Bad angle in the photo but you can see the 3 wires.

The stock photo from the site shows 2 tangs.
Might still be compatible, but I would have to dig deeper.
The can type is what I got to fit in the housing.

 

[tjspiel]

Just in case someone else runs into this problem, compatible capacitors can be found on ebay and other places but they are not exactly the same as the original. That's OK, they don't have to be.

The original for the 250 gph pump I have is a: CBB 61 package type
It's rated for: 250 Volts AC
The capacitance is: 16 uf (microfarads)

It also has 4 terminals.


"CBB 61" refers to the general shape although not necessarily the exact same size. You don't absolutely have to have the same size but it can't be too much bigger or it won't fit in the housing.

The replacement should have the same voltage rating OR HIGHER.

The capacitance rating must me the same (16 uf in my case)


Number of Terminals? This where I got stuck. The original has 4 and I couldn't find any of the CBB 61 package type that had the proper rating and 4 terminals. I was all set to order a larger can type and hope it would fit when I decided to do a little more research.

It turns out that while a capacitor might have several sets of terminals, most only have two "poles". Multiple terminals are connected to each pole to all allow for several connections. In the case of the original pump capacitor, there are essentialy two pairs of terminals, where each pair is connected to one of the two poles.

Once you realize this, then you'll discover that there's actually quite a few capacitors available on ebay and other places that will work. An expensive two wire capacitor like the one I got is just fine. You can cut off the 1/4 inch quick disconnects in the pump and just use wire nuts if you want. If you do this, you'll end up with two wires from the pump connected to one wire of the capacitor and one wire from the pump connected to the other wire of the capacitor.

I spent about $3.00 at Radio Shack and got the male ends of the disconnects which I attached to the wires of the capacitor, - two on one wire, and one on the other. So for about $13 (the capacitor was $10 including shipping) I've got a working pump again.

One other comment. The capacitor I found was rated for 450 Volts, which again is just fine. However it was slightly bigger than the original and the hole for the mounting bolt didn't line up right. So I just used some duct tape to hold the capacitor in place while I put the housing cover back on. There was plenty of room for it.

 

[raidencmc]

Just wondering how the colors of the wiring matched up? Was red connected to the switch side and black to the motor side?

 

[raidencmc]

I found a pump and motor store. They offered a 2 pole which has 8 total connections. In the picture the 2 white wires are simply in and out. The orange is on the output of the capacitor. Not sure if it matters or helps!

 

[BEANbabz69]

I have the same Prob..but my capacitor is good..and impeller spins freely! Edit guess we get what we pay for!

 

[donnie5336]

I'm having the same problem with an Intex 2650 GPH pump (sand filter, SWG all in one)... pump now just hums loudly when I try to switch it on. I couldnt get one of the bolts out on the pump housing, but i can manage to get my hand in there and spin the impeller. I can move it fairly easily, but how free should it spin? It does seem to have some resistance. Definitely not completely locked up or stuck, though. Also, how can you test whether the capacitor is good? I took mine off, its just like the CBB61 pictured above with 4 terminals, except mine is 35uf, not 16. I found one online for about $25, but I'd like to know if there's a way I can be sure this is what i need before i spend the money. Thanks.

 

[Charlie_R]

If your motor is just humming, and you can spin it by hand, get the capacitor.

 

[donnie5336]

I took the capacitor off and had a friend test it with an analog multimeter and he says the capacitor is fine. The impeller will turn by hand, so it isn't locked up. The motor still just hums. What else could be wrong?

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[raidencmc]

I don't think it helped me either. I took the whole thing apart and ended up breaking the impeller. If ur invested in the pool get another pump fix the old one and keep as a back up. Take the old one apart get familiar with and use it as parts for the new one. Youll be glad you have a back up pump if one goes down. Does it hum when its apart? Be careful.

 

[donnie5336]

I haven't taken the impeller off or disconnected the pump assembly from the motor, but it will turn fairly easily by hand. Not 100% freely, there is some resistance there, but I assume there will be some resistance when hand turning an electric motor? Yes I'm invested in the pool, and the reason I haven't just gone ahead and purchased a new pump is because this is the Pump/Sandfilter/Saltwater Chlorine Generator all-in-one unit... nearly $400 and barely over a year old. If i get a new pump, that only solves half my problem, I still can't use my SWG without this unit.

 

[nedchavez]

If the capacitor is good and the pump spins freely, you could have a bad centrifugal switch. This is the switch inside the motor that connects the capacitor and start winding. Power on the motor and then spin the impeller by hand. The motor should start running.

 

[donnie5336]

How freely should the impeller spin? Like I said it is easily turned by hand, but not like 100% free spinning. There is some resistance.

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[nedchavez]

There should be some resistance from the seals.