Hayward Pump tripping breaker

[poollover2012]

Hello everyone,

I woke up this morning and found that the pool pump was not working. I checked the breaker and it had tripped. I turned it back on and the pump worked for about 2 minutes and then it tripped again. Once again I tried with the same result. The pump has been running for about a week with no issues until now. It's a Hayward super pump. What's the best way to proceed? I'd like to know if this is a pump or wiring problem.

Thanks!

 

[duraleigh]

You don't say, so my assumption is that it HAS been working fine? What's changed? Is there any dirt, trash, etc. that's been sucked into the pump? Have you checked the impeller?

 

[poollover2012]

Hi,
This is my first pool, so my knowledge is somewhat limited. I did find a manual online and removing the pump seems fairly simple. So first thing would be to check the impeller? There is some debris, leaves mostly from trees, in the area. I guess debris getting inside might cause it to overheat? It's been dry, calm weather the last few days so don't think it's weather related. The previous owner had the pump "serviced" and/or replaced prior to the seasonal closing last fall, as he did mention he had issues with it, but not sure if it's the same issue I'm experiencing now. Can I bypass the pump somehow so that I can rule out the wiring? How would I go about doing this?
Thanks.

 

[duraleigh]

You can certainly test the line voltage with a meter to confirm the pump is receiving power. If you don't know how, I would suggest you call an electrician to fix your pump.

 

[Bama Rambler]

It sounds like a motor problem. I would take it to a motor shop or pool store and have them check it out.

 

[Isaac-1]

A breaker tripping is not always a pump problem, sometimes as breakers get old they can get weak and trip at a lower amperage than they should, without a good clamp style amp meter to test with often the only way to elminate this possibility is by swapping out the breaker with a known good one.

 

[poollover2012]

So I removed the motor cover and noticed a loose wire (green) touching the cover. I figured this must be the cause of the short. So I taped up the wire and we're back in business. But why are neither of the green wires going to the motor being used? Is it running on 120v only then? Only the incoming black and white wires are connected.

 

[Isaac-1]

green is the safety ground wire, it connects the motor frame to your building ground, it touching the cover should have no effect on the motor running.

Ike

 

[poollover2012]

green is the safety ground wire, it connects the motor frame to your building ground, it touching the cover should have no effect on the motor running.

Ike

It's possible it may have been touching something else in there then cause it seems to be working fine now. There are two green wires though and neither connected at the moment. Should I leave it as is then?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Bama Rambler]

No, the green from the power feed should be connected to the grounding screw inside the cover. It's not safe to operate without that ground.

Can you post a pic of the wiring?

 

[poollover2012]

No, the green from the power feed should be connected to the grounding screw inside the cover. It's not safe to operate without that ground.

Can you post a pic of the wiring?

I confirmed with my local shop that the green wire is the ground and that there should be a grounding screw behind the cover. I looked around and the screw was missing but the spot was clearly marked GND. So the wire was reconnected to that grounding point. Thanks for the help. Hopefully I'll have a trouble free pump for some time to come.