Broken pump

[phipsi1237]

I'm pretty sure I broke our pump last night. I turned it off, then turned it back on within a couple seconds without letting it spin down. If I try to turn on now, it juh

What normally happens to the pump if this is done?

 

[BoDarville]

It is generally not a good idea to make a habit of short-cycling a pump motor (turn it on-off-on repeatedly within the span of few seconds) - just something to keep in mind. With that said, it is unlikely that this one short cycle alone was the root cause of the failure if this was the only time you did this. It may have had an underlying condition that put it in a somewhat weakened state and this one short cycle may have pushed it over the edge. Two things I would check before resigning yourself to a new pump/motor are (1) The capacitor and (2) The timer switch. If it is either of these, it is an easier and cheaper fix then getting a whole new pump/motor. Unless you are experienced with electric motors and electrical wiring, I would have a professional diagnose it.

I would try turning it on again today and see if the problem persists before going forward with any diagnosis.

 

[Qwaxalot]

Try to determine if the motor shaft will turn easily. It may be that you spun the impeller of the shaft, and it is now jammed against the volute.

 

[phipsi1237]

I tried turning it on, and it just makes a humming sound.

 

[Qwaxalot]

I tried turning it on, and it just makes a humming sound.

What I meant was to try turning the shaft manually. With the switch off, reach in through the pump basket and see if the impeller will turn easily with your finger.

 

[phipsi1237]

Bo said he'd try turning it on. I'll check the shaft manually now. Btw, it's a Hayward SP3020X25AZ pump with an Emerson EB809 single-speed 2HP motor.

Thanks.

 

[phipsi1237]

It will not turn.

 

[Qwaxalot]

It seems likely that the impeller is jammed. This means you'll have to pull the motor and reattach the impeller (assuming it's not broken). With the motor off the pump, you can ascertain if the motor is good. If you're uncomfortable with this idea, you'll need to hire someone.

 

[phipsi1237]

I removed the motor. Seems as though the diffuser was jammed in there pretty good. With the motor off the pump, the impeller turns fine. I'm going to put it back on and see what happens. Anything wrong with trying to turn on the motor before putting back in the pump?

 

[Qwaxalot]

I removed the motor. Seems as though the diffuser was jammed in there pretty good. With the motor off the pump, the impeller turns fine. I'm going to put it back on and see what happens. Anything wrong with trying to turn on the motor before putting back in the pump?

You can turn on the motor, just hold on to it tightly, there's a lot of torque there.

As said before, it seems likely that the impeller unscrewed from the motor shaft (they'll do that with back pressure from the filter). It will have to be properly reinstalled. With a 2HP motor, there should have been a screw going through the impeller into the shaft (to lock it in place).

 

[phipsi1237]

Everything "looked" fine, so I was going to put it back together. The plates wouldn't flush up, so I pulled it back out. Upon doing so, I bumped the impeller slightly and it became loose. I was able to unscrew it with my hand and saw that the impeller threads that screw onto the shaft are stripped!!!! Guess I need a new impeller. Luckily it looks as though the shaft threads are ok.

Looks like Qwaxalot was correct. Thanks a lot.

 

[phipsi1237]

Picked up a new impeller from Leslie's. I know have circulation!!!! However, I now have a small leak between the motor and pump. Pressure is normal, so I'll let it circulate a while and re-seal later.

 

[phipsi1237]

Took it apart again to get it to seal. Wiped down all the surfaces. Put back together. Still leaking in the same spot right in the middle under the bottom. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to lubricate the housing gasket, so I did anyway. Could that be the culprit?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[JimM01]

Did you check the shaft seal? If the impeller threads were stripped, it's possible that it cracked the ceramic surface of the shaft seal. You should be able to see this if you take your pump apart again. If you need to replace the seal, make sure you do not touch or lubricate the shaft seals. There are some good websites and youtube videos that show exactly how to do this.