pump tripping circuit

[BeerBBQ]

Good evening folks,
Im really stumped on this one. The last couple years Ive used the techniques here to keep my pool in pristine condition and its worked wonders. So... today I set out to open my pool. Everything was going smoothly, until I went to prime the pump. And... nothing. Perhaps 5 seconds, maybe a couple seconds longer, of a dull hum, and then the circuit is tripped. Tried this a few times over and nothing ever happens, but tripping the circuit. The pump worked perfectly last year when everything was shut down. Im a bit stumped, and to be honest, quite nervous messing with electric myself.

Has anyone else experienced this? Im thinking perhaps the pump itself is fried. Weve only lived in the house for two years and we know the previous owner didnt really replace anything, so the pump and the filter are ancient. At least 10+ years old, if not more. As a matter of fact, I started to find sand outside the return jets towards the end of last year, from the sand filter. Im thinking it might be time for a complete redo, with a new pump and filter before the pool season really gets started? Any thoughts?

Problem at this point is, Ive now taken the cover off and the pump is not working? What the heck to do? Can I just dump chlorine and and brush brush brush to mix it up a bit?

Ugh, what a mess.

Thanks for any advice on any of these issues...

- Ryan

 

[JasonLion]

The first thing to check is to see if the motor shaft turns freely when the pump is off or not. If the shaft is difficult to turn you might be able to free it up by turning it a few times by hand.

In the meantime, adding chlorine and then brushing the pool is a good stopgap. Also, if you have a cover pump or sump pump you can put that in just to get some circulation.

 

[BeerBBQ]

Thanks Jason,
Gave it a go this morning, motor shaft is turning fine when the pump is off. However, the problem remains, dull hum of the electric for about 5 seconds, then the circuit is tripped. Im guessing its time for a new pump. If that in fact is the case, any recommendations from the board members? Our pool is about 30k gallons, but very old school. No bottom drain--the only drain is through the skimmer, with three returns.

Any other advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[scooperhsd]

The general consensus that it may be cheaper to just replace the motor on your existing pump, if the wet end is otherwise in good shape. Look for a 2 speed equivalent if you want to save money running it (but you will need some way to change the speeds). Even just replacing the motor with a new single of equivalent SFHP is likely to be cheaper that a completely new pump.

If you do want to replace the whole pump, again , look at the 2 speed models, with the high speed being equivalent to your current pump/motor.

Personally, when I replaced my last pump with the current - I switched from a Hayward Super 1.5 HP to a Pentair 1.5 HP Energy effiecnet Superflo. It was cheaper to buy AND it has been cheaper to operate. I will admit that I probably could have gotten by with a 1HP pump instead of the 1.5 HP, but at this point - I'm going to just let things ride (the energy efficient model seems to be drawing the same power as a 1 HP on my setup).

 

[BurnChar]

A possibility to consider before spending any money:
If your tripped breaker is GFCI, ensure that no water or corrosion exists in the breaker box (unlikely unless it is an outdoor box) or in any wiring. I had the same problem and it turned out to be that the previous owner did not properly seal or wire the outdoor breaker box. After a year of working fine, it tripped the GFCI breaker when I plugged the pump back into it for opening.

 

[mas985]

It could be a bad start capacitor or centrifugal switch. Both are serviceable. Which Hayward pump is it?

 

[BeerBBQ]

FYI--the pump is a Hayward SP-1600-D. After further inspection, I noticed the Polaris booster was installed, according to the installation sticket, in April 2001. Knowing the older woman we purchased the home from, I'd bet the pool pump and filter were installed around the same time.

As much as I dont want to, I may just bite the bullet and replace the pump, filter, and booster pump--get it all done at once and not have to worry for a while.

- Ryan

 

[BeerBBQ]

One last question for the more educated folks on the forum.

Since Im just biting the bullet and replacing the outdated equipment, Im seriously confused about sizing and the online calculaters arent really helping. My pool is probably around 32k gallons (not that big of a surface area but ridiculously deep), the skimmer is about 30+ ft from the pump, but runs slightly up a hill from the skimmer to the pump. The old equipment to be replaced is a 1hp hayward and 24 inch sand filter. Its seemed to work ok in the past, but I wonder if I'm putting strain on the equipment and should make a jump to a 1.5 horsepower pump and either a 27 or 30 inch sand filter. Either way, I'll be going with the Hayward Tristar energy efficient (single speed, largely because I dont want to have to replace the current electric or controls, and in part because Im in the camp of generally letting the filter run near 24 hours a day).

Sorry for all these questions, but you all have been a lifesaver.

Thanks again, Ryan

 

[scooperhsd]

1 HP should be plenty. However, you might want to consider not running the pump so much to save some money - I typically run 10-12 hours per day - and I live in a forest with all those attendant problems for pool care.

On the filter - if you do want to replace it - get as big as you can afford / have space for.

 

[mas985]

Unless you have a real need for flow rate, the lowest HP pump is probably all you need and in a single speed, the TriStar 1/2 HP EE would probably be more than enough pump. The TriStar series are fairly large pumps for their label HP so the 1/2 HP is about the equivalent to the 1 HP SuperPump. Assuming you have 2" plumbing, the turnover would be about 8 hours (67 GPM) which is more than enough.

 

[highnpressurized]

Hi All,

Been lurking as a new pool owner (2 weeks in) and encountered my first problem that I cant fix. Similar to the OP so I thought I'd try hitching a ride on this thread. I have a filter pump and a polaris booster pump. Opened the pool with advise found here, and all was going well...until the booster pump quit working. Wouldn't even hum. Shaft turns easily by hand. Breaker in panel is not tripped. I had read hear that some of the older Polaris booster pumps would get corroded contacts. So I decided to take the access cover off and check. One contact was awful. I pulled it off, cleaned it with a wire brush and emery tape and put it back. I also polished up the ground on the outside of the pump as it was looking pretty rough. Everything went back together, filter pump on, boost pump to on and "POP." Nothing from either pump. Breakers not tripped. Turn the switch on/off....nothing. I know that the booster is wired to the filter pump, so I guess there could have been some reverse current issues that caused the main pump failure? My electrical skills are very basic so I'm out of ideas. One last comment, I pulled a cover off a junction box below the pool transformer that is on the other side of the pool from the pump station. A bit of water came out and there are serious amounts of condensation in there. It should be water tight, but it isn't. A possible clue maybe.

Thanks for any suggestions.