Pumps not working

[highnpressurized]

Hi Folks,

Both filter and Polaris booster pump quit working. Checked power at every junction from panel to pumps, all is good there. Both shafts turn easily by hand. Thinking about having capacitors checked, but twice while trouble shooting the pumps came on for a few seconds and went back off....randomly. I though capacitor worked or they didn't...no intermittent operation. Also, when the pumps are switched on, I do not get the humming sound everyone talks about with faulty capacitors. Any ideas?

BTW, great site...been lurking and gleaning for a few days now.

 

[mas985]

Did you actually put a volt meter on the power lines to the motor? If both motors went out at the same time, I would suspect the supply.

 

[highnpressurized]

Short answer is yes. I've had my multimeter on the breaker panel, the timer/switches, the second switches this has installed and on the terminals in the pump themselves. I've just been trying to follow the electrons...

Long answer. It was not a simultaneous failure. Both pumps were working fine as I fumbled my way through my first pool opening. We had a tear in the tarp so the pool was a bit dirtier than it should have been so I had both pumps and the Polaris 280 running for a few hours. Went out to check on everything and the booster had quit. Recycled the breaker (not tripped), recycled the switch. No luck so I just switched to the vacuum on the pole for the rest of my cleaning duties. Had some time to start trouble shooting and started looking for obvious things. I had opened up the back of the pump to find a couple seriously corroded terminals (one load and one ground). I cleaned them up with a wire brush and emery tape and put the wires back. Breakers back on, timer switch on...POP..the filter pump quits (it was running first because the booster is jumper-ed to the filter pump. Now I get nothing with the switch on. No no hum, buzz...nothing from either pump. Shafts turn freely. Power checked at every junction from box to motor. Twice the pumps came back on simultaneously....in a very strange fashion. The booster, if I follow the wiring correctly, shouldn't come on unless the main pump is on because it gets its water from the filter return line. Well, the filter pump power was on..not running and then I flip the power switch to the booster pump and both come on???? Bewildered, I shut the booster off, and the filter pump shuts off also. Neither will turn back on. This happened twice, but I cant get it to happen again.

Any idea's?