Motor in pump shot

[ml143333]

Oh my goodness...Of course the motor on our pump would go out on the coldest day of the year so far and when they are forecasting snow 4 - 6 inches of snow.

We have a 20,000 gallon in-ground pool that we keep open year round. We have a Jandy Stealth system with a Century Centurion motor. I believe it is 1.5 hp with 208 - 230 amps and 7.8 volts. Normally, the pump automatically kicks on when the water temperature gets to a certain temperature and in 7 years we have never had a problem.

My questions are:

1. Do I buy the same motor for the pump or is there a compatible motor that I can get?
2. Are we doomed to have frozen and broken pipes underground?

Thanks for your help.

 

[jblizzle]

First thing you need to do is open the drains on the pump and filter ... that should prevent damage to the equipment and drain a good bit of the above ground pipes. Any pipe underground should be OK if it is not a very long and deep freeze. You can also put a tarp over the equipment and even add a light bulb under it to hold some heat around the equipment and pipes.

Is there a reason you have such a large pump? I see no spa / water features / etc listed that would require high flow rates.

Since you have to replace the pump, now would be a good time to upgrade to a 2-speed motor. By running on low speed you can save a good amount of electricity. You may in fact be able to get a smaller motor and a smaller impeller to save even more money (both in initial cost and running cost).

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