Pump timer/breaker hums

Jump to latest Follow Reply
sam03v

sam03v

0
Mar 6, 2013
52
north florida
Hello,

This morning I discovered my 1 hp single speed pump is not turning on, it was working yesterday so the pool is not green yet. I have a Intermatic timer and if I try to manually turn on the pump by flipping the timer to "on" the timer will humm and then pop the breaker. The house breaker box is on the other side of the wall in the garage, basically right across from the timer so i can't tell if the it's the breaker humming or the timer. The timer motor is only one year old and is working (i can see the gears moving). I can also move the pump impeller with my hand so the motor is not locked up. But, it does get warm when the timer/breaker is "on" and humming. So is it safe to assume the motor has a problem and not the timer or breaker?

I actually have a new 2 speed motor on it's way and it should be here by Friday, so I was planning on replacing the motor anyway. But I'm worried I'll end up with a green pool before the motor arrives. Any suggestions to get this motor back running would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
 
Bama Rambler said:
It's most likely the capacitor in the motor.

In order to keep it from turning green until the new motor gets there you could add chlorine and brush it really well to stir it up.
Click to expand...

Ok. Thanks.

I added liquid chlorine this morning and stirred it with the pool brush as i went along the perimeter. I'll brush it a couple times a day until the motor arrives, hopefully I don't have problems with the new motor!
 
If it is the capacitor you may not need to replace the whole motor, just the capacitor. If there's a hump on top of the motor, that's where the capacitor is. Other motors have the capacitor inside the back plate. You should be able to swap out the capacitor for less than $40 if you do it yourself. Plus it would likely be an easier repair than swapping out the motor as you don't have to disconnect plumbing or motor.

Plenty of videos on youtube detailing how to do it for the superpump...good luck.
 
jobondur said:
If it is the capacitor you may not need to replace the whole motor, just the capacitor. If there's a hump on top of the motor, that's where the capacitor is. Other motors have the capacitor inside the back plate. You should be able to swap out the capacitor for less than $40 if you do it yourself. Plus it would likely be an easier repair than swapping out the motor as you don't have to disconnect plumbing or motor.

Plenty of videos on youtube detailing how to do it for the superpump...good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I was planning on replacing the motor anyway, it's just a coincidence that the motor gave up the ghost a couple days before the new one will arrive. The motor has the capacitor on the back, I'm going to take a look at the capacitor tonight. Maybe I'll get lucky and the connections are corroded or something.
 
You might want to fix the old motor and keep it as a backup. If you can find the capacitor locally, you can swap it out before you get your new motor and test it out before you take it loose from the pump. That way you'll know you have a solid backup motor if something goes wrong with the new one down the road.

Check out A/C supply shops or the pool store for a replacement if you want to go local. Take the capacitor with you and make sure the specs are the same and the physical dimensions are similar.
 
jobondur said:
You might want to fix the old motor and keep it as a backup. If you can find the capacitor locally, you can swap it out before you get your new motor and test it out before you take it loose from the pump. That way you'll know you have a solid backup motor if something goes wrong with the new one down the road.

Check out A/C supply shops or the pool store for a replacement if you want to go local. Take the capacitor with you and make sure the specs are the same and the physical dimensions are similar.
Click to expand...

I was thinking I didn't want to spend any money on the old pump motor, but if things do go wrong with the new installation having a back up will be good. The pool store near my house has one model capacitor in stock, but I don't know if its' the one i need.

Thanks!
 
I picked up a capacitor at grainger (only one in stock at my local store) after searching on this forum for a part number. Since it was only $5.00 I thought I'd take a chance and buy it before removing the old one. Took 10 minutes to remove and replace and the motor is back in business! The pool still looks good as well.

Thanks very much for the help!
 
sam03v said:
I picked up a capacitor at grainger (only one in stock at my local store) after searching on this forum for a part number. Since it was only $5.00 I thought I'd take a chance and buy it before removing the old one. Took 10 minutes to remove and replace and the motor is back in business! The pool still looks good as well.

Thanks very much for the help!
Click to expand...

Glad it worked out for you. You should post the part number on here for people that may have this same issue in the future...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply