Today I was out back and noticed the pool pump wasn't running. A minute or two later, it turned on. We had a power outage a few days ago so I figured the timer was just behind a few hours. A few minutes later, the pump turned off; the thermal overload tripped. A few minutes later it came back on. After about 5 minutes it shut off again.
The motor housing was warm as expected, but not unusually hot. Filter inlet pressure was ~19 psi. I cleaned the filter, it dropped to ~16. I stayed outside for about an hour and the pump didn't shut off again. Beyond that, I don't know. and I can't sit there all day and babysit it. For all I know this could have been happening for a while now and I just haven't been outside at a time when it shut off.
Not sure what to do about this. I don't think 19 psi is high enough to overheat the motor; It's been that high before when the filter needed cleaning. There's no unusual noise from the motor, such as a bearing going bad, and the return water flow seems normal so I don't think there's any restriction in the lines.
Pump is an old 3/4 hp Stayflow single speed. I have no idea when it was installed. I know it's inefficient and intend to replace it someday, but now I'm concerned that it's going to die at an inopportune time (like every other mechanical device in my life does) and I'll end up with a pool full of algae waiting for a new pump.
I'm considering replacing it with a Pentair 342001 1.5 hp variable speed. I can get it on my Amazon Visa for $39/month 0% interest, so it probably would pay for itself in energy savings. I just have a lot of projects on my plate right now, and don't need another one.
I guess there's no way to know, but I'm wondering if this is a warning the motor is about to go, and if I ignore it I'll end up regretting it. Thoughts anyone? Only thing I don't like about the Pentair is that the warranty is only a few months if you self-install.
Appreciate any thoughts or advice.
The motor housing was warm as expected, but not unusually hot. Filter inlet pressure was ~19 psi. I cleaned the filter, it dropped to ~16. I stayed outside for about an hour and the pump didn't shut off again. Beyond that, I don't know. and I can't sit there all day and babysit it. For all I know this could have been happening for a while now and I just haven't been outside at a time when it shut off.
Not sure what to do about this. I don't think 19 psi is high enough to overheat the motor; It's been that high before when the filter needed cleaning. There's no unusual noise from the motor, such as a bearing going bad, and the return water flow seems normal so I don't think there's any restriction in the lines.
Pump is an old 3/4 hp Stayflow single speed. I have no idea when it was installed. I know it's inefficient and intend to replace it someday, but now I'm concerned that it's going to die at an inopportune time (like every other mechanical device in my life does) and I'll end up with a pool full of algae waiting for a new pump.
I'm considering replacing it with a Pentair 342001 1.5 hp variable speed. I can get it on my Amazon Visa for $39/month 0% interest, so it probably would pay for itself in energy savings. I just have a lot of projects on my plate right now, and don't need another one.
I guess there's no way to know, but I'm wondering if this is a warning the motor is about to go, and if I ignore it I'll end up regretting it. Thoughts anyone? Only thing I don't like about the Pentair is that the warranty is only a few months if you self-install.
Appreciate any thoughts or advice.
