Booster Pump Advice

[stshields91]

I'm 10months into my new pool and would have never made it without this site and all of you so thank you first of all!

My builder put in a Polaris booster pump with my build, and I quickly switch to a robotic cleaner after getting frustrated with the Polaris. As a result I removed the cleaner pump from the schedule so it went for an extended period without running. Now it won't run. when the power comes on it hums like it's stuck, likely from lack of use.

Since is use a robotic cleaner now I don't really need the booster pump but would like some advice on what to do now as the pool plumbing still draws water from the pool return to the booster and out to the cleaner connection in the pool. Should I just remove the pump and connect the plumbing, so the water still flows while the main pump is on? This is important for me as I'm in TX and never close my pool and freezing temps have become more common, so the water needs to flow.

Should I try to repair or removed the cover and try to spin the shaft and see if once it's working it will continue to run on a schedule? I'd rather not as I don't plan to go back to a Polaris pool cleaner but I'm not sure if there are other side effects if I remove the pump from the system.

Would love some advice from the pros here.

Scott

 

[reggiehammond]

Just remove and connect the plumbing with a tee and a valve so you can regulate flow. My old Polaris port, once I connected to main pump flow, was taking more than the other returns, so the valve was key to keeping good circulation for skimming.

 

[stshields91]

Just remove and connect the plumbing with a tee and a valve so you can regulate flow. My old Polaris port, once I connected to main pump flow, was taking more than the other returns, so the valve was key to keeping good circulation for skimming.

Thanks for the tip... would you mind sharing what parts you used or a pic of the end result? It would be very helpful if you could.

Scott

 

[reggiehammond]

Not home currently - but from my filter, I have 2" PVC to SWCG, then PVC continues and goes underground to pool returns. Before it goes underground, I added in a 2" to 1.5" tee fitting and used 1.5" PVC to connect via elbow into the 1.5" existing booster pump return line. In this 1.5" booster pump leg, I added a ball valve so I can control flow. Ball valves are generally not recommended as they do fail, but I had plenty of available pipe and do not use this valve for any real purpose, so I'm ok with the risk.

Would be better to use a rebuildable valve like a Jandy Never Lube...

 

[sktn77a]

Should I try to repair or removed the cover and try to spin the shaft and see if once it's working it will continue to run on a schedule? I'd rather not as I don't plan to go back to a Polaris pool cleaner but I'm not sure if there are other side effects if I remove the pump from the system.

If your Polaris is only 1 years old then it's still worth quite a lot of money. If you can get the pump working, it should sell in no time.

 

[stshields91]

If your Polaris is only 1 years old then it's still worth quite a lot of money. If you can get the pump working, it should sell in no time.

I thought about that too so that's the plan. I'm going to disconnect the power and remove the cover to see if I can free the shaft manually then see if it runs. I suspect it just got sticky due to lack of use.

 

[stshields91]

Not home currently - but from my filter, I have 2" PVC to SWCG, then PVC continues and goes underground to pool returns. Before it goes underground, I added in a 2" to 1.5" tee fitting and used 1.5" PVC to connect via elbow into the 1.5" existing booster pump return line. In this 1.5" booster pump leg, I added a ball valve so I can control flow. Ball valves are generally not recommended as they do fail, but I had plenty of available pipe and do not use this valve for any real purpose, so I'm ok with the risk.

Would be better to use a rebuildable valve like a Jandy Never Lube...

Thanks for the info

 

[reggiehammond]

I thought about that too so that's the plan. I'm going to disconnect the power and remove the cover to see if I can free the shaft manually then see if it runs. I suspect it just got sticky due to lack of use.

Likely a bad capacitor, not the motor. Sorry - I missed that your pool was so new. You should still be builder warranty and pump warranty, so why not make it their problem?

While you're here - check out Pool Care Basics.
TFP offers a much simpler, better approach to pool care.
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[Lake Placid]

A bad cap on a 1 year old motor is unlikely. Get the shaft spinning freely first, and if it doesn’t want to spin up once the shaft is free suspect the cap.