burnt wiring pentair intelliflo vsf pump

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TampaKathy

TampaKathy

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Oct 2, 2020
814
Tampa, FL
Hi all, our pentair intelliflo vsf pump stopped working...we determined that one of the wires was burnt...cleaned it off and got pump working again. We were going to try replacing the wiring but before we did that it stopped again (lasted 2 weeks). It is now more burnt and part of the black plastic piece broke so I'll be calling someone out this time. Pump is 3 years old. Any ideas on what caused this...I want to make sure that we don't have this happen again as soon as it's fixed/replaced. Possibly relevant...a few months ago our IC60 salt cell caught on fire. That was replaced under warranty and the guy that came out looked at the whole set up and didn't see anything wrong. Pentair wanted pictures so he sent some to them but we never heard anything else (not that I really expected to). And maybe it's not possible to know what caused this issue...I just want to try to be prepared when someone comes out here so I can ask questions if needed. I also wonder if I should have an electrician come out and inspect since 2 things have burnt.
 

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Kathy,

What model Pentair pump are we discussing?

Has the pump ever been repaired before this incident.

It is very unusual for a pump and salt cell to burn like you have.

My guess is it is electrical related. The circuit breakers, wiring, voltage, grounding, at your pool and in your house all need to be checked.

Is the pump connected to a GFCI CB?

If you want, show us pictures of your pool equipment electrical setup, as well as your equipment pad.
 
I think the pump is connected to a GFCI CB (that's a GFCI CB in the pic, right?). The whole house is connected to a GFCI CB at the breaker panel. Here are some pics. I'm on my third salt cell so based on that alone, I probably should have called an electrician. The pump has never been repaired before this.
 

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You have two good Siemens GFCI CBs for your two pumps.

You have a mix of Siemens, Eaton, and Square D CBs in the panel that I don't like but should be okay.

Looks like the pump that failed is an Intelliflo VSF 011056 pump.

Wires burn like that when the screw is loose and they are not making a good connection.

Pentair does not sell the terminal block that melted alone. You will probably be told you need to get a new pump. The 011056 pump may not be available anymore and you may be told the replacement is an Intelliflo3 pump.

I think some resouceful folks here have found replacements for the electrical terminal block. Maybe someone will see and point you in the direction to repair the pump.
 
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Have your electrican check that all your wiring is 12 AWG.

And that all your CBs are on the approved list for the EasyTouch panel.

Check all screw/wire connections are correctly tightened.

1732990323690.png
 
TampaKathy said:
Hi all, our pentair intelliflo vsf pump stopped working...we determined that one of the wires was burnt...cleaned it off and got pump working again. We were going to try replacing the wiring but before we did that it stopped again (lasted 2 weeks). It is now more burnt and part of the black plastic piece broke so I'll be calling someone out this time. Pump is 3 years old. Any ideas on what caused this...I want to make sure that we don't have this happen again as soon as it's fixed/replaced. Possibly relevant...a few months ago our IC60 salt cell caught on fire. That was replaced under warranty and the guy that came out looked at the whole set up and didn't see anything wrong. Pentair wanted pictures so he sent some to them but we never heard anything else (not that I really expected to). And maybe it's not possible to know what caused this issue...I just want to try to be prepared when someone comes out here so I can ask questions if needed. I also wonder if I should have an electrician come out and inspect since 2 things have burnt.
Click to expand...
The use of stranded wiring that way at the terminal board is the likely culprit. At the very least, it should have been looped around the terminal so that both sides would tighten evenly. By only going under one side of the terminal it could loosen in use. Loose wires/terminals cause a heat buildup and then the condition you have now. Properly installed wire terminals would have been better.
 
1poolman1 said:
The use of stranded wiring that way at the terminal board is the likely culprit. At the very least, it should have been looped around the terminal so that both sides would tighten evenly. By only going under one side of the terminal it could loosen in use. Loose wires/terminals cause a heat buildup and then the condition you have now. Properly installed wire terminals would have been better.
Click to expand...
I wondered about that...I will make sure it's wrapped around next time. Thank you!
 
The other wire looks fine, so it is probably not excessive amperage for the wires.

Most likely, the connection was poor causing excessive heat and this causes a runaway spiral of the connection getting progressively worse and getting hotter as the resistance increases.

Remove the terminal block and show what it looks like below the block.

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The part is pretty generic, so I am sure that you can fix it even without the exact part.

You can go to a local electric motor repair shop or electrical supply store or just eliminate the plastic and connect directly to the brass.

Maybe go to a local pool service shop and see if they have a pile of old motors that you can look through for a used part.
 
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I think that you probably do not need the black plastic part.

Remove the black plastic part, clean the brass, use ring terminals on the wires and install the rings to the brass with the screws.

Maybe solder the ring terminal on for the best connection.

Don't cut back the wiring unless you have to.

You can cut off the bad insulation and use shrink tube insulation to replace it.


 
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Another thing to consider is if there is any damage below the terminal due to the excessive heat.

If you can check it out, it would be better to do so.

If it will be difficult to check it out, you can take a chance, but it might not work or it might not work for long.

You can take the motor to a local electric motor repair shop for evaluation to see what they say about the problem.
 
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