Hayward Ecostar - Do I win a medal?

[mattbuff5]

I've got quite the story and am looking for troubleshooting direction. For starters, I didn't realize how unlikely it is for me to have absolutely ZERO issues with my Ecostart pump since June 2013 until this year. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I completely disconnect the pump and store it inside my house over the winter, which... eventually... leads me to today.

All was well and dandy with my annual pool opening and closing procedures to include storing the pump in my basement. Well as we've welcomed two new kids to the family over the past 3 years, the sole space I get to call my own is the garage. Have no fear, the garage space is dwindling quickly as the various balance bikes, dump trucks, battery cars, etc take over. I decided to invest in some overhead garage storage racks. Ever the maximalist, when installing the shelving I installed them above my garage doors, as close as I could possibly get them - think ¼" clearance.

This past fall, as I now had this new found abundance of storage space, I decided to utilize it to store the pool pump. Yes I risked life and limb to physically climb a ladder while carrying the Ecostar. Hey at least I got my workout in for the day! All was good and well for a few months then spring came around.

The Ecostar was stored in the garage above the spot my wife uses. Also this is the first garage door so it is used FREQUENTLY for us to go in and out with the kids. Also my wife had been driving her father's brand new Lincoln Aviator for the month prior to this fateful day. Fortunately she was at work so no car was in the spot and the kids were inside the house. So so so many things could have gone worse, I'm so lucky. So what happened? I was coming home and was dropped off by a friend so I opened the first garage door and within seconds heard loud bang! The garage door must have been hitting the overhead shelving just enough to make it shake a little for a while and this time happened to be enough for the pump to come crashing down from 10 feet overhead onto a concrete floor.

At the end of the day the only broken parts were one handle of the lid broke off. A small piece of the fan shroud cracked. The major break was all 4 screws that connect (AND GROUND) the motor housing to the control housing sheared off.

Ultimately, I was able to get the pump back into working order with absolutely minimal effort. Here is where I'm going to get ridiculed but know that I have precautions in place to prevent unauthorized entry to the pool. For the last 4 months I've used the pump with the control housing basically resting on top of the motor housing - not connected electrically (aka not grounded). Since the screws sheared off, I was unable to remove them. Before I invested the effort I wanted to see if the pump actually worked. Well, turns out, when it works great and life catches up to you, you just leave it alone. As I said, I have precautions in place. We have an automatic pool cover that can only be opened with a code that my wife and I have. We do NOT enter the pool without the Ecostar breaker being turned off. This has worked for us this summer; however I will not continue this next year.

So where am I at today?
1- I need to find four replacement screws that attach the motor housing to the control housing.
2- The motor recently started sounding louder than normal. I suspect it is a bearing issue. Other posts indicate there is a not a replacement kit for these pumps. Is it possible to replace the bearing on these?

 

[Darin]

You can take your old bolts to the hardware store and find new ones.
Take your motor apart and remove the old bearings with a cheap 3-jaw HF puller. There will be a number on them, something like 6203. Then take then down to your local electric motor repair shop and buy new ones. If you cant read the numbers they will be able to. Each one should not be more than $15. Tap the bearings back into place with a pipe that fits over the shaft but only engage the inner race.

Waa Laa, nice quiet motor. Don't forget to replace your pump seals.

I just did this to my 3 phase motor and spent $25 total on my two bearings.

Here is a nice youtube video.

 

[Flying Tivo]

Wow i can only say, You are darn lucky! Thank god there was no one around.

 

[1poolman1]

You need to get a ground on that motor. That's why your bearings are going out. From pumpsandsystems.com ( one of many sites that discuss this problem):

Shaft currents induced by VFDs can lead to motor failures. Without some form of mitigation, shaft currents travel to ground through bearings, causing pitting, fusion craters, fluting, excessive bearing noise, eventual bearing failure, and subsequent motor failure. This is not a small problem.

The motor ground is the first line of defense against this issue. I've seen it when a drive on those pumps has been replaced but the repair person didn't tighten those bolts all the way (drives come with new bolts that cut threads into the housing ) because it is hard to do. Next thing you know, bearings are gone with no seal leak.

 

[mattbuff5]

You need to get a ground on that motor. That's why your bearings are going out. From pumpsandsystems.com ( one of many sites that discuss this problem):

Shaft currents induced by VFDs can lead to motor failures. Without some form of mitigation, shaft currents travel to ground through bearings, causing pitting, fusion craters, fluting, excessive bearing noise, eventual bearing failure, and subsequent motor failure. This is not a small problem.

The motor ground is the first line of defense against this issue. I've seen it when a drive on those pumps has been replaced but the repair person didn't tighten those bolts all the way (drives come with new bolts that cut threads into the housing ) because it is hard to do. Next thing you know, bearings are gone with no seal leak.

That certainly explains the seemingly sudden bearing noise. Thanks for the information. Looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend...