hot weather causing shut down?

[primuspaul]

Pump has been working fine and only a couple of years old, but this evening I went swimming and noticed it was not on despite the timer settings. I touched it and it was very hot. Flipping the power switch did nothing. I tried to cool the pump down by pouring some water on it and heard a click (thermal disconnect perhaps?). After that turning it on results in a humming sound and nothing else.

It's likely still quite hot inside (I only cooled down the external chassis/cover). Is the pump toast? Pump mesh filter window is flooded so I don't think it's a lack of water issue. If it does power on once cool, what are my options? Do I install some sort of heat sink on it or set the timer to only run it at night? Can the thermal disconnect be modified to shut off at lower temps?

 

[Texas Splash]

Can you share some pics of the pump? Be sure to capture the motor labels as well please.

 

[primuspaul]

Can you share some pics of the pump? Be sure to capture the motor labels as well please.

 

[primuspaul]

Only 2 years old. Supposedly there is a 9 yr warranty. I msged the seller. Tomorrow will replace with spare pump. Hopefully I attached the motor to the plumbing correctly. Is it a big deal if the pool has no filtration for a day or 2?

 

[Texas Splash]

Supposedly there is a 9 yr warranty.

That seems a bit fishy to me. That particular single speed Hayward Power-Flo Matrix pump looks like it has a split phase motor. I don't think you have many repair options, but let's ask @mas985 to be sure.

 

[primuspaul]

Here are the old and new pumps:
New pump works, but chassis still getting hot.

 

[duraleigh]

Not uncommon for the pump to be too hot to touch.

If you want to tackle it, it's reasonably easy to replace the start capacitor that is a common issue and your symptoms indicate that may be the cause.

 

[primuspaul]

Not uncommon for the pump to be too hot to touch.

If you want to tackle it, it's reasonably easy to replace the start capacitor that is a common issue and your symptoms indicate that may be the cause.

Does the heat kill the pump faster?

Any instructions for the start capacitor? Sounds like a good idea if the seller defaults on the warranty

 

[mas985]

Does the heat kill the pump faster?

Heat definitely has an impact on the motor lifetime but the wet end (the real pump) should still be ok unless the motor got so hot it warped the wet end.

Any instructions for the start capacitor? Sounds like a good idea if the seller defaults on the warranty

Match the mfd and the volts and you should be ok.

But before replacing the capacitor, make sure the motor shaft spins without resistance. The reason the motor may be overheating is because of bad bearings.

 

[primuspaul]

Heat definitely has an impact on the motor lifetime but the wet end (the real pump) should still be ok unless the motor got so hot it warped the wet end.


Match the mfd and the volts and you should be ok.

But before replacing the capacitor, make sure the motor shaft spins without resistance. The reason the motor may be overheating is because of bad bearings.

Is there some sort of diy cooler I can make for it? Like a bucket of water with a hole in the bottom plugged with a rag that wraps around the chassis?

 

[mas985]

Under normal operation, you don't need to worry about the motor heat.

Excess heat is generated from abnormal operation when the motor is failing.

Have you checked to see id the shaft rotates smoothly?

 

[primuspaul]

Does the pump need to be installed on top of a rubber mat to reduce vibration? Presently it sits on a severely rusty steel platform without being bolted down and is held in place by the two pipes. Please advise if this reduces the life of the motor

 

[mas985]

No it does not need to be installed on a rubber mat.

The life of the motor is dependent on keeping it dry. Most failures are due to shaft seal leaks that allow water to reach the bearings which then rust and then fail. Have you tried rotating the motor my hand and feeling the resistance?

 

[DavidArmenB]

No it does not need to be installed on a rubber mat.

The life of the motor is dependent on keeping it dry. Most failures are due to shaft seal leaks that allow water to reach the bearings which then rust and then fail. Have you tried rotating the motor my hand and feeling the resistance?

+1
Most pump failures I have seen was due to water intruding the dry side of the pump.

 

[wireform]

No mention here yet make sure your filter pressure gauge works as when pump is off the gauge rests at 0 and that the filter isn't dirty to the point that the pump isn't overworked causing the pump to go out.

 

[mas985]

In reality a dirty filter is less hard on a pump than a clean filter. For centrifugal pumps, the lower the head loss, the higher the flow rate and the higher the current draw. So a pump will typically run hotter on lower head loss plumbing than higher head loss plumbing as long as there is water flowing through the pump.