Intelliflo pump is not powering on after power surge

[Joe_K]

After a strong thunderstorm 2 nights ago, my cable box and sound bar were fried, but then next day I noticed the pool pump wasn't working. I confirmed it is getting the 240V, and the display is showing "Priming Dry" message. I have tried the Reset process, and also removed all power for 20 minutes via the circuit breaker. Still same problem. Is there a way to bypass the control head and just 'hot wire' the pump to run, at least until I can get a new pump?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Joe,

It may or may not be the pump. Tell us more. Is the pump normally controlled by an automation system, or is it a standalone IntelliFlo?

You can't bypass the control system. The motor does not directly run of off 240 volts.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mas985]

Do you have surge protection on the pump drive?

 

[JamesW]

I confirmed it is getting the 240V

What is the exact voltage line to line?

the display is showing "Priming Dry" message.

On which display?

Do you have automation?

Disable priming and see what happens.

 

[Joe_K]

I have a whole house surge protector at the meter; not sure it did any good. The system is all Pentair and is controlled by the Pentair Sun Touch, including the solar valve and the salt cell.
The exact voltage was 236 VAC.

I have the drive unit removed right now, so I can't try disabling priming option. I do see a burn spot on the back of the circuit board of the drive unit, but the whole underside of the board is epoxied in, so it cannot be removed.

I made a jumper, but waiting for a partner to throw the breaker while I watch the pump. Will this work?

 

[JamesW]

No!

 

[mas985]

The motor on a VS pump is a PM 3-phase motor. It does not run on single phase AC. The drive converts the AC to PWM 3-phase. Connecting AC directly to the motor will likely fry it.

 

[JamesW]

It's a 3 phase motor.

You cannot apply single phase voltage.

The drive converts the single phase into 3 phase at a specific frequency and voltage.

The motor is about 8 years old.

Probably time for a new pump.

 

[Joe_K]

Thanks for that info #mas985 and #jamesw. Guess I will reassemble and try disabling the primer function, but since I see some burn marks on the board, I'm not holding my breath. Is it worth replacing the drive unit vs just getting a whole new pump assembly (pump, drive, motor)? I have a guy coming Monday and he had quoted me $1600 parts and labor to replace entire assembly. This system was new in 2014, so already 8 years old. Looks like the drive unit is special orders and around $900....and I still don't know that the problem is the drive unit.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I have a guy coming Monday and he had quoted me $1600 parts and labor to replace entire assembly

Joe,

Not sure what he plans to install, but a new IntelliFlo is hard to come by and costs about $1,800 bucks all by itself...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Joe_K]

I put it all back together, and disabled the priming option. Pump just wouldn't start. So I guess I will wait till Monday.

Thanks for all your feedback and help.

 

[Joe_K]

Well it seems the Pentair Intelliflo or IntelliPro VS pumps are hard to find right now. Looking at some other Pentair, lesser HP pumps. Looking at Pentair so that it will integrate with my Pentair Sun Touch automation system. Can anyone tell me the minimum HP rating I would need. 7700 gallon pool, Pentair salt cell, no vacuum port on pool, 5 panels of roof solar on single story house. My old Intelliflo pump rated for 3 HP (3.9 SFHP?). Pinch a Penny has a SuperMax Pentair pump rated at 2.2 HP. Would that be sufficient for my pool and solar sytem?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Joe,

Not all Pentair pump have an RS-485 com port, so whatever pump you buy, you need to make sure it is compatible with your Sun-Touch.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Joe,

Check this out.. Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed Pool Pump

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mas985]

Well it seems the Pentair Intelliflo or IntelliPro VS pumps are hard to find right now. Looking at some other Pentair, lesser HP pumps. Looking at Pentair so that it will integrate with my Pentair Sun Touch automation system. Can anyone tell me the minimum HP rating I would need. 7700 gallon pool, Pentair salt cell, no vacuum port on pool, 5 panels of roof solar on single story house. My old Intelliflo pump rated for 3 HP (3.9 SFHP?). Pinch a Penny has a SuperMax Pentair pump rated at 2.2 HP. Would that be sufficient for my pool and solar sytem?

Do you have a spa or other high flow rate water feature? If not, any size is fine. The only issue with smaller pumps is they tend to be louder than their larger counterparts because a higher RPM is required for given flow rate.

 

[Joe_K]

Thanks Jim. I messaged them to see how fast they could get it to me. Manually stirring in chlorine is getting old.

mas985, no spa or other water feature, just the 5 solar panels on the roof and the standard two circulation jets, and skimmer.

 

[Joe_K]

Well, Pinch A Penny was able to find me an exact replacement, Intelliflo VS pump. Coming today for the install. It's been a week!

What is the recommendation on bolting the pump and filter housing to the concrete pad? I noticed my current setup is not bolted down. It seems to me that both should be bolted down once all the plumbing is done. Just wanted to know what is best practice with regards to bolting everything down or not.

 

[BMerrill]

For surge protection it is recommended to have one in each panel and where possible, one at the end device like a power bar for a computer or TV. Best you can do for pool equipment is add a Siemens Boltshield in all the panel(s). Takes 2 spaces.

The one at your meter maybe depleted.

 

[Jimrahbe]

What is the recommendation on bolting the pump and filter housing to the concrete pad? I noticed my current setup is not bolted down. It seems to me that both should be bolted down once all the plumbing is done. Just wanted to know what is best practice with regards to bolting everything down or not.

Joe,

I see no reason to bolt anything down. Where could it possible go?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Joe_K]

Jim, I was thinking the vibration of the pump, removing the pump filter cover, removing the big filter lid to cleaning the filter, all can put some load on the objects where they could move and put stress on the pvc.