Low Flow and tripping breaker

[3at1ce]

I've been trying to open the pool for 2 weeks now. I'm having a problem that I didn't have last year and both Pump and filter are 2 and 3 yrs old.

The pump is tripping a 30 amp breaker at various times. Water flow is fine when everything is turned on, then gradually goes down. I take the filter out every day to clean it although there is nothing much on it.
Water is blue, but very cloudy. I have added the chemicals the last test said was required but the flow is so slow that I feel everything is just going to the bottom..
Last season was the first season with the new pump and I don't feel like it had alot of flow then either but didn't trip a breaker..we had to run it on high all season for it to have decent flow. I'm at a complete loss..

Thanks in advance for any advise you may have..
Dana

 

[drsipe]

There are a lot of reasons for the problems you are seeing, and I will try to help you through some of them.

First, does the pump turn freely by hand? You should be able to turn off the breaker and reach into the pump from the strainer and turn the pump. Many times, hair and other debris enters the pump and makes it through the strainer and wraps around the impeller, this causes excessive current draw on the motor.

Sometime, depending, how old the breaker is and how many times it has tripped, the breaker can be weak and trip prematurely. If you are comfortable working with electricity you can either use an amp meter to verify correctly tripping, or you can just replace the breaker with a new one.

If there is no build up on the impeller or shaft, but the pump does not turn freely, the bearing may be wearing causing additional load on the motor. If you are comfortable with an amp meter, you can disassemble to motor from the pump and perform a test run without the pump, using the amp meter to see exactly what the current draw is.


Again, please don't do anything that is beyond your competency, electricity can be dangerous.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Is the breaker GFCI?

Is anything other than the pump on the CB?

Any signs of water drips from the pump?

 

[3at1ce]

Thank you both for your reply..

The way I understand it (and I could be completely wrong as i just bought this house a few years ago but have since replaced the pump and filter) , the pump is hooked to a 20 amp breaker at the pool and then runs to 30 amp breaker in the house. As far as I can tell nothing else is on that cb.. I have no idea if it is gfci... chances are probably not because I've run into alot of shady work that was done to the house in order to sell it.. no water drips..

Drsipe...we turned the breaker off to test that the pump turned freely by hand which it did and then when we turned the breaker back on, the pump will no longer turn on... I'm guessing it is shot.. we bought it at beginning of season last year so it was only used 1 season.. so aggravating.. it may as well be rocket science because I've never wrapped my brain around how all of this pool stuff works..

 

[ajw22]

The way I understand it (and I could be completely wrong as i just bought this house a few years ago but have since replaced the pump and filter) , the pump is hooked to a 20 amp breaker at the pool and then runs to 30 amp breaker in the house. As far as I can tell nothing else is on that cb.. I have no idea if it is gfci... chances are probably not because I've run into alot of shady work that was done to the house in order to sell it.. no water drips..

So the pump 20 amp CB does not trip and power passes through it to a 30 amp breaker that does trip???

Show us pic of the pump, the 20A CB and the 30A CB.

 

[3at1ce]

So the pump 20 amp CB does not trip and power passes through it to a 30 amp breaker that does trip???

Show us pic of the pump, the 20A CB and the 30A CB.

Yes exactly! The 20 amp never tripped but the 30 amp did..I will get some pics in the morning.
Thanks so much for trying to help..

 

[ajw22]

What is on the 30A breaker other then the pump?

 

[3at1ce]

Nothing to my knowledge..

 

[ajw22]

Nothing to my knowledge..

Strange that you have two CBs in line of different amperage to one pump.

I will wait to see the pics.

 

[3at1ce]

Ok so here is the set up..
Keep in mind we don't use the big sand filter. It quit working and we bought the cartridge filter a couple seasons ago..

 

[ajw22]

I do not see a 20A and 30A breakers in those pics.

 

[3at1ce]

We are assuming the pool is ran to this breaker box on the house and then to this breaker box in the house..

 

[ajw22]

Where does this CB fit into the puzzle?

 

[3at1ce]

Where does this CB fit into the puzzle?

That is the one that's in the pump house underneath the pool

 

[3at1ce]

I circled it in this picture

 

[ajw22]

I think you have to bring in an electrician to determine how your breakers are connected and explain it to you.

It makes no sense that the pump is causing a 30A breaker to trip with one or two other breakers before it.

Your pump CB should be GFCI and the rusted out breaker box in the pump house should be replaced.

 

[3at1ce]

I think you have to bring in an electrician to determine how your breakers are connected and explain it to you.

It makes no sense that the pump is causing a 30A breaker to trip with one or two other breakets before it.

Your pump CB should be GFCI and the rusted out breaker box in the pump house should be replaced.

Thank you so much.. that's exactly what we were thinking is to get an electrician to look at it.
I do appreciate your time and trying to help..

 

[drsipe]

So, if I read this correctly, and I'm not sure I am.

There is a 30 amp breaker at the house, feeding a 20 amp sub panel, with an additional breaker (possibly 25 amp) as a disconnect switch to the pump,,,,, very complicated and a little overkill in my opinion.

It sounds to me like the 30 amp breaker in the house is tripping before the 20 amp breaker in sub panel is tripping. That leads me to believe that either there is additional load on the 30 amp breaker, one side of the 30 amp breaker may have failed and you are not getting a true 240V, or the 30 amp breaker is weak and tripping pre-mature.

If you are not familiar with electricity and this setup is not conventional, I think I would recommend calling in a professional electrician.