Motor fan on pump clicking

[mcgeechelle]

There is some rhythmic clicking that is coming from my pool pump - its only 2 years old. To me it sounds like it is coming from the fan at the motor end, like maybe the fan blades are hitting the housing or something is stuck in the blades. I don't think it is the impeller - I'm not having any telltale flow or pressure issues, simply noise. I tried to remove the screws to get the shroud/cover off, but I was starting to strip the first screw since it's so tight and then I realized that there's a screw underneath that's too close to the equipment pad for me to access without lifting out the whole motor anyway. Ugh. So all this to ask a really dumb question - in case there is simply debris that has gotten into the fan, would there be any harm to spraying inside with a garden hose to see if I can dislodge it or would I risk ruining the motor and/or other electronics? Trying to avoid an expensive service call over something trivial.

 

[Richard320]

That could be the centrifugal switch. Let's try summoning some people @poolguyct @JamesW

Don't squirt water in there. If anything, get a can of compressed air used for cleaning electronics and camera lenses. (Unless you own an air compressor, but I figure you'd have tried that already if you did) If it is the switch, it might need adjusting or it might need replacing. Probably means a service call.

 

[JamesW]

Turn off the power to the pump at the breaker. Then, stick a tool in the back hole that allows access to the shaft and rotate the shaft clockwise to see if you hear or feel anything.

The shaft back end will usually have a hex key or flat screwdriver hole that allows you to hold or spin the shaft.

For the Intelliflo, you can see in this video the back slot in the shaft that takes a big flat screwdriver. There's a hole in the back shroud for access.

 

[mcgeechelle]

Thank you for the suggestions - I'll try them when I'm home in an hour or so.

 

[Pool Clown]

Sometimes, in an attempt to get as much energy savings as possible, the variable speed pump manager will lower the speed as low as seemingly possible (no crime). This, in a lot of cases can cause the clicking noise you describe. Simple test, try turning up the RPM on the motor and see if it goes away or calms down. Another problem that seems to manifest itself is what was described earlier in the thread as an interference problem between the cooling fan and the housing. A simple RPM adjustment up (in my experience) also seems to be the easiest fix for that noise as well.