Need help identifying high head motor

[lecnt]

Hi,

I need to replace my motor for a WhiperFlo pump. I read up a little bit about what high head pump means and I (more or less) understand it. I also read that the motors for them usually have a run capacitor and thicker wiring.

My question is: how can I tell if a motor is high head when I look for one? What do I need to look for other than the horsepower? How can I tell the difference between run capacitor and start capacitor?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-LEC

 

[ajw22]

Normal pool pumps are high head pumps. What is this pump for?

If you are asking about a motor replacement then post a pic of the current motor data plate. You just need to get a motor with the same specifications.

 

[JamesW]

Do you have a picture of the motor label, the pump and the pump label?

How old is the pump?

 

[lecnt]

It's not too old, about 4-5 years old.

I've read that looking at the horsepower only might not be enough. That's why I'm so confused, not sure what else I need to look for.
My pool company wanted to replace it with a 1.5 HP Century motor but I was afraid it's not high head and it would break sooner because it has to work harder.

Here's the current motor data plate:

 

[ajw22]

FYI, that motor is a Century motor relabeled by Pentair.

You see “Century, Tipp City, Ohio” below the wiring diagram.

 

[anotherpyr]

A.O. Smith Century 1.0 HP Square Flange 56Y Dual Speed Full Rate Motor - B2982 - INYOPools.com

Century 1.0 HP Square Flange 56Y Dual Speed Full Rate Motor - B2982

www.inyopools.com

i believe that’s it. But it was a pain to find.

 

[lecnt]

So is this the same motor then? Is this a high head motor?

Century B2854 1-1/2 HP, 3450 RPM, 8.0/16.0 Amps, 1.1 Service Factor, 56Y Frame, PSC, ODP Enclosure, Square Flange Pool Motor - Electric Fan Motors - Amazon.com

Century B2854 1-1/2 HP, 3450 RPM, 8.0/16.0 Amps, 1.1 Service Factor, 56Y Frame, PSC, ODP Enclosure, Square Flange Pool Motor - Electric Fan Motors - Amazon.com

smile.amazon.com

 

[bdavis466]

Why are you so concerned with high head? the Whisperflo is a high head pump and that has more to do with the pump and impeller than the actual motor.

Is this just a standard pool pump or does it power something in particular?

 

[JamesW]

There are no high head motors. Motors are not rated by head, just by horsepower and speed in rpm.

As noted, the pump design determines if the pump is high head or not.

You need a two-speed motor where the high speed horsepower is a total of 1.65 hp. Total hp is the rated hp x the service factor.

The motor is 230 volts, square flange, 56Y frame, two-sped 3450/1725 rpm.

Do you change speeds using a switch on the back of the motor or some other way?

Does the solar automatically switch from low speed to high speed?

Magnetek Century 1.5 HP Square Flange 56Y Up Rate Motor - B2854 - INYOPools.com

Century 1.5 HP Square Flange 56Y Up Rate Motor - B2854

www.inyopools.com

A.O. Smith Century 1.0 HP Square Flange 56Y Dual Speed Full Rate Motor - B2982 - INYOPools.com

Century 1.0 HP Square Flange 56Y Dual Speed Full Rate Motor - B2982

www.inyopools.com

 

[lecnt]

Thank you for all your answers! This place is awesome (well, you all are awesome), wish I knew about it sooner.

 

[lecnt]

Thank you for all your answers! This place is awesome (well, you all are awesome), wish I knew about it sooner.

I just looked at my profile and apparently I joined in 2011.
So I guess I knew about this place before, I just forgot it. Shame on me.

 

[JamesW]

What's wrong with the motor?

Maybe it just needs a capacitor or there's a power supply problem?

If you do need a new motor, you need to make sure that the new motor comes with a high/low toggle switch if that's what you have now.

Ideally, if you have solar, you would leave it on low speed and have the solar controller change the speed to high when solar is activated.