Old and new pump motor both shut down after a few seconds

[modificator]

Well, bad news. I've rewired the motor for 230V and in a stand alone mode (straight water pipe in, straight water pipe out) the motor is running about 18A - which is half of 115V operation and the same problem persistis :-(. The thermal switch is shutting off the motor after a few seconds of operation.

So I've run out of ideas - any other thoughts from anyone? Thanks!!!

 

[JamesW]

Does the shaft turn freely?

Can you show a video of the motor starting where you are measuring the amperage including showing the amp meter display and settings?

 

[JamesW]

Everything in this box looks old and corroded.

Try connecting the red and black power wires directly to the pump to get 240 directly without going through a breaker.

The breaker in the main panel should provide protection when doing the test run.

 

[modificator]

Ok, I'll give it a try with a direct connection. BTW, it all looks old and corroded but I've cut fresh wires for the 230V connection so it's not as corroded as it looks.

But trying to understand, why a bad/corroded breaker would cause a high current while the voltage at the pump is still around the 115V the pump is designed to work with? If anything, I would expect the bad breaker to offer a higher resistance which would translate in less current flowing. Or what am I missing?

Also how to check if the motor/pump shaft turns freely, do I have to remove the motor from the pump?

Thanks

 

[modificator]

I've connected the motor directly to 230V power bypassing breakers, timer and everything else. Exactly the same results, just a little higher current of 20A after removing the rusting breaker connections.

Uploading the video is too difficult for me, but there is nothing I can see there - the current goes from zero to 20A and back to zero when the heat switch trips.

So the remaining question before returning the pump to Amazon is: is it necessary to remove the motor to check the free rotation or is there some other way to do that? Thanks!

 

[JamesW]

You can reach into the hole leading to the impeller, but be sure that the breakers are off and not just the timer so that it does not accidently turn on.

You can also access the shaft from the back if you remove the capacitor.

There are wires under the capacitor.

If you remove the capacitor, make sure that the wires are all under the capacitor and not outside the stands or the centrifugal switch can snag the wires.

 

[JamesW]

If you remove the basket and reach into the hole going to the impeller, you can usually feel the impeller enough to feel if it will spin easily.

Be sure that the Breaker is off!

 

[willygee]

Did you check for free spin yet? Under the centrifugal switch there are weights with springs connected to the motor shaft. You should be able to reach in and spin the shaft there as well. Make sure your power is pulled. If the shaft spins freely I am thinking old or bad wiring took out motor number two. In any event any old breakers and wiring should be refreshed.

Also..saw this comment on a 2hp unit same mfg:
Factory wiring defect inside the wiring compartment. This motor is an exact wiring replica/knock-off of the pump/motor I am replacing so I was able to see the wiring location, right down to the wire colors and locations inside the compartment, but one wire that goes to the start-capacitor won't reach the male terminal on the capacitor. Someone stuck a QA sticker on the pump assembly it and shipped it out anyway.

 

[modificator]

James and Will, thanks for the advice. The Maxi Force seems to be a knock-off of Hayward, but it does not allow for reaching to the shaft through the pump side like Hayward. Luckily the other end of the motor is exposed (at the centrifugal switch) and I was able to rotate the motor with the pump freely.

I've also noticed the Amazon reviews - some people say it's great, others that the pump did not work for them or failed quickly.

I don't see any obvious missing or disconnected wires, so next step I will replace the unit with Amazon. Will let you know how it goes, thanks!

 

[D.sebens]

Just an idea what if you ran it dry, will it still shut off? My thought is what if the impeller is wrong and WAY oversized.

 

[JamesW]

Definitely an odd situation.

It's a lot of current for a motor that turns freely.

 

[JamesW]

Exactly the same results, just a little higher current of 20A after removing the rusting breaker connections.

My thought is what if the impeller is wrong and WAY oversized.

There is no impeller that is going to fit the pump that will pull 20 amps at 240 volts.

 

[willygee]

Free spin ok with that kind of amp draw..i would ohm out the start and run windings. This may be a case of budget motoritis.

 

[modificator]

I've already removed and packed it, so can't try to run it dry. I'll see how the replacement works and will go from there. Thanks to all who have commented!

 

[JamesW]

The motor should not exceed 7.5 amps at 230 volts.

At 20 amps, that is an extra 12.5 amps, which is 2,875 watts.

If that is going through the windings, they will get red hot very quickly and burn up.

It might be going through the ground wire if the windings are making contact with the motor frame.

The motor looks like a really cheap motor from China.

You should have an electrician replace the subpanel, install a gfci circuit breaker and wire the new pump for 230 volts.

Get a good quality pump and not a low quality cheap Chinese piece of junk.

Measure the amperage and voltage of the new pump to make sure that it is using the right amount of power.

Maybe get a second clamp ammeter to verify the amperage measurement.

 

[modificator]

Thanks James

 

[modificator]

OK everyone, the problem is solved. I've installed a new pump-motor combo, it works very well, pulls about 7-8A at 230V which is about right. So the problem was "budget motoritis" as Willy called it - a cheap piece of junk new motor which must have had some inner fault.

Thanks again for all the help and advice!

 

[Texas Splash]