Pentair WF-8

[bryantdr]

Today my Pentair WF-8 2HP stopped working. I noticed it was loud, and I shut it off to clean the basket. When I turned it back on it just hummed with no water pumping. I checked and I could turn the impeller.

I watched some YouTube videos and a bad capacitor is really the only repair I would make on my own. Not sure if the issue indicates a bad capacitor?

Called a few Pentair dealers and Leslie is the only one that was open on Saturday. They said I could bring it in and they would replace the motor for $400, or a new 2hp was ~$800, but the government is phasing out one speed 2hp pumps. They recommended a 2.7hp 2 speed which they calculate would save me $400 a year (8 to 12 hours a day, 4 to 5 months a year), but cost $1,500.

I also found a recommended pump repair motor shop near me.

Also, I need the higher hp when I am running my spa/heater.

The way I look at the options are:
1. Replace with 2 speed.~$1500 but maybe long term savings
2. Try to get it repaired: $10 to $400 depending on what is wrong.

Any thoughts? We have friends coming for the pool next weekend so timing may help the decision.

Also, is there anything to do for the pool with no filter running. I was going to run the Polaris once a day.

 

[cowboycasey]

Is this your pump? Pentair Whisperflo Standard Full Rate 2 HP Pump - WF-8 - INYOPools.com

If so just change out the motor to a 2.7 HP VS and be done with it.. You can do it with a rebuild kit and a new Salt or SCS seal... They are great V Green VS motors and will work great on your pump..

Call Inyo on Monday and make sure what motor you need and seal/ rebuild kit..

Variable Speed Pool Pump Motors - INYOPools.com

Replace your outdated pool pump motor with a variable speed motor which can save you up to 80% on your operational costs - INYOpools.com

www.inyopools.com

 

[bryantdr]

Yes, that is my pump. How hard is it to replace myself? I have basic tools but probably not specialty tools?

Also, any advice on keeping the pool from becoming a swamp if it takes a weak or so to get going?

 

[cowboycasey]

it really is easy, basic tools and 30 minutes is what it took me to change mine out..

Do you have a robot or a manual brush..

Add the daily amount or maybe a little more than daily amount of liquid chlorine and brush the pool, it will be fine for a week

 

[JamesW]

If it's loud, then the bearings might be bad.

I would try replacing the capacitor, it's really easy.

A pool store or the motor shop should have the correct capacitor.

If you need a new pump, I would recommend the Intelliflo VS or Superflo VS depending on the amount of flow you need.

 

[bryantdr]

Thanks for all the replies. As an update I pulled the capacitor tonight. It's a Genteq 27L1358. It doesn't show any water damage, but there is a tiny bit of warping around the rim on each side.

I'm not an expert at using a multimeter, but when I set it to all the ohms settings, it stays at 0 when i put the leads to the capacitor, which I'm guessing means the capacitor could be dead.

Looking on Amazon, capacitors with similar characteristics came up for ~$10 to $15. However, the only one with the exact same part number was ~$80+ (maybe it's discontinued). What is the best way to determine what an acceptable replacement would be?

 

[JamesW]

You want the same microfarads (30 uF or 30 MFD).

You want 370 VAC or 440 VAC.

You want it to say Protected 10000 AFC.

You want the same dimensions so that it fits in the same spot where the old one was.

U.S. Seal Manufacturing Pool Pump Run Capacitor, 30 MFD, 2444 - 5VR0303 - INYOPools.com

5VR0303 - CAPACITOR, RUN 370V 30 MFD (5VR0303) - 2444

www.inyopools.com

 

[bryantdr]

Thanks, I ordered this one from Amazon. Which looked like it met all the metrics, and was the same size as mine, and same statistics. It was 370/450VAC vs 370VAC and +/- 5% vs. 6%, but hopefully not an issue.

Amazon.com: BOJACK 30 uf MFD 370V 450V AC Motor and Fan Starting Round Capacitor 50/60 Hz CBB65 10000 AFC : Electronics

Buy BOJACK 30 uf MFD 370V 450V AC Motor and Fan Starting Round Capacitor 50/60 Hz CBB65 10000 AFC: Capacitors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

It gets here tomorrow so I'll let folks know how it works out. I will also look at switching out the motor as a longer-term solution.

 

[bryantdr]

So I have an update.

The good news is the new capacitor arrived today, and it fixed the problem!

The bad news is, it turns out the new capacitor is a tiny bit wider than the old capacitor. I measured the old one, but not to the 1/16th of an inch. It is a very tight fit, and I actually lost one of the screws trying to get the cover on.

Now I need to figure out if I need to order a smaller capacitor, or fashion a different cover for my capacitor (and figure out where I can get a new tiny screw.)