Pump Humming ... Start Capacitor?

[madyogi]

So, I just had our pool deck and everything out back pressure washed today. It looked great after, but lots of debris in the bottom of the pool. After one pass with the vacuum it was time to backwash, and my pump started humming, and now I'm in serious panic mode. We are leaving for the beach in 10 days, and I need this resolved, but I don't want to spend more cash than I have to on this repair. I just had the local pool shop replace my multi-port valve because I simply didn't have time to do it myself. They did a fine job, but charged me twice what I could have paid online for the part. I'd hate to have to pay twice again for a new pump.

I have a Century SQ1152 pump. I turn the switch on and it just hums, so I shut it off before it trips the breaker. It has been running fine so far this season (the past month or so).

Should I try to find a start capacitor online somewhere? Should I start calling pool shops in town to see if they have parts? I will probably pull the capacitor out tomorrow morning and test with a multimeter to verify that's the problem, but my pump is pretty tightly fitted to the side of my house, so there isn't much room to work. Is there anything else I can do to troubleshoot?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JamesW]

You probably jammed up the impeller with grit and debris.

Century SQ1152 is the motor.

What pump do you have?

 

[madyogi]

Thanks so much JamesW. I would bet that's exactly it, but I can't for the life of me figure out the best way to get in there and free up the impeller. I don't really know any more about the pump than the info I gave already, but here are a couple more pics. I will have some time tomorrow, so I could take it apart a bit if necessary. Really wanting to get this resolved before rain comes over the weekend, then we have to leave town for a week, so again, thanks for your help!!

I can take more photos and/or get more info if that would help.

 

[madyogi]

Perhaps I need to get inside the wheel that's bolted to the motor? I guess that would just involve taking off the collar and undoing the bolts? The pump is only 4-5 years old, fyi.

 

[JamesW]

The pump model number is on the metal tag near the clamp that says "DO NOT RUN DRY".

It should be something like PR2A...

 

[madyogi]

It's pretty hard to make out, honestly. Looks like P6E6F-207L?

 

[JamesW]

Looks like a StaRite Max-e-pro.

Did the pump basket get loaded with grit?

Most likely, you just need to undo the clamp, pull back the drive assembly from the front housing, remove the diffuser and check the impeller.

Make sure that power is off at the breaker.

It looks like the motor is pretty close to the wall. You might need to take apart the unions and remove the screws that hold the pump down so that you can shift the pump enough to pull back the motor.

Here's a video of a similar pump being taken apart so that you know what to expect.

 

[madyogi]

Yes, there is a fair amount of grit in the pump basket, so I'm guessing this is my issue. I know how to remove the clamp and how to turn power off at the breaker. Should I just be able to pull the motor and rear housing back to get into it, or will I need to undo the bolts pictured here to get to the impeller?

Also, any gotchas I should look out for, like pieces that need to go back in a certain order, or is it pretty straight forward in there?

 

[JamesW]

Don't remove the bolts. Just undo the clamp and pull back the whole assembly.

There are several videos on YouTube that show what to expect.

Search maxeglas or maxepro.

You don't have to do anything with the electrical.

 

[madyogi]

Great. Just watched the video. Once I get in and unscrew the diffuser, we might expect I can clean out the grit and get the impeller moving again without having to remove/unscrew it entirely?

 

[JamesW]

Correct, hopefully it will be easy enough to clean the impeller without removing it.

If you have to remove the impeller, you should usually replace the seal.

 

[madyogi]

Perfect. Looks like I have a plan for first thing tomorrow. Thanks so much, JamesW!

Support TFP!!!

 

[madyogi]

So, I got the motor off the pump, and I can see the diffuser, but I had to run inside for a work call. I'll inside on the computer for the next hour. Just want to make sure I know what I need to do when I get back out there.

The first thing I'd note is that a decent amount of grit came out along with water when I separated the two halves. So when I get back out there, I plan to remove the diffuser to get to the impeller. Once I get in there, should I be able to spin it freely in the direction of rotation? If it won't spin freely, what should I be looking to do exactly? At what point should I resolve to go all in and remove the impeller? If I do have to remove the impeller, can I pick up a seal at a pool shop or will I need to order that?

I'm in Little Rock, so not a terribly big city, but there are several pool stores in close proximity.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/answers!

 

[JamesW]

I suspect that you will be able to get it free by rinsing it out. Spin the impeller clockwise to free it up.

I think that the seal is part number 17351-0101S. An alternative part number is PS-201V-CMS. I don't know if the local shops carry the seal.

You don't absolutely have to replace the seal if you remove the impeller, but it's usually a good idea. If you don't want to remove the seal plate, you can just replace the part of the seal that goes on the impeller. Dish soap will help when installing the seal.

Make sure that the diffuser gasket and housing gasket are in good shape. Lubricate with silicone lubricant for a good seal.

 

[madyogi]

Okay, it's back up and running! As soon as I popped the diffuser off, the impeller started spinning again. I think the grit from the pressure wash worked its way between the surfaces of the diffuser and impeller causing it to jam.

I got everything back together and its running like a champ. I did use WD-40 to get the power side to slide back in (before I came back in and saw your recommendation to use the dish soap). That shouldn't create any issues should it?

 

[JamesW]

Generally, you don't want to use petroleum products on rubber. Petroleum breaks down rubber.

But, it's probably not going to cause any problems.

Glad that you got it working.

 

[madyogi]

Okay, good to know going forward. The O-Rings all looked to be in really good shape, so it's probably fine.

I have already thanked you JamesW and the rest of the TFP Experts, but my wife told me to send y'all a special thanks from her. You helped save this household time, money, and heartache!!