Pump stops in 15 seconds

[chulinet]

The motor run capacitor [TE RC0010 370V 25UF] was replaced just a couple of months ago.

Recently I noticed that the pump was leaking water while running, and a lot of air was pumped into the pool when the pump started. There were a few small bubbles under the clear cover lid of the pump skimmer.

When I opened the lid, dirty water entered the skimmer from the filter for the first time. For this, I took out the grids and did not find anything missing or broken inside the tank.

Since it was leaking both water and air, I replaced the shaft seal, gasket and O-rings of the pump yesterday. Yet the pump still stops with a clicking sound. I could restart the pump after hearing another clicking sound in a short moment. Water was sucked in, yet it stopped before the open air bleeder had water out. The pump feels hot after a few starts.

Does this sound like a capacitor issue or a motor issue? I do not have a capacitor meter to test the run capacitor yet.

Thanks!

 

[drsipe]

It doesn't sound like a capacitor problem to me. If the capacitor was bad, the motor would hum but not rotate.
When the capacitor was replaced a couple of months ago, did the pump operate properly when it was re-installed?
Was the pump un-wired when the capacitor was replaced? and if so, check to make sure it was properly wired ?
After the 15 second motor run, is the motor hot?
Does the motor have an irregular (hot or burnt smell)?
It's possible the clicking sound is the thermal overloads

 

[chulinet]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Drsipe.

After the capacity was replaced a while ago the pump worked just fine. I just took out the old one, and put the "new" one as shown here [not sure if I put the purple and black wires correctly]:


The motor became hot after a few restarts, and my last restart had a few "choking" sounds before it stopped. It also seemed very weak comparing to the normal operations.

 

[drsipe]

It sounds like thermal overloads are tripping.
One thing you can try, is checking to see if the motor turns freely.
With the power turned off (VERY IMPORTANT TO TURN OFF THE POWER) open the strainer compartment and stick your fingers into the pump suction and see if you can turn the impeller, if you can turn the impeller freely, then we will need to dig deeper.

 

[chulinet]

I can turn the impeller in both directions, with some resistance though. It stopped when my hand was off. Not so "freely?"

This information might be related: after I took over the pool 5 or 6 years ago, I have replaced the capacitor quite a few times, and each time the capacitor was swollen or burned.

 

[drsipe]

The next step would be to disassemble the pump down to the bare motor without the impeller. Then try to run the bare motor.

Here is a link to a video on replacing the pump seals, which will have you disassemble the pump. Once you have the bare motor try to run the bare motor.

 

[chulinet]

The bare motor without the impeller runs for about 15 seconds and stops.

 

[drsipe]

The last test I would do requires a multi-meter. If you have a meter, check the voltage between the two legs of your double breaker, between the two points you should have about 220V.

If you don't have 220V, then you should replace the breaker. If you have 220V then I think the motor is bad, possibly bearings or damage to the windings.

I think that covers all the troubleshooting I can think of.

If you want a second opinion, since the motor is pulled, you could take it to a motor shop for testing.

You could replace the entire pump & motor, or just replace the motor (if you replace the motor, you should also change the seals, to prevent leaks).
www.inyopool.com sells both full pump & and motors or just motors. I just bought a replacement motor for a spare pump for $150.

 

[chulinet]

Thank you so much for all your time!

Where can I find the double breaker for the motor? I cannot identify one on my main circuit board for the house.

 

[drsipe]

I assumed that your pump motor is 220V, if it is there should be a double breaker in your breaker panel (two breakers tied together with a bar) . If your pump is wired for 110V operation, there is no need to check for 220V.

If you are uncomfortable with electricity, please do not put yourself in danger.

 

[chulinet]

I assumed that your pump motor is 220V, if it is there should be a double breaker in your breaker panel (two breakers tied together with a bar) . If your pump is wired for 110V operation, there is no need to check for 220V.

If you are uncomfortable with electricity, please do not put yourself in danger.

After barely figured out the motor model, I realized that it is a replacement motor with 230/115 volts instead of WhisperFlo [WF-28] from the pump label.

Thanks again for all your time and help!