Pump won't run at all

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Newpool2014

0
Aug 30, 2016
25
Altoona, PA
Hello there. I just opened my pool on Tuesday without any complications. Until a few hours later... A breaker tripped. I turned it back on and it seemed to run fine. Wednesday, the breaker tripped again, turned it back on. Thursday (yesterday) I came home from work and nothing is running. No breakers were tripped this time. It won't do a thing! Where do I start?

Thanks,
Jaime
 
Is/was your motor hot to the touch when running? Is it pretty noisy? You could pull the pump and ohm test it or try and bench test it if it's 110v. Chances are that if it's routinely tripping breakers than all is not well with it and it may need replacement. How old is it?

I'm sure others will chime in shortly.
 
The other part of my dilemma is this...
My husband and I are separated and he's not willing to deal with it. We're listing our house for sale in less than a week.
I'm clueless about this stuff and it's the last thing I want/need to be worrying about right now. Wondering if I should just call a pool store and have it replaced so I can get the water circulating again! I don't want to put a green pool in the listing pics lol!
 
More than likely the bearings have seized over the winter. One thing you could try is to hit the motor (back end of the pump) with a two by four and see if it starts up. The motor will still need to be replaced but it should be cheaper than buying a new pump. A handyman might be able to do that for you.
 
Try Mark's suggestion and look for a new pump. A local place will probably take a couple of days to install the pump. If the 2x4 doesn't help, pour in liquid bleach (no chloromax or fabric protectors!) and brush the pool. That will keep the water clear until the new pump is installed.
 
Fortunately, I had it at shock level with bleach and had already been brushing the floor and walls and it looks pretty good for now. Pool store wants 299.99 for a new pump! And that's with me just picking it up and doing it myself. Oh well, probably going to have to bite the bullet eventually. Thank you!
 
After resetting all of the breakers again, I got my pump to start running again for a while. The breaker was flipped again the next day and I'm having trouble getting it to start again so something is definitely wrong somewhere. I see I have a leak where I circled it in the photo. Could the water trickling down into the pump be tripping the breaker?
50616e25508319760ef2c1627936f355.jpg
 
More likely is the bearings are failing because of the leak and causing higher than normal loading which will trip the breaker. Looking at the pump, you probably need to replace it.
 
So I ordered a new pump online last night. However, I'm outside messing with breakers again. The GFI outlet below the timer/panel box is what keeps popping. When I turn the above lever to OFF then hit the reset button on the GFI outlet then I turn the above lever to ON, the GFI button pops. Wondering if I really need the new pump or if I need an electrician!?
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So it is the GFCI that is tripping and not the breaker? They are two different components.

Also, is the GFCI tripping when nothing is plugged in? GFCI outlets can and do fail like that.
 
It is not the breaker. It is the reset button on the outlet that pops out every time I turn on the switch at the pool. I just plugged a fan into the outlet and it works. So it's only when I turn on the switch for the pool pump.
This pic is the switch setup at the pump
45db97f4dd3960372d9354817caa1ddd.jpg
 
How is the pump wired? Can you unplug/disconnect it? If it still trips, it is the wiring. If it doesn't trip, it is the pump motor which is probably more likely.
 
One more check is to plug something else into the outlet and see if it trips. GFCI can fail where they trip with almost any load.
 
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