Tristar VS 950 pump drive overload

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Z

zcmack

Active member
Apr 1, 2021
42
Las Vegas, NV
Hello!

I noticed my pump was running louder than i expected the other day during my low speed cycle, and after investigating i noticed it was running at 3150 rpm and the event log mentioned a Drive Overload on last power cycle. The pump is relay controlled from my aqualogic board so adjusting the speed on the pump itself did not have any effect. It has been happening for a few days now / and persisted through a few power cycles.

The manual specifies: Indicates the motor current is too high. Check impeller, diffuser, shaft seal, and motor for issues. Motor connections to drive should be verified.

So far I've removed the basket and stuck a plastic stir stick into the impeller (after shutting off power to the panel!) to check for obstructions and pulled out only a few pine needles. I proceeded to disassemble and clean my filter cartridges and reassembled.

There are no signs of leaking on or around the pump itself, but I'm not quite sure how else to check the impeller, diffuser, shaft seal and motor for issues. The pump is operating at what appears to be normal flow rates and capacities, it just won't go into low speed mode.
 
On my two speed TriStar I can remove the six bolts(9/16 or 14mm head?) that hold the seal plate motor assembly, diffuser and impeller will stay with it. Pull it back far enough to have a good look at your diffuser impeller assembly. Mine has a large seal plate odd shaped gasket that I have reused several times upon inspection and service. I do not disturb any wiring ,plumbing or shaft seal. Thinking yours may be the same procedure.
 
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finally took it apart today, there was a little bit of debris in there but nothing too concerning. impeller and diffuser look good and seals seem relatively new. drive shaft spins freely. put it back together and still get the same error.

since i first posted, the pump has stopped following automation from the aqualogic controllers. it runs 24/7 unless i press stop on the pump itself. i'm wondering if maybe a relay in the controller is bad. really don't want to call a pool guy but i think i might be getting close. i've scoured the internet for similar conditions and can't find anything.
 
Is it possible to put your automation in "service" mode and then control the pump thru the pumps built in control panel?
This would allow you to determine if it's the pump or the automation.
If unable to put in service mode, maybe consider disconnecting the pump from the automation and testing the pump speeds from the pumps control panel.
 
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the input 2 wires seemed firmly inserted but i did push them a bit more just to be sure. no change in behavior.

i factory reset the pump settings and placed it into standalone mode. the pump will go into low speed when dictated by the inbuilt pump scheduling timer (currently running at 2000rpm) and is performing as normal. the diagnostic menu still indicates a drive overload on the previous power cycle.

this is far better than manually turning on the pump every day but not quite what i'm hoping for. based on the troubleshooting steps, i want to think its a wiring issue (always thinking the aqualogic is sending ON) but nothing has changed with the wiring. i have inspected both the pump side and panel side and there are no shorted wires.

the drive overload error does not make sense to me if the wiring is damaged or incorrect.
 

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What are the 4 preset pump speeds?
Can you cycle thru all 4 in standalone mode?

If so, then it's either the wiring to the automation panel or the automation panel itself.
 
Can you show a photo of the wiring for the relays in the AquaLogic? I don't see any benefit to using twisted pair wires, I would just use a single wire to each relay instead of the pair. I guess that was the only cable the installer had available at the time. Also you should be able to measure 12VDC on the orange/white and blue/white wires at the pump when the respective relays close in the AquaLogic.
 
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proavia said:
What are the 4 preset pump speeds?
Can you cycle thru all 4 in standalone mode?

If so, then it's either the wiring to the automation panel or the automation panel itself.
Click to expand...
the preset speeds are programmable, the pump itself can cycle through all of them and is responding appropriately to RPM adjustment (e.g. 2000RPM was not enough for the in-floor cleaners, i bumped it up to 2200).

@guinness i've attached a photo at the panel. its ugly. is there any particular wire ideal for this connection? i was going to attempt to re-wire without the twisted pairs to see if maybe there is some intermittent connectivity.
 

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Sounds like the pump is responding correctly to inputs from its built in control panel.
Then the issue is most likely the wiring from the pump to the automation panel or the automation panel itself.
It appear some of your wiring may be inserted into the connectors too far - and the wire insulation might be hampering the connection.

While I don't have automation, I have remotely mounted my pump control panel. I used 18awg solid thermostat wire. The control panel is less than 15 feet from the pump.
What yours has looks like 22awg or 24awg telephone twisted pair or maybe Cat5 cable.

Check the pump manual to be sure the dip switches and wiring is correct. Maybe the manual also specifies a minimum wire gauge.
 
zcmack said:
@guinness i've attached a photo at the panel. its ugly. is there any particular wire ideal for this connection? i was going to attempt to re-wire without the twisted pairs to see if maybe there is some intermittent connectivity.
Click to expand...
You can just use 20AWG 4 conductor wire. Below is how it looks wired now.

Filter pump -> blue/white -> Input 2 (High Speed)
AUX 4 -> orange/white -> Input 1 (Low Speed)
 
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alright, just made some fresh connections and eliminated the twisted pair wiring from all related connections.

when i turned the breaker back on, the pump powered itself on and was running at 2000rpm. when i pressed low speed on the controller, the pump increased to 2200rpm, and returned to 2000rpm when i turned it off.

when i pressed filter pump, the pump increased to 3000rpm, and again spun down to 2000rpm once I deactivated the filter pump relay on the controller.

these speeds correlate to the speeds i have set in the timers menu on the pump.

my take is that this rules out the relays and likely the aqualogic control board as well.

any other ideas? i feel like the only person on the internet with a pool pump that won't turn off, most people seem to have the opposite problem!
 
That's good the new cable helped and your aqualogic/relays are working as expected. Based on the table below, is timer speed 1 set to 0 RPM?

Timer SpeedINP1 StatusINP2 StatusINP3 Status
1OFFOFFOFF
2ONOFFOFF
3OFFONOFF
4ONONOFF
5OFFOFFON
6ONOFFON
7OFFONON
8ONONON
 
guinness said:
That's good the new cable helped and your aqualogic/relays are working as expected. Based on the table below, is timer speed 1 set to 0 RPM?

Timer SpeedINP1 StatusINP2 StatusINP3 Status
1OFFOFFOFF
2ONOFFOFF
3OFFONOFF
4ONONOFF
5OFFOFFON
6ONOFFON
7OFFONON
8ONONON
Click to expand...
this was the solution! when i did the factory reset it must have reset all my timer settings and speeds and i didn't put it all together until you shared this. thanks so much for all your help!
 
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