Pump Issues

[BBB's]

Well the dreaded has happened. Went down to the pool last night to do the usual clean, test, etc. only to find that the pump was not working. I thought to myself the wife had probably just forgot to turn it back on, but to my dismay found that the power was on and that the motor was extremely hot. No noise was coming from the pump and a weird smell was in the air. I have not checked anything else on the pump but shut off the power for it to cool. Plan on tackling it tonight after work and wanted to know if anyone had made maybe a 1,2,3 type of reference check list that I could apply to my troubleshooting. I have no problem buying a pump if that's what is needed, but do not want to throw away money if the pump can be saved. Any help is appreciated.

[PoolDoc]

Probably locked bearings; if so, probably not worth reworking, unless it's a fairly new pump and worth it replacing to buy and replace the motor.

MEANWHILE, use bleach poured direction in the pool, from multiple places, to keep the chlorine up!!

PoolDoc

[Watermom]

You can also take a clean broom or something and stir the bleach around to avoid "hot spots" of high bleach concentration. Or a submersible pump if you have one.

[Ohm_Boy]

Might be worth checking to see if the pump impeller will spin. Insure that the power is off, remove the pump strainer basket, and reach as far into the hole as you can to see if you can move the impeller with your fingers. Or if you can feel anything wedged in it.

[Poconos]

Usually you can get to the rotor by pulling the rear cover where the power line goes in. I'm thinking that if it were jammed bearings it would have popped the breaker. Did the thermal cutout in the motor trip? There usually is one that could be either a manual reset or one that closes again when it cools down.
When the motor is cool try putting power on it again. If the bearings or something else is preventing rotation you will hear a loud hum and after a few seconds the circuit breaker in the house should trip.
If you hear a low level hum then possibly the centrifugal starter switch contacts are crummy or the starting capacitor is open. Here's my reasoning.
If something is preventing rotation then the starting winding will be in the circuit and pulling a very high current. That would make the loud hum. If something in the starting circuit is open then only the running winding would be in the circuit drawing much less current but the motor wouldn't start. Eventually it would heat up and the thermal cutout would open. The most common problem is the centrifugal switch contacts getting crummy and not making contact. That switch is usually on the back end of the motor accessable when you remove the cover where the power line enters. That switch closes until a certain speed is reached then it opens.
Here's a link to a thread that gives more info.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=4800

I don't know how many times over the years that blasted switch has been the culprit and a simple cleaning with a small flat file or fine sandpaper has saved $$$.
Hope it's something simple.
Al

[BBB's]

Alright everyone, I prepared myself and tore into the project this evening. Went down and flipped the power switch and the pump came on for a few seconds with loud hum and then finally shut off. Turned power off checked impellor all was fine. So I pulled the motor and chalked it up to a front bearing issue. After coming in for the night I jumped on line for some research to find that it looks like the culpurit may of been a leaking gasket (one between motor and pump housing) it has been leaking all summer but it was one of those things ah not loosing a lot of water I will fix at the end of the season type of things. Little did I know it looks that this will cause bearing failure pretty quickly. So anyway I am in the market for a new motor. Is there anything special to look for when buying? I suppose I should purchase the gasket kit and replace them as well? The motor is 1HP, 115/230 volt Century Centurion, mounted to a Hayward SP2600 housing. I plain on purchasing ASAP so any insight is appreciated. Also I am in Chattanooga TN 37421 and would gladly give my business to a board member if someone is close by with a business.

[PoolDoc]

There are hardly any dealers registered -- usually if they register at all, they read a few posts about chemicals, get mad, counter-post a nasty-gram, and get banned. More often, they read a few posts, and never register.

There are a few service guys registered, but mostly from the service route areas, like south Florida, south Texas, Arizona and southern California.

If you plan to install the motor yourself, you'll probably do best ordering online, through I can't offer suggestions about reliable suppliers. Be sure to get a pump seal, as well as a motor. If you've never installed a seal before, you might want to get a spare. That way if you crack the first one (carbon face, ceramic base), you'll have a spare at hand. They are pretty inexpensive -- less than the cost of shipping or a drive to a dealer.

PoolDoc

[Ohm_Boy]

... this will cause bearing failure pretty quickly


Probably locked bearings...

Good call, Ben.

[BBB's]

Thanks everyone for helping out. I ordered a new pump, and gasket kit today. Should be here first part of next week. Hopefully everything from here on out will go smoothly.

[Poconos]

Was hoping it was something simple.

[CarlD]

It was simple. "Replace Pump".

Unfortunately, simple and expensive.