Need help troubleshooting pump; won't spin

Hi all,

I'm a newbie to maintaining a pool as i inherited it when I bought the house. Anyways, I just filled my concrete pool up with water and attempted to turn on the pump, which was working several months ago. We turned it on to drain the pool and wash it. Now when turning it on, we can feel the motor getting warm but nothing happens. Any ideas what may be wrong? Do I need a new motor? The pump is a Hayward Super Pump II, which self priming and rated at 2 1/3HP.
Any other diagnostics before I call in service?

Also, what should I do to my pool in the meantime if the pump isn't working?

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum.
Don't know where you live but I gather that since the pump hasn't been run for a bit you're in a northern area. Anyhow, if the thing has been outside it is possible the starter winding switch contacts may not be making good contact for many reasons including just moisture and corrosion over the Winter. Pump motors typically have two windings. Run and Start. The starting winding is in the circuit before it comes up to speed and when up to speed there is a centrifugal switch that drops it from the circuit. Try turning it on and taking a short 2x4 and smacking the motor, not enough to dent the housing but enough to jar it. Start lightly and progress slowly. If it's the switch contacts then maybe it will start. Simple fix if it does. Cleaning the contacts if you're handy. If it doesn't then it could be the starting capacitor that has either shorted or opened. Again, a cheap fix if you're handy.
Question: Is the thing really humming like it's drawing a lot of current or just not running and getting warm? If getting warm slowly then the starting winding is open and most likely a switch or open capacitor issue. If it gets hot quick then it points to the starting capacitor being shorted.
Hope this helps.
Al
Oops...forgot the last question. In the meantime before the pump issue is resolved, keep the chlorine up even if you just have to pour bleach around the perimeter. Would be nice to circulate even with a submersible pump of some kind. Cheep at Home Depot.

Ok thanks for the advice. So far this is what I have tried:

1) cleaned out any debri in the strainer basket.
2) Tried to turn the impeller through the strainer basket with a screwdriver; it barely budged.

When I turn the power on, I can hear a hum and smell a burnt electrical smell. By then the circuit breaker had tripped.

Any ideas? I'm trying to narrow down whether this is a capacitor, motor, or pump issue. Any other real simple things I can do to diagnose? Thanks!

One other possiblity is that something is lodged in the impeller if it is not spinning freely or the bearings may have siezed up.

Every spring, I have to take off the strainer basket, remove the impeller and use a pliers on the motor shaft to break the motor free. (Be careful not to damage/score the shaft with the pliers.} That is how I free up my motor.