Pump motor not starting - no buzz, nothing.

[DistantHorizon]

Went to start the pool pump when there was a break in the rain this afternoon, got nothing. Pump or motor has been making noise for a while (pool guy said probably bearings), but was trying to get a thousand other new house woes under control... the plan was to either order new seals for the pump and shaft online, and either order a new motor or else have a friend rebuild the existing one. So now I'm suddenly up against the wall.

I checked the switch and wiring all the way to inside the motor - motor is getting power. Took the shaft end cover off, and shaft spins freely. Should I suspect the motor itself, or capacitor on the side?

Pentair Challenger with A.O. Smith Centurion 2.25 horse uprated (actually 1.5 horse). Currently sits out in the elements, though I plan to build a small cover/roof to shield the rain and sun.

At least I shocked a couple days ago, so chlorine should be fine for several days.

[Poconos]

Generally you should hear a low level hum if the running winding is powered. Also generally, the centrifugal starter switch and capacitor are in series with the starting winding which is separate from the running winding. Sounds like there is an open preventing power from getting to either winding. Too much of a coincidence for both circuits to be open. I'm wondering if there are connections on the back side of the terminal block where the power line is connected and could those wires have either come loose or blown apart. If the connections got cruddy and developed a high resistance then the circuit can open fast as a lot of heat is generated at the terminals.
Hope this helps.
Al

[DistantHorizon]

A little afraid to take 'er apart with the long screws that run the length of the case until I really have time to mess with it... and even then, not sure if it'll go back together without being removed from the pump assembly. Think I may just take the pool guy up on his $280 installed quote... really wanted to do it myself because I trust my work quality far more than someone else's, but time is of the essence here due to other stuff going on this week.

[DistantHorizon]

So a pool guy came out and looked at the pump, called on the pump motor and said it was pricey, that I should go with a 1 horse (full rated). When I questioned whether the 1 horsepower motor would turn the 1 1/2 horse pump, he said sure, and double-checked with the pool warehouse. So we went ahead and did it.

Was he right, or do I need a smaller impeller, and is such an impeller available for my pump? My shaft seal was not in great shape, but of course the pool warehouse had none in stock, so we reused it with the plan to replace ASAP.

[DistantHorizon]

Since my last post, I backwashed, then went to rinse, and when I turned the pump on, nothing. *shakes head* Felt the motor, and sure enough, it was hot. After about 30 minutes, it ran again. That reinforces my idea that the pump is too big for the motor. But....

Took the numbers from my tag, found the information for my pump, and my pump is listed as a 1 1/2 hp uprated. So wouldn't it be likely that my pump is in actuality better suited for a 1hp full rated motor? (found pump here http://www.inyopools.com/parts_break...enger_pump.pdf and then searched for the tag number "34-3234", since there are multiple listings for "cfii-n1-1 1/2a")

I'm stumped. Again. For like the 15th time in my 2 months of pool ownership.

Thanks again for all your help. At least now I saw the pool guy take this thing apart, and I have confidence that I can work on the pump from now on.

Edit: If I -do- need to downsize my impeller, will I just need the impeller and a new shaft seal, or will I need other parts?

[Poconos]

I'm not sure about the impellers as I have never had to deal with this issue before. Others here know a lot more than I, so, anyone care to chime in?
Al

[DistantHorizon]

An update to this: Pool guy came out after overheating, said he had wires crossed and it should run fine. Again it continued to overheat. Came back out and said there was a wire arcing in there, and that it should be fixed.

I haven't had time to really monitor it closely, but since then I haven't seen it shut down due to thermal protection.... but it does seem to run pretty darn hot.

I have a buddy who's brother is rebuilding my old motor for cheap, so hopefully I will have a backup motor in case this one goes.

[Poconos]

The pool guy doesn't leave me with a warm fuzzy. Wires crossed causing it to run hot? Doubt it. You can cross wires and get it to run backwards, or if he had it wired for 120 and it was connected to 240 that would be pretty obvious. Arcing? Could be a bad connection but that would be obvious as it wouldn't run well if at all. The motor is coming up to speed, isn't it? Not sure what to suggest next.
Al

[DistantHorizon]

I guess it's coming up to speed. Looking at the ripple from the pool jets and looking at the water in the skimmer, I'd say water is circulating well. The pressure gauge on my oversized sand filter now reads about 8lbs whereas with the old pump motor it was more like 18, but I didn't know if that was an issue. The pump still runs my automatic pool cleaner just fine.

I've just accepted it's likely that at some point, I will be purchasing and installing another motor myself.