Is my pump motor about to die?

[tenax]

ambient temp of my starite 3/4 hp is 50C so i'm sure that would be hot enough to discolour piping if left on it for a good period of time..and hot enough to touch..it's not running that hot..i can leave my hand on it when it's running..but it's capable of running that hot without issue..they are built to stand being in a hot shed, albeit with some ventilation expected of the location.

[les_smith]

Our pump is black and in direct sun light. And this year I noticed something interesting. We use a skimmer tray sock early in our season because a Cottonwood Tree's cotton gets in our pool. When the cotton coats the sock you can't get the tray out without stoping the pump. Well, I noticed once that I got water on the pump housing and it sizzled. Hot to say the least, no way you could hold your hand on the pump. So I figured when the sock gets coated it restricts the flow of the water, kind of a no brainer. But, I never really thought about it until I saw the water sizzle. We took the sock off and the pump now runs a lot cooler. I'd say half as hot. You can hold your hand on it, but it's still hot. Are you using a skimmer tray sock?

[tenax]

nope..my skimmer uses no add ons to filter beyond the filter itself..and the pump has been running strong for at least 10 years..

[rtpatter]

I don't use a skimmer sock. But I did clean out the pump basket which had some trash in it and when I checked today it seemed a little cooler. However, still very hot though, you can touch it but you can't leave your hand on it very long without burning it.

Has anyone found a definite answer to running 24/7 vs cycling. I would agree that many electric motors cycle on and off with no problems. But I'm curious if it is truly better to run constantly vs switching the pump off for a few hours. I figure over the course of a summer a few hours a day would add up and reduce the number of hours on the motor.

[hrsdennis]

Hi, I would shut it off for a few hours a day. Most filters around here run between 12 to 16 hours a day. The hotter it gets the longer they should run but you should not have to run it 24/7. If your suction is strong and your return flow good the system is probably OK. It's good to keep an eye on it though.

Later, Dennis