Is my pump motor about to die?

[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