Motor damage

[JonnyG]

Hello all -

Need some technical assistance! I accidently ran my pump motor (2hp Jandy Stealth) dry in a closed loop (no water) for about 30 minutes. It popped the union at the discharge end and was very hot to the touch. I let the motor sit and I replaced the union. The pump started up and has been running since. But I have noticed that my pressure gauge at the filter is running at 17-18 psi rather than the normal 20 psi.

My question - is it possible that I damaged the pump and if so, what should I do? It seems to be running fine at the moment without any heat build up or additional noise (versus before).

Do you think this motor is going to quit on me soon?

Could this have damage the pump portion also?

Any technical help is welcome!

Thanks
John

[cleancloths]

My guess, and it is only a guess without seeing the pump, is that the motor is fine but that the heat generated somehow deformed the impeller so it is not as efficient as before. You might consider opening up the pump and taking a look at the impeller.

The motor itself would not care if you ran the pump with water or air.

[JonnyG]

I just realized that I said "closed loop". That was actually not the case, actually it was dead headed incoming and outgoing. Thats why the union popped because of the pressure created by the pump. I would think that may be stressfull on the motor and the pump.

Sorry for the misunderstanding

John

[Poconos]

My guess is the motor is fine. As CC said, it doesn't care what the pump is doing and it is usually thermally protected. If overloaded as from sustained high pressure, it would overheat and protect itself. As you said it sounds fine, no new noises, just the slight pressure drop. As CC said that could be deformed pump parts but at this point I'd just live with it unless you feel in an inquisitive mood and feel like ripping it apart to find out for sure. Maybe some life was used up and it could die in a week (unlikely) or years from now.
Al

[JonnyG]

Thank you. I think I will rip it apart in the off season.

John

[waste]

Jonny, I'll assume that the pump was primed - just give a quick look for leaks on the effluent side and underneath the pump while it's running - did the basket melt any and is there unexplained air bubbles in the pump housing? I ask because you cavitated the water and that can effect these areas - if the answer to any of my ?s is 'yes' let us know and we'll help you fix it.