Pump takes 2 tries to start

[Poconos]

Likewise welecome to the forum.

Ted is being too easy. More like smacking the back end with a 2x4. Not hard enough to dent it though.

Check this thread to which I just posted:
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=9444

As Ted said, probably the switch contacts are crummy. The fact that it does start says the starter winding and the capacitor are OK. There are two kinds of hums. The really loud hum says the starter winding is powered and pulling a lot of current. Probably a shorted cap. A lower level hum, which will still trip a breaker, says the starter circuit is open, and in your case, crummy switch contacts. See if this helps and we'll pursue it further if needed.
Al

[pbradley0]

Thanks for the info. So if I hit the motor and it starts instantly then I need to clean the contacts? Do I hit it while its humming or before it starts or does it matter?

[waste]

I fire it up. then whack it while it's humming.

[pbradley0]

So this is interesting. I've been waiting to try hitting the pump but for the last three days the pump has started spontaneously. The only difference is that I set the pump to start a few hours later in the day. However, today I returned home from work to find the pump off. I took the opportunity to beat the living hell out of the pump while it was humming. Unfortunately, the pump kept humming and flipped the circuit breaker off 3 times before finally starting. Any ideas now?

[Poconos]

If the 2x4 trick works then it is a very sure indication of crummy contacts. If it doesn't work, really doesn't prove anything. A pretty good giveaway is that it sometimes starts, sometimes not, so it is not a 'hard' failure but a 'soft' failure. The switch contacts are about the only thing that would behave like this. A capacitor can fail either shorted or open and the vast majority of cases is a hard failure. Motor windings usually short or a wire breaks from vibrational fatigue. Another case of a 'hard' failure. Try cleaning the contacts.
Al