Motor Troubles

Hello

I have an in-ground pool with Hayward pumps. The pool Was install 4 years ago. At the 2 year mark I started to have trouble with the pumps. First was the water fall motor went out and within 3 months the pool/spa motor started tripping on low speed. The warranty covered the repairs and replacements the first time. All seemed to be going well until the same symptoms reappeared. Te main (dual speed) pump would start and run, per the schedule, then would trip switching to the slower speed. After a little web search I found the capacitor could  be the problem. Replaced it and all good. However I have had to replace the capacitor 3 times since then. Currently the pump will not even start. It presents as the motor is locked up. It hums then trips the breaker. I replaced the capacitor without any improvement. Checked the impeller and it was cleat. I checked the motor shaft and it turns freely. Now I’m stumped. Any help/advice is appreciated.

Have you checked the voltage going to the motor? Perhaps, it is running high and causing these issues. Your motor is probably rated at 230v and the variance can be +/- 10%.

Another issue could be that the start switch and governor are not making good contact. Below is a picture of a single-speed start switch and governor but it will give you a good idea of what to look for. You can see how the switch should be touching the metal tab on the governor.

inyoRob

the voltage was in spec. I will make sure to check and clean the contacts. The run capacitor arrives today, so I will update this weekend.

Thanks for the information. :sunglasses:

Keep us posted. Have a great weekend!

Update.

With the new information I inspected the start switch/governor contact point and it didn’t show any abnormal wear or corrosion. Checked all the power connections and found one of the screws was loose. I decided to clean and re-land all connections with new terminals. The terminal that was loose had stripped threads. Replaced all terminal screws with locking bolts. Finished by cleaning it up with contact cleaner and closed it up. I installed a new run capacitor (40+10 mfd) this afternoon, started the system and the pump is running smooth. 
InyoRob thanks again for suggestion.

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We really appreciate the update. We’re glad you are back up and running.

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