Hayward ST 1072 died after replacing gaskets

Pool Repair & Troubleshooting
1

Long time lurker, first time poster. hope you guys can help me out.

I inherited an old A.O. Smith ST 1072, 3/4 hp, model C48K2N143C2C, Hayward super pump II, 14k gallon pool, one skimmer, one return. there have always been bubbles in the returns. have unsuccessfully investigated most common sources of leaks. ordered new gaskets and replaced them yesterday, no issues during installation. although im not sure if i shorted capacitor bc im not sure that i got a screwdriver across the wires (but managed not to shock myself).

reinstalled. Flipped switch and saw poof of smoke and motor died. reset breaker (it had not been tripped) and pump worked for several hours. it shut itself off overnight. tried it again this morning and it would only work for a few minutes before shutting off. now completely dead.

thoughts:

#1 i rewired the electrical incorrectly. do not think this is the case. white wire to neutral, red to line, green to ground. its a 115V. it should be noted that the red wire covering was fairly frayed.

#2 shorted capacitor?

#3 incorrectly installed gaskets, leading to increased leak and failure to prime the pump fully. i didn’t notice any increase in the size of the leak when the pump was running so i dont think this is it.

does anyone have any suggestions? im leaning towards just replacing the darned thing. thanks in advance!

2

Hi Rugger,  I’d lean towards replacing the motor myself. The puff pf smoke would concern me the most. Usually means something was fried. #1 - If you rewired it wrong, it would not have run for several hours. #2 - You could replace the start capacitor to see if that is the problem . Usually, the motor would hum if that was the issue. #3 - Again , if the motor ran for several hours, I don’t think losing prime is the problem. Here is our guide on " How to Replace A.O. Smith Motor Parts - Overview" if you want to look at one of the other electrical parts, but I think with the puff of smoke you have a major problem. And if the motor is old, it’s probably due to be replaced. Also, if the pump is old, you might consider replacing the whole pump. For your size pool, we usually recommend a 1 HP pump and, if you have an above ground pool, get an above ground pump.

3

I agree with Dennis. However, One other thought… Could you send us a photo of how you are wiring the motor. This would let us know if there was any wiring issues.

4

Thanks guys. Unfortunately this is a weekend place and I won’t be back there until Friday night. I’ll post it then. There is a wiring guide on the pump which I followed. Appreciate your help.

5

Thanks Rugger,

We will wait to hear back.