Hi,
Hopefully someone here can help with an issue on pool pump motors. I have a Hayward Superpump Dual speed 1.5hp. Pump model SP2610X152S. Motor model SP1610Z2MSC. Pool was installed end of 2017 with no use and immediately put away for winter after initial tests (pool in PA). For 2018 pool ran 5 months no issues. 2019 pool was started late april and run for a few weeks. Normal run schedule once pool clears I run on low speed only during daylight hours. So original pump motor had very light usage. A few weeks after startup found pump not running during the day…was set on low speed. Pump hot to the touch. After cooling it would start on high speed and run…but wont start (hums) on low speed. If i run in high speed and switch to low it will run. Since my normal usage is low speed on a timer switch, I cant run as I want to without fixing the issue. I contacted the pool installer and electrician and they both recommended a new motor. I researched online and found that generally issues with a motor humming means a bad capacitor. I got an exact replacement…did not fix the issue. I called Hayward and through email was able to arrange a new motor to be sent out through a one-time warranty concession. It is an exact replacement of stock motor. I swapped the motors and seals, started it up on high…it ran…turned it off…switched to low…and when I tried to start…it just hums. So its not a capacitor issue (or shouldnt be as Ive tried 3 different ones) I checked voltage at the two terminals on pump while running and im getting 240v. (235 to 237ish). Some things im not familiar with…this motor has hardly any info about it online. When this motor starts up and shuts down there is a clicking sound as a contact on some white square (switch?) hits 2 contacts on the rotating centrifugal switch. Is this clicking normal … my last pump wasnt making this sound and I cant remember if it ever did at initial install. This pump only has a run capacitor on top of motor and no other start capacitor under the rear cap. Is there any adjustments I should be aware of concerning the centrifugal switch or the way it is contacting the other white square (switch?)…i say switch but im not sure exactly what it is cant find any info or parts diagram to tell what it is. Anyone else have similar issue with these dual speed pumps? I like the low speed to save energy but if they are a constant issue i may go to a variable speed. Thanks for any help.
What you initially described sounded like a capacitor issue. However, the same issue shouldn’t have repeated once the new motor was installed. Listed below are a couple pieces of content regarding your motor symptoms.
Poolside Chat #16 - Pump Motor Making a Clicking Sound
My Pool Pump Runs on Low Speed But Not On High Speed (opposite of what you have but something may address your problem)
Maybe there is an issue with the timer. What kind of timer do you have?
Ive done a little more researching and found that Genteq (the manufacture of my capacitor) does a final electrical test on their caps. They are then marked with a white or yellow paint spot based on whether they test above (yellow) or below (white) the marked label value. All three of the caps that i have tried are marked with a white spot…meaning they could be up to 6% less than the value on the label. Ive also read that when replacing a capacitor that, as a rule of thumb, you can use a replacement with up to 20% higher uf rating than the original capacitor serving the motor. So…would it be possible that my capacitors are slightly too weak to turn my motor over on low speed…and maybe a slightly higher uf capacitor would give it the bump to start? My cap is listed as a 25uf+6 -6. So i understand that to be 25uf start, 6uf run, and up to 6% below tested value. So if I tried a 30uf capacitor with the same voltage rating…could this possibly work?
I contacted a Hayward tech as well as a Century rep. Neither one thought it was a capacitor issue at this point. They both believe it has something to do with the centrifugal/governor switch. Below is their responses.
Hayward
Single speed and dual speed AC motors incorporate a centrifugally deactivated switch that disconnects the start circuit once the motor has overcome the high starting torque requirement of the first revolution of the motor shaft. When the motor shaft stops turning then this switch is made engaging the start circuit for the next ‘on’ condition. On a dual speed AC motor there is usually a run capacitor, but not a start capacitor. These motors incorporate a set of start windings that the centrifugal switch activates instead of a capacitor. In the event that the centrifugal switch sticks in the open position when disengaged (motor running) then, when the motor is stopped, the next attempt to turn on the motor will result in a hum only with no rotation of the shaft. In this case the motor is attempting to start without the start circuit and is straining to make that first turn. There are times when this is a fluke situation. Once the centrifugal switch is unstuck then everything goes back to normal. Yet, if the centrifugal switch is broken or damaged then it would need to be repaired or replaced.
Century
It is PSC on high speed, and split phase on low speed. The micro switch on the terminal board should be closed when the motor is at rest so the low speed start winding will be in the circuit. If the motor is already running on high speed, and then switched to low speed, the low speed start winding is not activated because the sliding governor on the shaft has moved and caused the micro switch to open. I can’t explain the reason for a similar issue on two different motors, and it could be due to two unrelated causes.
Thanks guys I had a local pool pump repair tech out to look at the motor yesterday. He was on the phone with Hayward reps and his thought is it might be another D.O.A. motor. He was going to make some calls to distribution and get back to me. When we were testing yesterday it would start and run on high but on low it ran very rough and would trip the thermal overload in about 15 sec and get very hot. They basically had him check wiring and switch some wires around on the switch to try but nothing fixed it. It seems like that centrifugal switch isnt working as it should…but is that common to fail on a 1 year old motor or be bad on a brand new replacement motor?
It is not common to fail on a 1 year old motor and definitely not on a brand new motor. It may not be the case for you but usually, the problem is the supply voltage when the governor isn’t opening properly.
Keep us posted on what you find out.