OT: Pool motor problems

caliking

We had a big storm here about 2 weeks ago. Fried my router and my pool pump motor apparently.

The pool pump motor hums then trips the circuit breaker. This usually means the capacitor is bad, but not this time. The impeller and shaft turn freely. Now it seems that the motor itself may be the issue.

Its a Century B855 2HP 56Y frame motor. I replaced it 1 year ago, and I'm kinda bummed that I may have to replace it again. Any thoughts from other pool owners or folks who deal with this sort of thing?

Begger

IMO, you are a reasonable candidate for WHOLE HOUSE SURGE PROTECTION.

Remove motor from pump and try again.   Is it intended to run ONE direction?   Do you know how to swap rotation direction?  

That being said, TOTALLY disconect the motor from ANY power.   Get yourself a DVM and measure winding resistance.  A large variance between windings will either be a short or open.  

I don't know if a rewinding service would be any less than the 250$+ cost of a new motor.  

Mickey

Why won't your home owners insurance cover it and the router. I would check very close to find where the lighting entered the house and you should find more damage. 

theyolksonyou

Just let it ride, the you can play swamp thing with your son. 

caliking

Begger said:

IMO, you are a reasonable candidate for WHOLE HOUSE SURGE PROTECTION.

Remove motor from pump and try again.   Is it intended to run ONE direction?   Do you know how to swap rotation direction?  

That being said, TOTALLY disconect the motor from ANY power.   Get yourself a DVM and measure winding resistance.  A large variance between windings will either be a short or open.  

I don't know if a rewinding service would be any less than the 250$+ cost of a new motor.  

there's a lot of big words in there, but the first and last paragraphs made sense to me

Surge protection for the house may be something to look into. And the Googles makes me thinks I'm in for a new motor. once I have the new motor hooked up, I may take the old motor in to see if it can be fixed and kept as a backup.  Thanks. 

caliking

@Mickey - I didn't think of homeowner's insurance. Don't know if it will be worth making a claim for $500 though?

I don't think the house was actually hit. The WAN port on the router stopped working (the router was otherwise functional), which I read can be caused by power surges during storms. 

caliking

theyolksonyou said:

Just let it ride, the you can play swamp thing with your son. 

Dude, we're getting close. I've been scrubbing the pool walls and mixing bleach in, so its still blue... sorta. The damn neighborhood ducks have taken a shine to the pool, so that's definitely not helping. 

Mickey

I would sure bundle it together as one hit happening at the same time And report it. Look at all electronics and be sure they work 100%. 

blasting

Hopefully it's not the pool pump, and it's just the motor.  By law, the pump has to now be a newer variable speed "energy efficient model", and this can get expensive.

If you look around, your city probably has a place that sells reconditioned motors.  You can save about half the price, and put in in yourself (really easy).

Somebody with more knowledge than me may come up with something better, but that's my 2 cents (I've done it this way myself).

caliking

Mickey said:

I would sure bundle it together as one hit happening at the same time And report it. Look at all electronics and be sure they work 100%. 

Good point. i'll take a look at the other stuff. 

caliking

@blasting - i think its the motor. I'll try to look for a reconditioned motor, but for the ~$150 difference vs. time spent looking for a refurbished motor, I may just spring for the new motor.

I've taken care of most of my pool stuff myself (replacing motors, seals, pump parts, etc) except for cleaning the filter, since that's a PITA. By the time I find a guy to come out and tell me that he'll charge me 2x the cost of a motor, i'd rather just do it myself. That's what happened last time. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

There is a former pool guy on here. Hope he sees this. What kind of filter do you have that's so hard to clean? 

johnmitchell

It sounds like your motor has gone to ground, we would not rewind a 2 hp pool motor,we would deem it uneconomical to repair and offer a replacement price. As far as the pump goes I am sure that should be just fine.

Chubbs

caliking said:

@Mickey - I didn't think of homeowner's insurance. Don't know if it will be worth making a claim for $500 though?

I don't think the house was actually hit. The WAN port on the router stopped working (the router was otherwise functional), which I read can be caused by power surges during storms. 

I wouldn't make a claim. A claim that small would do more harm in long run than good in short term. That claim will be on your record for years and if you ever change providers, your premiums will be higher with a claim on record. 

fishlessman

if its semi common alot of motor repair places will have them reconditioned on the shelf for alot less than new and will test them for short money.

caliking

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

There is a former pool guy on here. Hope he sees this. What kind of filter do you have that's so hard to clean? 

Its a DE filter. Not necessarily hard to clean, just inconvenient. messes up my nails

caliking

johnmitchell said:

It sounds like your motor has gone to ground, we would not rewind a 2 hp pool motor,we would deem it uneconomical to repair and offer a replacement price. As far as the pump goes I am sure that should be just fine.

Ordered the motor last night. I think the pump is fine too. I'm hoping the booster motor for the cleaner is ok, but i won't know until the pump motor is operational, since the booster won't power on without the pump motor running. 

Thanks!

caliking

@Chubbs - that's what I thought.

@fishlessman - I'll see if I can find a place near me. If nothing else, I'll know where to get a refurb motor the next time this happens.

Little Steven

I'm a master electrician so heed this. Get a three foot piece of 2 x 4 and beat the snot out of it. Invoice is in the mail.

Legume

Little Steven said:

I'm a master electrician so heed this. Get a three foot piece of 2 x 4 and beat the snot out of it. Invoice is in the mail.

It's worth a shot...

Angus1978

Our pool pump went out within 18months and it was under a warranty.....I realize you've already bought the second one, but you might find it's worth checking into!

caliking

Angus1978 said:

Our pool pump went out within 18months and it was under a warranty.....I realize you've already bought the second one, but you might find it's worth checking into!

Doh! Why didn't I think of that?? I'll get in touch with the manufacturer today.

caliking

Little Steven said:

I'm a master electrician so heed this. Get a three foot piece of 2 x 4 and beat the snot out of it. Invoice is in the mail.

I've been very tempted to do just that! Seriously though, you think a switch is stuck and not letting the motor run?

Its worth a shot when I get home. After I look into the warranty though. The company may not believe me if they find a motor that looks like its been worked over by the mafia. 

Little Steven

Ya Man! There is a centrifugal switch in there that switches from the start winding to the run. If it's stuck in the run position it'll just hum. Unfortunately it's now after four PM. and premium rates now apply. I'll have the adjusted invoice out tomorrow

Little Steven

The end opposite the shaft. Bump

texaswig

Nows the time to upgrade. I would go for one of those variable speed setups. Probably would same some money in the long run. I personally don't think the whole house surge stuff is all its cracked up to be. 

NPHuskerFL

Ohm out the windings. Or beat it down like @Little Steven suggested