Swimming pool pump dead!

[Loveridge]

Right.. i gotta text from a mate at the weekend saying they've tried starting their pool pump up but it won't run, he said it was buzzing but not running. I went to take a look today and it turns out it's the contactor that's buzzing but the motor does nothing at all. All i had on me was a volt pen and a couple of screw drivers so i took the cover off the motor and the contactor. The motor is live when the isolator is closed so the contactor is working but just buzzing.

Basically what it looks like is the supply cable comes into the bottom of the isolater, this then feeds the contactor. The contactor then feeds a heater, the pump and also this box on the outside of the pump house (i assume a thermostat or something for the heater but i don't know as the screws were unaccessible).

what would everyone's next step be? Change the contactor and try the motor again with a proper voltage tester rather than a voltage pen?

Any advise is greatly appreciated thanks

Dan

 

[Farmelectrics]

Sounds like the motor you say your getting voltage at the motor. Is that right

 

[Loveridge]

yeah, getting voltage at the motor, and the lights on the heater etc light up so i assume the contactor is working fine. I'm pretty sure it's the motor that's buggered but i didn't know if it'd be a good idea to change the contactor first to eliminate that completey, as it's pretty loud?

 

[micksparky]

i would first advise testing with a proper tester, if your neutrals down through your contactor feeding your pump your pen would still show a live circuit. if you then discover you have correct voltage L&N at your pump then it looks like the pump.. have you also checked for a seized pump as its been stood, debris or damaged impellors.

 

[Des 56]

You could try the trusted lump hammer,it frees seized impellers a treat

 

[Richard Burns]

Sounds like the pump is stalled out and the contactor is overloading, check to see if the pump will turn manually, then check the pump coils to see if they are all correct.
Try disconnecting the pump and see what the contactor is doing then, this will eliminate the contactor problem from the equation.

 

[Loveridge]

so u reckon its seized, therefore trying to draw more current which is caushing the contactor to overload and buzz? they said the motor hasn't been used for about 18 months so i wouldn't be surprised if it is seized

 

[snowhead]

First thing to do, check Live and Neutral at the motor with a meter, it's quite possible the contactor has failed on the neutral.

 

[Marvo]

A lot of pool pumps have a manually resettable overload protector somewhere on them to prevent LRA damage. Often there's a button that protrudes from the termination box but sometimes it's somewhere more sneaky and less obvious.

 

[Farmelectrics]

Tell them to get a new motor or see if there is somewhere to fix motor might be as cheap to get new motor

 

[drew35]

The very next step? Throw the volt pen in the bin. . .

 

[Knobhead]

There’s nothing unusual about a contactor humming, just make sure you’ve got continuity through it. Does the motor spin freely, if not split the motor from the pump and see which is stiff.
As has been said have a look for a thermal cut out on the motor.
Testing the motor:
If you look at the drawing there are two windings, start and run. The start goes through the centrifugal switch and capacitor. Test both windings for continuity also the switch. If you don’t know how to test a capacitor get back to me.

View attachment 13748

 

[Engineer54]

Pool pumps are notorious for seizing up if the pool has been taken out of service for any length of time. Try taking the end cap off at the impeller end and see if you can free it. Trouble is that even if you do free it up, the chances are there will be flats on the shaft and/or on the bearings from sitting in one position for 18 months or so....

So whether you get the motor running or purchase a new one, tell your friend to kick the motor over, or better still leave the impeller cap off and manually turn the impeller a quarter turn at least once a month when the pool is out of service....

One last thing, ...don't go electrically testing motors unless you have the right test equipment with you. A voltage stick on a motor or controllers ain't gonna be telling you anything!! lol!!!