Pool pump becoming super hot!

annette · Postby **annette** » Wed 20 May, 2009 09:12

My pool pump ( the motor part) is SUPER hot, almost burning to the touch. The skimmer is empty and when I vacuum there's great suction. Is this normal or should I be concerned?

Postby **Denali** » Thu 21 May, 2009 05:38

Hi,

I would get it checked out. Shouldn't be super hot like that.

Good luck.

WAD · Postby **WAD** » Mon 03 May, 2010 15:30

What could cause this. My pump is running fine but it gets super hot to the touch. It doesn't trip off or anything like that but the motor gets really hot.

joe van0087 · Postby **joe van0087** » Mon 25 Jun, 2012 23:15

Water in pump is boiling HOT, no circulation after cleaning filter and putting everything back together???

TSH Tech · Postby **TSH Tech** » Tue 26 Jun, 2012 00:43

During the summer time, pump motors do get hot to the touch, this is normal. As long as they are moving pool water and the pump is not making any obnoxious groaning or whining noise, all is good. There's a few scenarios in which pool pumps get very hot to the touch.
Pump loses water prime
If the pool pump loses water prime and just spins its daily cycle, or simply put, spins dry, the pump will get hot and steam will be present.
Why this is a bad thing - A pump spinning dry will melt white PVC pipe connected, melt pump pot baskets, melt the water proof seals by the impeller and melt the impeller itself if its plastic. Best case, end up replacing a few components, worst case, you're buying a whole new pump.

Pump motor is hot, scorching the paint off!
After several years of use, pool motors go bad and what happens is the copper windings inside the pumps deteriorate. A pump in this category is running on borrowed time.
Why this is a bad thing - Copper does a funny thing when it gets too hot, it develops copper fatigue, looses its conductivity and does one of two things, becomes unusually hot, drawing more electricity to push through that bad copper, or it just fries out. Dead pump.