Pump overheating

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Guest

Pump overheating

Postby Guest » Sat 14 May, 2011 22:13

We replaced the motor twice and it is still overheating. Now what?


nickiface

Pump overheating

Postby nickiface » Sun 15 May, 2011 08:34

I just bought hayward
super ii 3/4 horsepower, runs very well for 5 minutes the burnt smell, trips off .
Brand new motor from ao smith, i put new impeller seals and o-rings, no better.
Can i get a new one! It's from inyo discount pool parts store
LoopZilla
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My Pool: 21,000 Inground
Location: Plywood State (FL)

Pump overheating

Postby LoopZilla » Tue 05 Jul, 2011 16:45

OK,

Same issue, new 3/4HP motor overheating. Motor is a replacement for an existing Hayward installation, which I have replaced twice before.

Things I know:
- New seal, new impeller & impeller housing
- Motor is wired for 240V
- Voltage at motor terminals is 236V, 119V on each leg measured to ground, measured under pumping load so no significant voltage drop
- Uncoupled amps are 3.25 on each 120V leg at the pump terminals, dry pump pulls same, wet pump pulls 8.6A on each leg.
- No plumbing changes, water is flowing like it has for the last 12 years
- External gas water pump used to 'clear' the lines, both inlet from drain and strainer, and through output - nothing showed up

Any ideas?
czechmate
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My Pool: 16 x 32 gunite21000 gal., Diamond Brite Blue, Swimquip XL pump, DE36
Location: Texas

Pump overheating

Postby czechmate » Tue 05 Jul, 2011 19:56

You should pull around 4 amp running current on 3/4HP motor at 240V fully loaded. Burning smell shows usually blown capacitor. Overloaded tripping motor, like when your pump freezes in winter is not smelling, just warms up and trips. You pulling current that would run a 2HP motor. It would suggest, that probably the running capacitor phase is not electrically in correct angle. I would ask dealer for a replacement.
LoopZilla
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My Pool: 21,000 Inground
Location: Plywood State (FL)

Pump overheating

Postby LoopZilla » Wed 06 Jul, 2011 10:30

I agree, the motor seems to be pulling too many amps. But, I think I can effectively rule out the power supply, because it is delivering those amps, and at the correct voltage.

I removed the motor (again) and had my dealer give me another new motor to try. Same results, so I can rule out a defective motor from the manufacturer.

While I was in there, I replaced the seal (again) and made sure there was no evidence of abrasion on the impeller or housing. Spindle with impeller turn easily with no weird noises.

The internal cooling fan is indeed pumping out hot air from the rear vent when the motor is running.

Is this motor under-rated at 3/4 HP? Or, was the original Hayward over rated? The Hayward installation manual for the Super II actually states a 10A draw for the 3/4HP version on 230V...

I don't have a tach or flow meter, but I think it is turning at the spec RPM.

What in the system could have changed to create this issue? The motor is the ONLY factor that is new.

Any additional assistance would be greatly appreciated.
czechmate
Swimming Pool Superstar
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Posts: 401
Joined: Sat 16 May, 2009 09:20
My Pool: 16 x 32 gunite21000 gal., Diamond Brite Blue, Swimquip XL pump, DE36
Location: Texas

Pump overheating

Postby czechmate » Thu 07 Jul, 2011 08:05

I have the same size pool and running 1.5HP motor on the old Swimquip XL pump. Have been told several times it is little beef up, that 1HP should be fine.
The backpressure on the filter would indicate if it is under strain. Up to 20psi is pretty normal. Mine run on fresh DE fill around 12psi. I never let it gain more than 6-7 PSI. Then I bump it and add a some DE back.
It will clear out some debris from overhanging oleandra blossoms' that would rot in the filter. and shorten the cleaning cycle again.
DE is not cheap, but electricity on longer cycle is worse.
Plus running pump extra 3 hours in a 100 degree weather is not helping the motor life.
I may well be, that 21000 gal pool should have at least 1HP motor.
It is all about the the volume draw and power to push thru the dirty filter, to run system more efficiently.
James Nagle

Pump overheating

Postby James Nagle » Tue 12 Jul, 2011 17:23

Well guys I was looking on here trying to figure out why my pump was doing the exact same thing and I figured it out (for my pump anyway)... The motor has a centrifugal switch inside the back cover that stays engaged while starting the motor and then once started and the shaft starts spinning, it disengages. Mine APPEARED to disengage upon starting but apparently did not thus overheating the motor. I bent the contacts apart a little more and it is working just fine now. Hopefully this helps someone else.
Wirenut Bill

Pump overheating

Postby Wirenut Bill » Tue 09 Aug, 2011 15:06

I have an old (15 yr?) AO Smith motor that recently started doing the cycling on and off thing. It gets too hot to touch even when disconnected from the pump, so it's time to replace it. Checked the capacitor & centrifugal switch to no avail.

Something did come to mind, though. I have recently replaced the sand in my filter. When I did, the guy at the pool store said to use about 20% less than the filter manual called for. He said it would work as well, but be less strain on the pump. He may have been right. I used 100%. My motor is "toast".
patriciathore
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Pump overheating

Postby patriciathore » Tue 16 Aug, 2011 04:18

To avoid this happen again, you must check your pumps once in a while. Its a must to all swimming pool owners.
"All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath."

Swimming Pool Filter | Swimming Pool Pumps
Guest

Pump overheating

Postby Guest » Sun 04 Dec, 2011 02:28

grmcgee wrote:I have read this forum and many others about pool pumps overheating. I have a Hayward Superpump on a 21,000 gal inground pool. The motor is UST1102 (115/230 volts, 1 HP). This setup ran flawlessly for over 12 years, maybe 15 (I am the second owner). My normal mode of pump operation during summer is 24/7. The pump is turned off for only short periods to switch filter modes or start/stop auto cleaner. Last year I had to replace the motor capacitor, after which the motor ran great all summer. This year after about a week of normal operation, the motor has started overheating and cutting off. It runs about 2-4 hours before the thermal switch cuts off operation. There is also a smell of "hot wires" that has never occurred before. After cooling for a few hours, the motor will run normally again for a few more hours. It has always run somewhat hot, but it has never been cut off by the thermal switch until now. I have not checked the voltage/amperage yet, but it doesn't seem likely that is the problem since the exact same setup (an isolated electrical circuit) has run great for so many years. Also, the motor is inside a pump house, protected from the weather with nothing blocking the surrounding air. So the questions to you experts are: Does this mean that my motor is wearing out and I will need to replace it soon? Or is there a chance that I have a power (or other) problem that can be corrected? In other words, it is worth the time to do diagnostics, or should I go ahead and spring for a new motor?
Dustoff

Pump overheating

Postby Dustoff » Fri 09 Mar, 2012 16:21

I had a 6 year old Hayward Super Pump that would occasionally trip the circuit breaker, after a while it started overheating and eventually stopped working altogether. I replaced the pump motor with a new one and it started to do the same thing. It would overheat and shut down after 5 minutes. Someone told me to replace the circuit breaker and that did the trick. Circuit breakers do go bad. If you try this yourself, shut off the power to the box prior to replacing your breaker.
graystone
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My Pool: 10K gallon in-ground, sand filter, Hayward 3/4 super pump
Location: Georgia

Pump overheating

Postby graystone » Thu 13 Jun, 2013 21:19

Concerns Hayward Super Pump 3/4 hp, 115ac, in-ground, 10K gal. My problem has similar aspects of several other in this thread, but deviates enough that the various solutions do not apply. I had a water leak, replaced the seals & impeller, and leak stopped, but after 15 mins the motor cycled on & off continuously. Unit is about 10-12 years old, runs quiet; no problems until the leak. Impeller was the original composite material, so had to order replacement because material couldn't survive removal -- installed upgrade that had metal threads for motor shaft -- parts from Hayward dealer. While awaiting parts, installed my backup Hayward Power-Flo LX, 1.5 hp, to keep water under control; I know, that's an above-ground unit. My sand-filter is properly sized for 1.5 hp, 1.5 in. piping, with only drawback is it being gravity fed, so startup is slower, but pumps well, and fills in as backup. It runs perfectly; I say that to answer the replies that hint at wiring, breakers, clogs, etc, that might be the problem. This problem concerns only the Super Pump motor!

While replacing the impeller, my grandson (17) broke one of the wires from the capacitor to the switch between the capacitor and the 110/220v selector module. The switch connector has tiny crimps that could not be reattached, thus I soldered on a jumper wire <right gauge, solid copper> and spliced with solder-seal to the wire lead off the capacitor. While switch was removed, separated to see if interior connection was severed and it looked ok. On putting all back together for test run, the components did as designed: on/off switch kicked in for start (then released), motor functioned quietly, and pump housing primed as well as ever and pumped as expected. I viewed all that while pump motor end-cover was still off, and let run for at least 30-mins to see if cycle on/off recurred. It didn't, and pump runs perfectly with end-cover off the motor.

The problem: When the end-cover is put back on the motor, either fully or partially, the motor runs for as little as 3-5 minutes, and then shuts off. Remove the end-cover, wait about 2-secs, turn the switch on, and it starts running again (thus, does not appear to be component heat related) and will run properly until shut down either manually or with the timer. The motor no longer cycles on/off, it just shuts off after about 3-5 minutes. Remove the end-cover, and it has no problems at all, at least for the 1-hr session where I just sat by it to ensure that I didn't miss anything.

I thought it might be the capacitor, and since a new one was only $4.71, I replaced it. Rechecked the solder connections, and tried it again. Same thing, with end-cover off it runs perfectly, but put the end-cover back on, and it shuts off after 3-5 minutes, but comes right back on after waiting about 2 secs., and if end-cover is removed again, it runs perfectly with no shut off.

Lastly, the problem cannot be the motor windings or other related power generation components because it runs perfectly with the end-cap off. I was intrigued by the earlier poster who enlarged the point separation on the start-switch, but I observed mine closely and it separates after start back, then back to the same separated condition; that doesn't seem to be an issue.

I'm wondering if the 3-positon switch between the capacitor and the 110/220 volt component is somehow the problem. I say that because it does get warm to the touch, but not hot or uncomfortable, and that doesn't seem reasonable. The interior connects to the cover shell via a tiny threaded screw, and I'm now wondering if that can be too tight or too loose, because the threaded portion has a wide range of travel but no markings for what's too much or too little. I considered that maybe that switch was inadvertently reversed and was sending 220 to the capacitor vice 110, but if that were the case, then it's not reasonable that the motor would continue to function normally when the end-cover is off of the motor.

Lastly, there are no components touching the interior of the end-cover, and I even loosely just fitted it back onto the motor so that nothing could possibly be touching anything, and it still shut-off after about 3-5 minutes just as before. Even if anything were touching, there must be an immediate short that flips the break.

Help!

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