One of the common repairs that we deal with at Marker Pool Service is the repair of pool pumps and motors. We received a phone call from a customer the other day telling us that when she tried starting her pool pump it was tripping the breaker. She feared that the cost of a replacement pump was going to be in the thousands of dollars. Fortunately for her motor replacements are not in the thousands of dollars and the pool pump was making a humming noise prior to the breaker tripping.
Typically this happens because either the impeller is stuck and not turning freely or the start capacitor needs to be replaced. Usually we will start by checking that the impeller is not stuck by turning the shaft on the back of the motor.
Steps to Clear an Impeller
- Make sure the breaker is in the off position
- Remove the cap from the end of the pool motor exposing the shaft
- Use a 9/16 wrench and try turning the shaft either direction
- If the shaft spins freely try starting the motor again.
- Disassemble the pump if the shaft will not spin freely even after using a wrench. After reaching the impeller try spinning the shaft again.
If the shaft will not spin freely it could be frozen due to bad bearings. In this case it may be best to replace the motor as the cost of bearing replacement could be over half of the cost of a new motor.
Sometimes the motor will spin freely but the motor still hums and the breaker might still trip. If this happens, chances are that the start capacitor needs to be replaced.
Steps to Replacing a Start Capacitor
- Make sure the breaker is in the off position
- Locate the capacitor. It usually sits on top of the motor in a dome cover and is held by two 1/4″ nuts
- Be very careful when handling a capacitor. It may hold a charge that can shock you.
- Discharge the capacitor by laying a screwdriver across both terminals for a few seconds
- Make sure to use an exact replacement for the capacitor. Do not go lower on the “MFD” listed on the label.
- After replacement try to start the motor again.
If you are not comfortable doing this sort of work yourself contact a pool professional in your area. There are also plenty of motor rebuild shops that will provide repairs to your existing pool motor.
Before rushing into replacing your single speed motor due to bad bearings or windings you should learn more about Variable Speed Pool Pumps. Learn how you could be saving up to 90% off utility costs.
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