I have a 1hp pump for an in-ground pool. I don't know how old it is - we
bought the house almost 3 years ago.
I have 2 questions:

1) At the end of last season and again this spring, when I turn the pump on
it often just sits there and hums for a few seconds, then the breaker trips.
I have to go reset it and repeat a few times before finally the pump starts
to go. Then it works fine. It's just starting that is a problem. Does this
mean I need a new pump? Or just a new motor? Or is there something else
wrong?

2) I'd like to have a timer hooked up to the pump, so it automatically
starts and runs overnight. Hopefully this will save on some energy cost from
leaving it run longer than it really needs to. How expensive are there, and
how difficult are they to hook up? My pump is attached to the a switch
mounted on the wall behind it so its accessible.

Thanks!

--
Matt Kruse
http://www.JavascriptToolbox.com
http://www.AjaxToolbox.com

Most of them are rebuildable, new bearings, new capacitor, clean the
start contacts.
Some pool supply places do it as a service for about half the cost of a
new pump motor.
Any decent motor shop could do the same.

"Matt Kruse" writes:

I have a 1hp pump for an in-ground pool. I don't know how old it is - we
bought the house almost 3 years ago.
I have 2 questions:

1) At the end of last season and again this spring, when I turn the pump on
it often just sits there and hums for a few seconds, then the breaker trips.
I have to go reset it and repeat a few times before finally the pump starts
to go. Then it works fine. It's just starting that is a problem. Does this
mean I need a new pump? Or just a new motor? Or is there something else
wrong?

Can be rebuilt or replaced.

2) I'd like to have a timer hooked up to the pump, so it automatically
starts and runs overnight. Hopefully this will save on some energy cost from
leaving it run longer than it really needs to. How expensive are there, and
how difficult are they to hook up? My pump is attached to the a switch
mounted on the wall behind it so its accessible.

You want it to run during the day, off at night.
They make timers specifically for this purpose.

that it runs and then shuts off after setting idle for a period of
time , tells me that it loses prime. Ckeck out the check valve that it
is not leaking.
If motor runs why replace it? Adding in the timer shouldn't be any
problem.
Jack

wrote:
that it runs and then shuts off after setting idle for a period of
time , tells me that it loses prime. Ckeck out the check valve that it
is not leaking.
If motor runs why replace it?

Because it's doesn't start up correctly. He said it just hums and
trips the breaker several times before starting. That isn't a prime
problem, it's a bad motor, which can be either rebuilt or replaced.




Adding in the timer shouldn't be any
problem.
Jack

Dan Espen wrote:
You want it to run during the day, off at night.

Why?

I thought I'd like to swim during the day, with the pump off. Then at night
it can cycle through the filter and hopefully clean as much as possible so
in the morning the water is filtered.

Is there some advantage to running the pump during the day rather than at
night?

--
Matt Kruse
http://www.JavascriptToolbox.com
http://www.AjaxToolbox.com

Matt Kruse wrote:
I have a 1hp pump for an in-ground pool. I don't know how old it is - we
bought the house almost 3 years ago.
I have 2 questions:

1) At the end of last season and again this spring, when I turn the pump on
it often just sits there and hums for a few seconds, then the breaker trips.
I have to go reset it and repeat a few times before finally the pump starts
to go. Then it works fine. It's just starting that is a problem. Does this
mean I need a new pump? Or just a new motor? Or is there something else
wrong?

2) I'd like to have a timer hooked up to the pump, so it automatically
starts and runs overnight. Hopefully this will save on some energy cost from
leaving it run longer than it really needs to. How expensive are there, and
how difficult are they to hook up? My pump is attached to the a switch
mounted on the wall behind it so its accessible.

Thanks!

--
Matt Kruse
http://www.JavascriptToolbox.com
http://www.AjaxToolbox.com


Matt-

The pump impeller or shart seal might be "frozen".

Usually there is an exposed shaft coupler between the motor & the
pump; if there is is you can grip it with a pair of channel loc pliers
or vise-grips. Grip the coupler & give the shaft as much turn as you
can in both directions.

The shaft should turn freely, if it does not (at first) then the pump
was the problem.

If it was free then the motor is the problem.

Give it a try & see if this fixes the problem.

In the old days pumps & motors were rebuilt but now they're usually
replaced but they can still be repaired.

If you live in or near a reasonably sized metro area there will be a
motor repair shop.


You can wire in a timer is series with your current switch

Timer (clock) turns power to switch on & off; having the swith in the
circuit as well allows you manually control pump as well.

Intermatic is one of the major control mfrs

http://www.intermatic.com/

here is my best guess of the unit you need

http://www.intermatic.com/?action=prod&pid=8818

but checkout the specs, it will control a single 220v load (just the
pump)

if you have a heater to control as well you'll need a two cirucit timer

http://www.intermatic.com/?action=subcat&sid=174

where to buy

http://www.intermatic.com/locator.asp


(no I don't work for Intermatic but have used their timers for years)

cheers
Bob

"Matt Kruse" writes:

Dan Espen wrote:
You want it to run during the day, off at night.

Why?

I thought I'd like to swim during the day, with the pump off. Then at night
it can cycle through the filter and hopefully clean as much as possible so
in the morning the water is filtered.

Is there some advantage to running the pump during the day rather than at
night?

You can do whatever works for you.
Here are some reasons to run it during the day:

The pump runs water thru the skimmer removing leaves, etc. from the pool.
Unless you want to swim with that, run it during the day.

Most people want it quiet at night.

wrote:
Because it's doesn't start up correctly. He said it just hums and
trips the breaker several times before starting. That isn't a prime
problem, it's a bad motor, which can be either rebuilt or replaced.

Most likely just a bad start capacitor.

Matt,

Have the "start capacitor" replaced. If you have a "Leslie's Pool Supply"
store nearby, they will usually do this for a reasonable charge. They can
also advise you on a timer however, you can most likely beat their price at
HD or W W Grainger.

Now, as far as day / night pump use, I suspect most of the respondents here
don't even own a pool. In the Atlanta area, in the early part of the swim
season, I run my pump during the day. This circulates the water warmed by
the sun. Later in the summer, the pool temp. can actually be too warm.
Then I run the pump at night to help cool it. Finally, if you need even
further cooling, you might consider buying a small fountain that can be
attached to the water "return" in the pool and operate it at night. This
will definitely lower the temp.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Most of them are rebuildable, new bearings, new capacitor, clean the
start contacts.
Some pool supply places do it as a service for about half the cost of a
new pump motor.
Any decent motor shop could do the same.

"Craven Morehead" writes:

Matt,

Now, as far as day / night pump use, I suspect most of the respondents here
don't even own a pool. In the Atlanta area, in the early part of the swim
season, I run my pump during the day. This circulates the water warmed by
the sun. Later in the summer, the pool temp. can actually be too warm.
Then I run the pump at night to help cool it. Finally, if you need even

I'm not sure why you think it necessary to imply other posters
don't even own pools.

I keep mine covered at night to reduce heat loss.
Not running the pump at night helps too.

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...
"Craven Morehead" writes:

Matt,

Now, as far as day / night pump use, I suspect most of the respondents
here
don't even own a pool. In the Atlanta area, in the early part of the
swim
season, I run my pump during the day. This circulates the water warmed
by
the sun. Later in the summer, the pool temp. can actually be too warm.
Then I run the pump at night to help cool it. Finally, if you need even

I'm not sure why you think it necessary to imply other posters
don't even own pools.

Read their posts...

I keep mine covered at night to reduce heat loss.
Not running the pump at night helps too.

wrote:
wrote:
that it runs and then shuts off after setting idle for a period of
time , tells me that it loses prime. Ckeck out the check valve that it
is not leaking.
If motor runs why replace it?

Because it's doesn't start up correctly. He said it just hums and
trips the breaker several times before starting. That isn't a prime
problem, it's a bad motor, which can be either rebuilt or replaced.




Adding in the timer shouldn't be any
problem.
Jack


Because "just hums" also fits the description of it runs, but is not
moving water.

Old pumps lose their ability to generate enough vacuum to prime. That
should be checked before motor replacement. And its a much more likely
circumstance.

On Thu, 04 May 2006 13:35:34 -0400, Dan Espen
wrote:
I'm not sure why you think it necessary to imply other posters
don't even own pools.

Different techniques for different parts of the country, I suspect...

I keep mine covered at night to reduce heat loss.
Not running the pump at night helps too.

You must live up north... I'm in the Houston area and a few years ago,
I had a house that had a pool... During the latter part of the summer,
the water temperature gets into the 90Fs... More like jumping into
lukewarm bath water than a refreshing cool dip in the pool on a hot
day... Even using a sprayer to expose the pool water to more of the
night air didn't make an appreciable difference... There were no trees
shading the pool, so it got full sun exposure a good part of the
day... I considered building some sort of very large shade arbor over
the entire pool to cut down on the solar energy being received by the
pool... Something like in the following link, but considerably
larger...

http://www.deckandgazebodesign.com/h...s/IM000334.JPG

When you live in a very hot climate, if you want a cool pool, you
either have to remove the heat from it or prevent the heat from
getting into it... Although it would be possible to create some sort
of refrigeration unit to reduce the temperature, I suspect the
electricity costs would be unreasonable... Reducing the solar input
into the system would definitely be cheaper...

scott moore wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
that it runs and then shuts off after setting idle for a period of
time , tells me that it loses prime. Ckeck out the check valve that it
is not leaking.
If motor runs why replace it?

Because it's doesn't start up correctly. He said it just hums and
trips the breaker several times before starting. That isn't a prime
problem, it's a bad motor, which can be either rebuilt or replaced.




Adding in the timer shouldn't be any
problem.
Jack


Because "just hums" also fits the description of it runs, but is not
moving water.


Oh, really? And I suppose that explains the breaker tripping when it
tries to start? Geez!



Old pumps lose their ability to generate enough vacuum to prime. That
should be checked before motor replacement. And its a much more likely
circumstance.

Grumman-581 writes:

On Thu, 04 May 2006 13:35:34 -0400, Dan Espen
wrote:
I'm not sure why you think it necessary to imply other posters
don't even own pools.

Different techniques for different parts of the country, I suspect...

I keep mine covered at night to reduce heat loss.
Not running the pump at night helps too.

You must live up north... I'm in the Houston area and a few years ago,
I had a house that had a pool... During the latter part of the summer,
the water temperature gets into the 90Fs...

Yep, I'm in NJ.
I've been to Houston, the climate was great but I found the flat terrain
a bit unnerving. I suppose you get used to it.

Our pool is in partial shade. It can reach 90F, when I run the heater.
Without that, a peak temperature in most years is 82F.

wrote:
Because "just hums" also fits the description of it runs, but is not
moving water.
Oh, really? And I suppose that explains the breaker tripping when it
tries to start? Geez!

Well it could be - I don't know enough about motors, unfortunately.

I flip the switch, and it just sits there and hums for 3-4 seconds. Then it
trips the breaker. I repeat this several times, and finally it kicks in.

When it does kick in, it seems like it really "wants" to start, but
something just doesn't flip. Then finally it clicks and boom, it starts
pumping. When it's humming in the beginning it does sound kind of "dry", so
it might be an issue with it not priming, I don't know. I should post an
audio file of what it sounds like when it tries to start

--
Matt Kruse
http://www.JavascriptToolbox.com
http://www.AjaxToolbox.com

On Sat, 06 May 2006 09:21:00 -0400, Dan Espen
wrote:
Yep, I'm in NJ.
I've been to Houston, the climate was great but I found the flat terrain
a bit unnerving. I suppose you get used to it.

All the terrain you could ever want... Concrete and billboards,
interspersed with highway overpasses... grin

Our pool is in partial shade. It can reach 90F, when I run the heater.
Without that, a peak temperature in most years is 82F.

82F sounds refreshing... Nothing quite like a cool pool on a hot
day... Of course, in Houston, it ended up being a hot pool on a hot
day... Not quite the same...

wrote:
On Sat, 6 May 2006 08:23:16 -0500, "Matt Kruse"
wrote:

wrote:
Because "just hums" also fits the description of it runs, but is not
moving water.
Oh, really? And I suppose that explains the breaker tripping when it
tries to start? Geez!

Well it could be - I don't know enough about motors, unfortunately.

I flip the switch, and it just sits there and hums for 3-4 seconds. Then it
trips the breaker. I repeat this several times, and finally it kicks in.

When it does kick in, it seems like it really "wants" to start, but
something just doesn't flip. Then finally it clicks and boom, it starts
pumping. When it's humming in the beginning it does sound kind of "dry", so
it might be an issue with it not priming, I don't know. I should post an
audio file of what it sounds like when it tries to start

I still vote for a bad/dirty/sticking centrifugal switch. That is
under the end cap. It is a spring loaded deal with 2 open contacts.
This creates the phase shift to kick the motor over.


I still vote for a bad/dirty/sticking centrifugal switch. That is
under the end cap. It is a spring loaded deal with 2 open contacts.
This creates the phase shift to kick the motor over.

I would agree.........take the motor end cap off & take a look at the
centrifugal switch assembly, locate the electrical contacts.
Determine the condition of the contacts, if they are pitted, corroded
or dirty thye can be renewed with "point file" or crocus cloth (a fine
abrasive cloth)

years ago I had a pool fail to start.........when I dismounted the
motor & took off the end cap.................I found a dead lizard
caught in the centrifugal switch!


cheers
Bob

PMFBI, but I have a very similar problem: Jacuzzi pump w/ 1.5 HP
Magnetek motor. The pump housing overheated once and malformed inside,
distorting the diffuser vanes inside and binding the impeller. Applied
power to motor and it hummed and smoked a little. Disassembled,
reheated and reshaped diffuser vanes so they clear the impeller. Shaft
turns freely, but motor will hum loudly before it starts. Once it
starts it seems to run and pump just fine. But on every startup it
hums and vibrates quite loudly for about 1 second and seems to be
drawing a helluva lot of current.

Before I disassemble it (again) to check the motor's start contacts
(which I suspect are probably welded shut due to excessive current), in
case I reach a point where I'd like to completely separate the motor
from the pump: how do you get the impeller off of the motor shaft of
these suckers?

Thanks.

But on every startup it
hums and vibrates quite loudly for about 1 second and seems to be
drawing a helluva lot of current.

Sounds like a partly failed start capacitor, if you have one.

Thanks!

Alas, no capacitor in this one, just a second set of starting windings
which are probably mostly shorted together now. Thanks.