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Pool Motor Troubleshooting

Pool Motor Troubleshooting
Matthew Simmons

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Hello and Welcome back, Inyoans (not a word) to a new blog post; today we are going over How To Troubleshoot a Pool Pump Motor. We’re bringing some of our hidden treasures to your attention. What hidden treasures, you ask? The Hope Diamond? One-Eyed Willie’s Gold? No, it is our How to guide’s silly.

It is that time of year when the pesky pool problems start to hit your filtering system: low pressure, hot motor, or a potentially dead motor. I know this because I have taken your phone calls, picking my brain on what to do next. Chances are, I referred you to one of our handy dandy How To Guides on the subject. We have covered so many topics that some of the important topics get lost in the shuffle, so let’s bring them to light.

Pool Motor Overheated

If your motor is throwing up smoke signals or randomly switching off then on again, then it is likely a victim of overheating. This How-To guide will help you pinpoint the issue and stop the break in your filtering schedule.

How to Guide: How to Troubleshoot an Overheated Pool Motor

Pool Motor Shuts Down

If your motor stops cold in its tracks then it is likely overloading the circuit or tripping a thermal fuse. Both a big no-no and should be avoided if you want a long lasting motor.

How to Guide: How to Troubleshoot Pool Motor Shutting Down

Pool Motor Fails to Start

Any person who has had an old car knows the helpless feeling when the engine will not crank over. Just like their gas powered cousins, electric motors can have false starts as well; luckily, they are pretty easy to diagnose and fix. It could be a capacitor or something deeper; read the guide to find out what is gumming up your motor.

How to Guide: How to Troubleshoot Pool Motor Not Starting

Pool Motor is Noisy

If you motor sounds like a freight train screeching to a stop then your bearings have likely gone bad. Caused by a leak from the shaft seal or water introduced to the motor’s shaft system elsewhere; either way you’re neighbors will hate you until it is fixed (Part 1, Part 2). This guide also covers some other noisy nuisances that can trouble your motor.

How to Guide: How to Troubleshoot a Noisy Pool Motor

70+ Pool Pump & Motor How to Guides

Above are some of the most popular issues that arise with a pool pump motor but there are many other problems that can arise. We have covered over 70 Pool Pump & Motor How To Guides on topics like… How to Fix Low Pressure in Pool, How to Fix Air Bubbles in Pool, How to Replace the Motor on Your Pool Pump and many more.

How to Guides: 70+ Pool Motor and Pump How to Guides

Thank you for sticking around and reading my blog. If you have any further questions, please give our techs a call at 877-372-6038. We are glad to help!

Troubleshooting Topics

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19 responses to “Pool Motor Troubleshooting”

  1. CHRIS POLLAK Avatar
    CHRIS POLLAK

    Great stuff, keep it comeing. Also, looking to receive my pentair filter hopefully soon.

    ? Order: 601281

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Thank you, Chris.

      You order should be delivered this week. Be on the look out for a phone call from the trucking company.

      Reply
  2. Brad Avatar
    Brad

    The blog post is informative. It offers tips on how to keep the pool motor in great shape. Something I always wanted to know. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Awesome, glad to help!

      Reply
  3. John H Avatar
    John H

    Hi. Had to remove the electrolyser today. Closed all valves to do this, then reopened all valves except, by accident and stupidly, the multiposition valve. Switched the pump on and it promptly just hummed. Switched it off fast, repositioned multiposition valve to “filter” and tried the pump again. Just hummed again. Took pump out and examined it having separated it from the filter holder, Impeller turns but do not know how to make sure the pump itself is turning. Can you help

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      John – can you clarify what you are calling the electrolyser? Are you talking about the salt cell?

      If the motor is just humming, it could be a capacitor issue. Follow the steps listed on this how-to guide: How To Replace a Pool Pump Capacitor

      Reply
    2. Kim Avatar
      Kim

      New pool pump runs for 10mins. Then makes a click and shuts off. Any idea why?

      Reply
      1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
        Matthew Simmons

        Low voltage or the motor is set to the wrong voltage for what it is set up for?

        It helps to do some troubleshooting of the wiring before so we can at least try to dismiss some possibilities.

        Reply
  4. Sonja Rose Avatar
    Sonja Rose

    We just had a new pump installed. It works however the manual says to make sure when the pump is running the light is on green. Well the lights such as speed, on, and start/stop all 3 of them the lights stay on red. Also after the pump runs for 7hrs ea day there is still some fine dust or whatever it is floating on top of the water. You can not see it well but it’s there. What could cause all of this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      What is the make and model of your pump? The series of lights illuminated can mean different things for different pumps.

      That silt could be pollen. We are in Florida, and it is everywhere currently.

      Reply
  5. julie Avatar
    julie

    why would the motor voltage wire need to be moved to 115v instead of 230v when the motor is stated as being able to handle both? clicking noise on 230v setting. the wire that goes to the overload protector (white wire) is too short to change the voltage setting by moving the jumper. jrivet@satx.rr.com

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      In short, because that is how they are designed. So yes, a motor is rated as a dual voltage, which means it can accept either 115 or 230, but you still have to make sure it is set to the range you’re using.

      If the wire was too short to switch, I’d classify it as defective. Contact the customer service of the company you purchased the motor from, get a new one. Or, you’ll need to rewire the circuit for 230 voltage.

      Reply
  6. Heng Avatar
    Heng

    I replace new capacitor for Pentair LA01N but it still won’t start. There is power to the motor.

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Can you describe more of what was going on before after you replaced the capacitor? use the following guide house the test your motor’s circuitry: Using the Proper Test Equipment to Troubleshoot Pool Motors

      Reply
  7. Andy Dobbing Avatar
    Andy Dobbing

    I have a Hayward 1.5hp pump and Hayward de filter. That set up has been in place for many years without failure. A few years ago we found leaks in the underground pool return pipes. The pool return is one 2 inch pipe splitting into two separate pool returns. We cut off the underground return above ground near the pump and replaced it with one 2” pipe return across the deck to the pool. Since then I’ve gone through a very old Hayward pump and after 2 years the replacement has failed. I think motor windings are short both times. I run the pump 24/7. My question is, does the setup lead to shorting of windings and failure of the pump over this very short time (2 years).

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      Highly unlikely that those two things are connected. The more likely reason the new motor died is down to the old saying, “they don’t make them like they used to.” The materials used in the manufacturing process don’t have the tolerances they once did. One small example, run capacitors used to be 440V, which provided a good buffer for voltage tolerance. They realized that they could get away with making that 440-volt cap a 370 volt, and it would work for a while at least.

      They save money on manufacturing and increase the likelihood of a new motor being bought in a couple of years by subbing one part in the manufacturing process.

      Reply
      1. Andy Dobbing Avatar
        Andy Dobbing

        Ok. Thanks for the response. I suppose I will just have to run the new pump less to longer life out of it in the future. I’ll save on the electricity bill too which is always a good thing 🙂

        Reply
  8. Pump problems Avatar
    Pump problems

    Pool pump just stopped working. Makes a humming noise when I try to turn it on. I tried changing the capacitor but that did not work. The impeller spins freely so there is no stuck
    debris. l can manually start the pump by spinning the impeller but it runs for a few minutes and then shuts off. Any ideas?

    Reply
    1. Matthew Simmons Avatar
      Matthew Simmons

      That’s common, especially if you’re opening the pool and the motor has been sitting all winter. If you jump-start his motor and it runs then shuts off, it’s just a bad motor. Especially if he replaced the cap already, but there could also be problems with the motor shaft, even if you can spin it by hand. For example, the bearings are beginning to lock up but not quite to the point of being an obvious issue.

      A guide you might want to checkout for more troubleshooting help is How To Use a Multimeter to Test a Pool Pump Motor – Winding Resistance

      Reply

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