What Does It Mean When My Pool Filter Motor Just Hums

A loud swimming puddle motor is a common complaint, only when it suddenly gets really loud and and so soon thereafter shuts off most homeowners beginning envisioning a pickpocket waiting for them by their pool pump getting prepare to rob them blind. It tin be somewhat frightening when the puddle motor gets Actually loud. In virtually cases the repair is fairly minimal, but here I volition cover some of the more than mutual causes and remedies to this issue.

Then how practice yous know if it'south going to be an easy cheap fix, vs. an expensive more than difficult fix. Would y'all believe me if I said yous could tell merely by the audio? Aye, I know that sounds a lilliputian crazy, merely I have actually diagnosed this issue over the phone. It's a pretty useful trick to have in your back pocket, especially if you lot're a pool pro that has to drive out to do a repair. If y'all're not there nonetheless, don't worry, I'll run down some checks you tin can do to narrow down the cause of the issue.

So, what exactly causes a swimming pool pump motor to fizz or hum and then close off?

The cause of a pool pump motor buzzing or humming and the shutting off tin can be narrowed down to three basic causes. 1) a jammed or blocked impeller, 2) incorrect incoming voltage, or iii) a bad or failing first capacitor.

Each of these causes is dissimilar, just when you empathize the mechanics of the pool pump, you lot will speedily empathise how they are each related. Hither I will run down each of the bug and how to address them. The order of the inspections is in order of piece of cake to hard, although none of the fixes is overly difficult with a niggling basic know-how and tools.

A Jammed or Blocked Impeller

If the impeller is blocked or loaded upwards in the pump, information technology can terminate spinning. If your pool is missing a skimmer basket, pump handbasket, or primary drain cover, this should exist a suspected. Baskets and covers are meant to protect the pump from large debris getting into the impeller. When debris is allowed to build up inside the impeller it will somewhen jam.

If you take an impeller jam the all-time example scenario is that it builds upwards quickly and seizes the pump before it tin heat up the pump. I say this is all-time-example because then all the parts should be salvageable. Here we are going to assume that is the instance.

To inspect for a jammed impeller make sure the power to the pump is off at the breaker, and ensure no one can turn it on. I commonly throw a padlock on the billow box after turning off the breaker. Next you will demand to remove the pump lid and handbasket. Now reach downwards into the bottom of the pump and run across of you tin spin the motor with your fingers. If you accept a larger hand or fingers you may need to employ a pocket-sized screwdriver. If the impeller spins freely, proficient news, it'due south not jammed and you tin probable move to the next section.

If the impeller spins, but kind of gritty then you are likely looking at failing motor bearings. The sound that this would create is usually a higher pitched whining until enough heat is created to trip the thermal protection on the motor and shut it off. And then usually this won't crusade a hum or buzzing audio until the bearing completely fails and locks up the motor. So, moving on…

SOLUTION: If you notice the impeller to be full of debris you volition need to admission it by separating the pump 'wet end' from the motor. Depending on the model yous are dealing with will dictate how this is done. Some models like the Pentair Whisperflo or Intelliflo will have 6 bolts to remove. Other models like the Challenger, or Sta-rite Dyna Glas have a tension ring that is removed and the whole thing will carve up. Once you take access to the impeller, simply remove the debris from all the veins and then reassemble the pump in the reverse order of taking it apart.

Bad Capacitors Cause Puddle Pump Motors to Fizz Loudly

Another common problem that cause loud buzzing is a failed or failing capacitor.

Single speed puddle motors are what is chosen "capacitor kickoff" motors. Basically, the capacitor stores energy that is quickly released when the motor is initialized. The capacitor temporarily "kick-starts" the motor past releasing the higher energy stores and giving the motor the torque needed to go up to speed quickly. Information technology's kind of like being in one^st gear in your car. Once upward to speed, an internal switch deactivates the capacitor.

If the capacitor has failed the pump will not start turning considering the motor's internal parts, the impeller, and the water in the pump add as well much resistance to allow the motor to turn with just the incoming source voltage. And so instead of turning the motor the activated motor simply sits in that location and buzzes and slowly overheats. One time the internal thermal protection reaches a specified temperature information technology will deactivate the motor to cool information technology down.

This failure is commonly misdiagnosed past swimming pool service companies. The way I meet it, for two reasons. i) they don't bother learning this aspect of pool pump repair, or ii) there's better money in replacing the entire motor or pump and then they tell customers the pump is bad. About puddle service clients trust the visitor they hired and so they simply go with it.

Solution: To exam the capacitor yous will need a multimeter that tin can test capacitance or micro farads. Depending on the manufacturer of the motor the capacitor will either exist mounted to the elevation of the motor under a encompass or mounted in the dorsum where all the wired connections are.

The capacitor looks similar a miniature soda tin can with ii wires continued to it, either silverish or blackness. Plough off power to the pump. Have a metal screwdriver (Property THE PLASTIC HANDLE) touch the metallic screwdriver beyond the ii metal terminals of the capacitor to de-energize it. Disconnect the two wires and then the capacitor is not connected to annihilation. Check the capacitance rating stamped on the side. Set your multimeter to test microfarads (you may need to expect at your education manual) and and so touch one probe to each final of the capacitor. If the capacitor is expert the multimeter will read the same every bit the rating stamped on the capacitor, or pretty shut. If the capacitor is bad, information technology is a very simple and inexpensive replacement toll.

Wrong Voltage Will Cause A Pump Motor to Buzz

A less common cause to a buzzing pump motor is incorrect incoming voltage.

The reason this is less common is because the incoming voltage by and large doesn't alter one time the pump is installed and running. Information technology does happen though, then it'due south of import to cover it. The symptoms are pretty like to a bad capacitor. The reason it happens can be anything from frayed wires acquired by rodents, wires come up loose, breaker going bad. Because there are a number of reasons this happens it's just good practice to exam voltage before going any further.

Solution: Like the solution to the capacitor outcome this will require y'all to accept a multimeter. You lot will need to be testing a live circuit so be very careful and accept all rubber precautions possible. On most pool pumps yous can remove the access console to the connections on the motor. Turn the pump on so it buzzes and test the voltage at the terminals. The tested voltage should exist within x% of the rated voltage for the pump. Many pumps these days have dual voltage motors, meaning they tin can be wired to single or ii-phase circuits, and then you'll need to confirm both the required voltage and the source voltage. For these pumps there will be an indicator for the required voltage that is easy to find and read. If the voltage is bad at the connections, y'all will need to go upstream to find the break in voltage. It could be in a junction box, at the billow or anywhere in between.

Wrong voltage isn't a common result, but when it is an outcome it's a tough one to rails down. I recommend if yous aren't competent with electrical troubleshooting, now would be a time to hire a pro…sorry DIYers, I know that'due south non what yous want to hear.