Bought Too Big A Pump? What Now?

[bertible]

I just bought a Hayward 1.5HP Superpump II. I bought it in a hurry when my old 3/4 HP pump motor bearing went. I've got the new pump installed and am having some problems:

I wired the pump with the existing 230V wiring (and confirmed the little plug on the pump motor is in the right place for 230V operation)

This pump does have 2" threaded input/output, so I had to buy 2" to 1.5" adapters to adapt down to my 1.5" piping system.

Before starting it up, I filled the filter basket with water and closed the lid.

It started sucking fine as soon as I turned it on and the basket reservoir filled quickly with water with only a few bubbles after a few seconds.

The pressure gauge on my filter went up to 20 psi, so it was pushing plenty of water too.

(pressure from previous pump was 12 psi, I have some concern about the increased pressure.)

So the main problem is that in less than a minute, the pump motor started smoking, a lot! I turned it off right away, turned the breaker off, then disconnected it and opened up the electrical end.

What I could see looks okay but I cannot see right into the motor.

As background, the pool is 16X32 so is about 22000 gal (US) with a single suction line from the skimmer, a 24" sta-rite sand filter (3.1 sq ft) and Hayward H250 Heater.

As mentioned all piping is 1.5".

So my theories are:

1/ Is the pump smoking because there is too much resistance in the 1.5" pipes? This pump is rated at almost twice the flow rate of the 45 gpm max of this pipe.

I have not found any threads here or elsewhere about a too-big pump smoking. It seems more likely to cavitate, or to wear out other components over time.

2/ Does the superpump II have any sensitivity to the polarity of the two hot wires? If so, should I switch them?

3/ Although I prefilled the filter basket with water, I did not open the drain plug to get rid of any air in the pump. Should I have done this?

It does seem that the pump is too big, can i retrofit a superpump II with a smaller motor, or is the pump different on the smaller models?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

[Pool Clown]

The Motor probably had a birth defect. Using a smaller pipe size? No, that wouldn't happen in less than a minute. See if you swap that one out for a 3/4 Hp pump. don't forget, impeller too.

[bertible]

The Motor probably had a birth defect. Using a smaller pipe size? No, that wouldn't happen in less than a minute. See if you swap that one out for a 3/4 Hp pump. don't forget, impeller too.

Thanks Pool Clown,

I haven't ruled out a defective motor but sure want to make sure I've done everything right before shipping the motor/pump back.

So the polarity of the 230V doesn't matter? i.e. the hot wires can go either way on the two terminals. (my wiring is 3 wires, 2 hot plus 1 ground) I've measured the line voltage and it is 237.5V

Even if not the cause of smoking, is 20 psi too high? What pressures do others experience in their systems? I am still not sure if I should go down to a lower power motor. When I double checked my old motor, it was a 3/4 hp but with a 1.5 service factor. I guess that makes it equivalent to a 1.125 HP motor? The super pump 1.5 HP has an s.f. of 1.0 so is really only a bit bigger than the old one. I would like a bit more pressure since my old pump would not drive water up to my slide (through a garden hose)

The only other cause of smoking I can think of is if a nearby water drip when I detached the pressure side (flex PVC) somehow got around inside the motor. I don't think it would have happened as I was taking care, but then I'm grasping at every straw I can!

Gary

PS, I did hear your comment about changing the impeller if I change the motor. I looked at a parts diagram and verified that every motor has its own impeller part number.

[AquaTechPool]

sounds like its a motor issue. probably bad out of the box. you can call hayward directly to schedule a warranty service call. that is what i do, but unless you live locally to me, I'm not going out there. you can also visit haywardnet.com and do a search for a local warranty service station. it might be fastter than shipping the entire unit back, and all parts and labor are covered for 1 year. onsite included. of course, improper installation is not covered under the warranty.

866-HAY POOL

HAYWARDNET.COM

Here is a link to haywards service locator.

Good Luck.

Paul