d088 Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Hello everyone, you all were very helpful in the past, so I figured I would try again before spending any money... I started having a problem yesterday where the FLO sensor triggers. I noticed that the low speed on the circulation pump doesn't seem to kick on unless I first manually start in high speed then switch back to low. If the motor is completely stopped, the low speed just whines and then the FLO sensor trips. The motor is only about 4 months old, but from my experience with the company I purchased it from, it wouldn't completely surprise me if it was bad already. (It was a refurb -- stupid, stupid, stupid...) So, my question is whether or not this is a typical problem with a motor that is starting to fail, or if there are other causes. Logic tells me that the motor doesn't have enough umph to break loose from the magnets on low power, but my logic doesn't always serve me correctly. Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc5.4 Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 My spa was doing something like that with the 2nd. pump kicking in. When I talked to the spa company they told me to shut off the main power and turn it back on. It worked for mine, it just had to reset the start cycle for filtering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted December 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Thanks for the recommendation. Unfortunately, I tried that yesterday. I shut off the breaker for a few hours, and when I turned it back on last night I had the same problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ps558 Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 Thanks for the recommendation. Unfortunately, I tried that yesterday. I shut off the breaker for a few hours, and when I turned it back on last night I had the same problem... You have a bad motor. Most motors have a capacitor mounted either on the top of the motor under a rounded metal piece or mounted in the back were the wires are located. You can try to replace this or have it tested. Be careful when removing the cap as not to touch the connection points. It maybe just this piece if not something is wrong in the start windings or switch if so you will need a new motor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Thank you for confirming my thoughts. I will contact the manufacturer, but I'm tempted to just scrap it and buy a new one instead of wasting more money on shipping and continuing to deal with the company I ordered it from. I don't know the rules of the forum concerning mentioning vendors, but if anyone wants to know who NOT to order a motor from, I would be happy to tell you in a PM. Does anyone recommend a REPUTABLE online motor dealer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Water Boy Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Thanks for the recommendation. Unfortunately, I tried that yesterday. I shut off the breaker for a few hours, and when I turned it back on last night I had the same problem... You have a bad motor. Most motors have a capacitor mounted either on the top of the motor under a rounded metal piece or mounted in the back were the wires are located. You can try to replace this or have it tested. Be careful when removing the cap as not to touch the connection points. It maybe just this piece if not something is wrong in the start windings or switch if so you will need a new motor You had mentioned that the motor was only four months old. Sometimes motors have a one year warranty one them, so you may check with the company that you ordered it from before you just scrap it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 You had mentioned that the motor was only four months old. Sometimes motors have a one year warranty one them, so you may check with the company that you ordered it from before you just scrap it. The motor does have a one-year warranty, but the company had been so problematic to deal with in the past I am tempted to just scrap it and order somewhere else. Mainly because I would have to pay for shipping to return the motor and receive the replacement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewskie Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 You are talking about a 2 speed circulation pump?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 You are talking about a 2 speed circulation pump?? Yes, the wet-end is fine, so technically just the motor will need to be replaced. It is a 5 H.P. 2-speed motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Update -- I pulled the capacitors and tested them and found that both capacitors were fine. So I brought the motor to a local shop and confirmed the motor was shot. I ordered a new one from the shop and will be sending this one back to the crappy online seller that I purchased it from so that I have a crappy spare for the future. Thanks for everyone's help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d088 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Update II New motor received and installed yesterday. WOW - I had no idea how quiet these things are SUPPOSED to be!!! I actually hear the movement of the water more than the motor itself, even on low circulation speed! I am a very happy AO Smith customer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkillur Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Update II New motor received and installed yesterday. WOW - I had no idea how quiet these things are SUPPOSED to be!!! I actually hear the movement of the water more than the motor itself, even on low circulation speed! I am a very happy AO Smith customer! I also love the AO Smiths, I had a motor die on an old spa and replaced it for my grandfather. The difference was like going from a screaming yak to a purring kitten. I was quite happy to see my new-to-me windriver uses AO Smith motors. I work for an oil company and we almost never have AO Smith motors die in the field, and they pump some heavy and nasty water out of the ground (and some oil too...) and very infrequently die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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