Pool Pump - Keep Stopping And Sounds Like There Are Bits In It

[tas]

My Hawyward pool pump keeps cutting out (perhaps after about 1 hr of use)and then it will start up again after a while. The pump itself seems quite hot. There is also a noise that sounds like there are little bits rattling about in the pump. Any ideas what this could be?

I am a pool novice.

Cheers

TAS

[AFiremanFirst]

There is a thermal switch on pump that is turning your pump off because it is getting too hot! That's a good thing! But we've got to get to the bottom of the noise and why the pump is getting hot. The sound of "bits" I like to say rocks in your pump is often an indication of restriction on the suction side of the pump. To diagnose... gate back the valves after your pump (pressure side) If the noise quites then you have restricition on the suction side. Now! This is not the solution, this is the diagnosis!!!

We need more info about your system! Number of skimmers, drains, type of vaccuum. Plumbing size Pictures are worth a thousand words. Have you checked your pump basket? Is it clean? What is your pressure gauge reading on your filter?

[Pool Clown]

The noise you hear may be the bearings(motor).

[tas1]

thanks for your responses and sorry for the delayed response (my username wasnt letting me post for some reason).

What could be causing the pump to overheat? Could it be the bearings or the impeller (whateve an impeller is!)?? Does this mean a new pump?

AFiremanFirst : my pump is a Hayward Superpump 1 HP. Our pool is old (concrete) but the equipment is relatively new i.e last few years. There is one return into the pool and 1 skimmer. I use a mix of a kreepy krawly and a hoover to vaccuum. Pool baskets are clean, although the pool pump basket did have a crack in it and i replaced it recently. Pool pressure is approx 12 and this has remained fairly constant since we moved into the house a year ago.

I am unsure what "gate back the valves after your pump" means, please can you advise?

Cheers

TAS

[PoolGuyNJ]

Motors wear out. Replacing the motor and seal set is not hard. Some replace bearings in the motor but I find motor swaps last far longer.

Scott

[tas1]

Motors wear out. Replacing the motor and seal set is not hard. Some replace bearings in the motor but I find motor swaps last far longer.

Scott

Is it easy to pick up a motor and are these usually quite cheap? I've read a bit about replacing the capacitor, but unsure exactly how this would help in an overheating sense.

[Bugman1400]

Motors wear out. Replacing the motor and seal set is not hard. Some replace bearings in the motor but I find motor swaps last far longer.

Scott

Is it easy to pick up a motor and are these usually quite cheap? I've read a bit about replacing the capacitor, but unsure exactly how this would help in an overheating sense.

Motors can overheat for a variety of reasons:

1.) Excess load.....perhaps something cinching down on the shaft for whatever reason.

2.) Reduced supply voltage.......makes sense, lower voltage means more amps have to be used to get you to 1HP. More amps means more IR losses through the windings and higher temps.

3.) Bad or failing cap........a bad cap or cap that is starting to fail will not provide sufficient torque for the motor to drive the load. A bad cap could be a good cap, but bad terminal connections. So, the easiest thing to do for this one is to pull the quick disconnect terminals off the cap and re-seat them.

4.) Bad or failing bearings.....I have seen many bearings fail or start to go bad. Usually, the motor gets much louder. It is easy to see that failing bearings can result in additional drag on the motor (excess load) because of the metal to metal contact. Like I said before, usually, the motor gets louder.