spanorth Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 When Motor 1 is on low, I get a pretty loud vibration. I think it's mostly coming from the control box where the board and heater are. Here is a video that demonstrates the noise. It doesn't sounds as bad as it really is in person, but should give you a good idea. The at the starts of the video, I switch Motor 1 on Low and demonstrate what I can do to reduce the vibration. At 0:24, I switch to Motor 1 on High. I'm not sure if it stops vibrating at this point, or if it is just drowned out by the general noise. At 0:31 I switch Motor 1 Off, then switch Motor 2 on Low. Motor 1 kicks in right after motor 1 but you can hear for about 1-2 seconds how much quieter Motor 2 is. I realize the vibration is emanating from Motor 1 and making something in the control box vibrate, either the cover or something inside vibrating against the cover What can I do about the vibration? Is it a sign that Motor 1 or the pump is going bad? (oh and in case you noticed, I just have temporary wiring to get this thing working right, it's by no means permanent, but it's still on a GFCI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa_Guru Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 The noise is the metal cover of the spa pak vibrating, you can put a small piece of cardboard in the gap between the cover and box to silence it, also check your ground wires, they are infamous for rattling against the pak, the pump, or each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanorth Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 Wonderful. That's what I hoped to hear. I'll fix that today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanorth Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 I've got the worst of the vibration dampened now. This has allowed me to compare the two motors a little closer now, though. Kind of an odd thing happening. Motor 1 on low, really has a noticeable vibration when I place my hand on it and a pretty noticeable hum. In my experience motors should not vibrate or hum like that. When I place my hand on motor 2, on low, it is smooth and quiet as I would expect a motor to be. No vibration or noise/hum at all. My first inclination is to think the bearings are going bad on motor 1. However, when I switch motor 1 on high, the vibration goes away. Hard to tell if the hum goes away with the noise of the water flowing and such. And when I compare both motors on high, they both feel the same - fairly smooth. Now, that doesn't seem like bad bearings to me. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa_Guru Posted March 11, 2013 Report Share Posted March 11, 2013 If there is a bearing issue with the pump, you will likely be able to make a difference in the sound level by squirting WD-40 into the output shaft/front end frame area and also the rear bearing by popping off the rear motor cap with a screwdriver. To help determine the actual location of a noise, you can also take an 18" screwdriver and place it solidly against the area just outside the bearing and pressing your Tragus (ear flap) against the handle like a budget stethoscope. Both pumps are mounted on rubber under their hold down brackets, but if the pump has been replaced, a careless technician may have not bothered to re-silicon the back of the mounting flange, and the mount can hum against the metal bracket and make quite a bit of noise. The pak mounted above the pump on a rigid pipe also acts like an amplifier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanorth Posted March 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I did a little more investigation this afternoon. It might just be the harmonics of this whole system (and my perfectionistic nature), but here's what I am seeing & hearing. I don't think it's a bearing. I did the screwdriver stethoscope test, nothing obvious and both motors sound the same. I noticed what I believe is the source of the vibration/hum. It is coming from the area in this oval in the picture below. When I rest the screw driver on any spot inside the red oval it jumps around like crazy. As I rest the screwdriver in spots outward from this oval the vibration of the screwdriver diminishes. Rest the screwdriver on the motor and the vibration is minimal, even though yesterday I believed it was the source. The source I now believe is inside the red oval. Again, this all only occurs when the motor is on low speed. Turn it on high and the vibration/hum is greatly diminished. Perhaps the elbow is the spot with the most turbulence and causing the vibration/hum. OR perhaps there is some kind of obstruction in there. I tried switching the diverters around and that changed nothing. I removed and replaced the filters and that didn't change the vibration/hum. And it's really more than a hum....the spa is in my garage at the moment and I can hear the vibration/hum from pump 1 on low, from inside the house, through the wall/door. Maybe it's a normal thing, but it really doesn't seem right to me. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa_Guru Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 That is simply an open pipe in that location, and simply a result of the spa motor being mounted on rubber, the pump's movement is simply being amplified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanorth Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 Well good to know it "normal" and not a problem. I sure didn't want to have to pull that motor. Would it be a bad idea, if I wrapped the pipes with something like one of these products to deaden the sound/vibration? It might also help decrease heat loss from the pipes into the equipment area. I'm guessing the spa pak should be left alone so it can dissipate the heat and keep the circuit board cool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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