New pump overheats and shuts off

[lightmaster]

I purchased a Hayward C4001575XES and just installed it, replacing my Coleman (Bestway) stock pump and filter. I bled the air out of the system and started it up. Seemed to run fine for a minute, then shut off. Went to the breaker and checked, and sure enough, it was tripped. Reset it and tried again, and now the the motor gets warm and seems like the thermal protection is shutting itself off, but the breaker isn't tripped. Any idea what could be causing this and what I can do?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You could have gotten a bad motor.

How long does it run before shutting off?
How long does it have to stay off before it will start again?

How warm is the motor getting?
How long can you hold your hand on it?
Are you using an extension cord to run the pump?
If so how long is it?
What size wire is it?

 

[lightmaster]

Did some troubleshooting myself. Was using a 100' extension cord to connect it to the outlet outside the house. I ran 30 feet of yellow electrical wire to the wells disconnect and tied into that, and connected a standard house outlet to it to test too many variables to narrow down exactly the cause, but it ran for 10 mins without getting warm using that setup. Guess either the house's wiring, the extension cord, or the 15 amp breaker couldn't handle the load from the pump. Now gotta go get an outdoor electrical box and GFCI plug to wire up for the new pump.

 

[niteshift38]

I'm an electrician at FMC. With the 100' "orginal" cord you were using, it sounds totally like a voltage drop !!! ... When voltage drops, current rises proportionately. That's why a 110/220v motor that draws 15amps at 110v will only draw 7.5amps at 220v. Good Luck (hope this helps a little)

 

[Bama Rambler]

I agree that it was the extension cord. That 100' extension cord was probably 16 ga, so it was too small for that pump to begin with.

Once you get the permanent wiring and receptacle done, I bet you won't have any more problems out of the pump.

 

[lightmaster]

Extension cord is 16AWG. 12 AWG wiring would be sufficient, right? It ran on that yellow 12 AWG wiring fine for 10 mins this morning, but wanna make sure it won't have any issues long term

 

[scooperhsd]

a 10 or 12 Guage extension cord would have been fine, but as was said earlier - 16 GA had too much voltage drop => current went up (because it was drawing the same power) . More current => more heat => thermal shutdown. I have run a 3/4 HP 120V Powerflo II pump for 2 weeks continous off a 12 ga extension cord (11AMP max - 50-60 feet to the outside 120V power outlet).


Niteshift38 - wrong answer. power in both cases is the same P=VI. With that - double the voltage will halve the current. Basic physics.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Extension cord is 16AWG. 12 AWG wiring would be sufficient, right? It ran on that yellow 12 AWG wiring fine for 10 mins this morning, but wanna make sure it won't have any issues long term

Yeah, 12 AWG wiring will be plenty for your pump.

 

[lightmaster]

Ran a wire to a new outlet to the pool and tied it into the electrical wire for the well's pump. Been running for a couple hours and just feels a little warm to the touch, can easily keep my hand on it for as long as i want. Pumping out water amazingly well, pushing balls all the way across the pool. I should have thought about how thin that extension cord was and how long it was. Now just gotta bury the new wire when I get a day without some rain finally, buy a waterproof cover to go over the outlet (using a ziplock bag right now), and build a little platform to set the pump and filter on.

Thanks for helping me figure this out!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Glad you got it figured out and especially glad you came back and let us know what you found and what you did.

 

[lightmaster]

Anyone know why the hoses might him slightly? Just the faintest him that stops if I hold the hose. I know it's obviously from vibrations, but is that normal of a pump connected to flexible hoses or is there a specific cause of it. My only experience with a full size pool pump is from the IG pool my parents had while I was growing up, and it had rigid PVC pipes, and I was too young to remember much about it besides actually swimming.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The ridges in those hoses cause a little harmonic vibration at high flow and will therefore 'hum' a little as the water flows through them. Nothing to worry about.

 

[tstex]

Ran a wire to a new outlet to the pool and tied it into the electrical wire for the well's pump. Been running for a couple hours and just feels a little warm to the touch, can easily keep my hand on it for as long as i want. Pumping out water amazingly well, pushing balls all the way across the pool. I should have thought about how thin that extension cord was and how long it was. Now just gotta bury the new wire when I get a day without some rain finally, buy a waterproof cover to go over the outlet (using a ziplock bag right now), and build a little platform to set the pump and filter on.

Thanks for helping me figure this out!

Good deal now...

Make sure you run the wire in conduit and install a weatherproof outlet, and use a GFCI outlet as well. Is the pump grounded as well/pool bonded as well ?

Are you in an area where electrical code is enforced?

 

[scooperhsd]

Tstex -

Well - actually the NEC says 18 inches in conduit (and the wire has to be rated for damp location - think THHN type wire) or 24 inches and no conduit (UF is fine here). Personally - I'd use conduit and leave an extra string or two in oversized conduit.

 

[lightmaster]

I will be burying the wire in a conduit as soon as I get a chance. Gonna be raining for the next week, so when we get another decent sunny day. Just have it setup like this so I could get the pump installed and filtering the pool. That dinky little one that came with the pool just wasn't doing much at all.

Also, don't think the electrical code is enforced too much here, since when I busted my well's pipe that goes to the house, I found similar wire to this buried next to the pipe, no conduit and not 100% sure it's rated for use underground.

 

[lightmaster]

How hot should a motor be and how warm should the 3 prong plug get while it's running?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You should be able to force yourself to hold you hand on the pump motor when it's running. It will get pretty warm but not enough to burn paint or anything.

The plug shouldn't get very warm at all. If it's more than slightly warm, then either there's a loose connection or the cordset is too small for the load. Straight blade receptacles tend to lose tension in the plugin connections over time and that'll cause the plug to get hot.