How to Fix Pool Pump Capacitor
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- This video shows a DIY (by an amateur) diagnosis of a pool pump problem and the replacement of a failing capacitor on the pump motor.
Disclaimer: You should contact and use a licensed electrician for any new electrical installation and any work you are uncomfortable performing and work you believe to require an electrician by law.
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Really appreciate 3terminal versus 2 explanation
Very well done video, despite not showing the actual connecting and reinstallation of the new capacitor. One Caution. The capacitor box says that its "fan" terminal goes to an internal capacitor whose "capacitance" is 5 microfarads, while the "compressor" terminal goes to one of 35 microfarads. The repairer wisely used the compressor terminal, and all was well, as I would suspect. His advice is faulty , however, about using the fan terminal -- then or later. The fan capacitor is not the same as the heftier one he used--that's the one the pump needs.
Exactly right
Thank you for the guidance, Mark. It was the capacitor. Now we're in business.
Great video Mark! Ordered and installed a new capacitor ($10.60), disassembled and cleared the debris inside the impeller (3 small rocks) reconnected everything, plugged it in and the pump is back performing like new! Your step by step video saved me $785 the pool repair guy quoted me. Thanks a bunch!!!!! You rock!!!!!
Glad I could help.
Pumps are 2-400$ at home depot
@@kevreilly7 you mean motor, not a pump.
@@Lalovision3D well,,it says Pool PUMP on the box. Are you British or a libtard? As I used to my fifth graders,you better be 100percent sure before you correct someone. It is quite irritating. 😉
Great video, perfect for the layman like me with no no-nonsense walk-thru and troubleshooting. Did it barefoot too!
Mark,
Thanks for the video. I was fearing it was the motor.
You offered easy to follow trouble shooting advice, and it's greatly appreciated.
Had to hit the pool supply, since it's a 110 degree day here in Texas, so paid a bit more, but still, certainly saved more that I spent.
Many Thanks
Thank You Mark. I’m not very handy but followed your steps. I need a capacitor ordered on Amazon next day delivery. Replaced capacitor $15 dollars next day delivery. 15 dollar fix easy process works perfect. Thank you so much.
Tim
Great video!!! I feel like I just completed 4 years of pump college. Smile. You really explained everything so thoroughly. Thanks my friend.
Thank you for the lesson on Capacitor 101. Great tutorial !!!
I appreciate the knowledge that you have, and suspect its also my capacitor, that I will replace. On a fixed retirement income and didn’t want an outrageous expense beginning of 2020. Thank you.
Thanks for all your insights! Was the capacitor exactly as you said. Very Helpful!
Thank you so much dude. I was actually browsing through videos to do a full rebuild when I stumbled upon this. I thought the motor had seized and new bearings were needed. But when I took the volute off the impeller turned freely. Though my issue was with the booster pump not the main one, this worked like a charm. The only regret I have is that I ordered bearings and o-rings instead of the capacitor. The capacitor I got from Leslies and paid way too much for.. Great stuff, man! Thanks again!
Excellent video explaining the entire system so other issues can be addressed.
Glad it could be helpful for you.
Great video walkthrough. Replaced my capacitor and then the pump started working again. Saved me a ton of money. Thanks
Great Video - Was told I needed a New Pump motor - replaced the capacitor per your video today & Works like a champ - $35 part - Awesome !!
Amazing!! I fixed my pool pump by changing the capacitor with your clear instructions. The pump is up and running again 😎 thanks for saving me a few hundreds dollars 😁😁
This video was very helpful. I would have called a pool company to fix and it would have cost 100’s of dollars just for them to diagnose the problem - thanks to your video I fixed the problem with a new capacitor for $25 bucks..!!!
Excellent video. I’ll follow you’re steps and hopefully won’t have to replace the motor, but if I do, it will be with a variable speed one. Thanks for the help, and keep the good vids coming.
Thanks! This video, plus a video on how to check the capacitor with a multimeter, helped me fix my pool in the middle of a pandemic! Cost me less than $60, including a really nice multimeter - I don't want to know how much it would have cost to get a repair person out here right now.
Glad it could be somewhat helpful.
Excellent video... after a quote of $350 from my pool guy to replace the capacitor... I watched this... bought the cap myself ($39 on Amazon)... nervously installed it, and *huzzah* It's now pumping a treat! #ThankYouSir
Thanks for the guidance... this video and $12 on Amazon for the cap saved me hundreds from my pool company ripping me off.
My pool stopped working. Little humming sound and shuts off, I replaced the capacitor, easy $22 job and started right away. Thanks for the video
Thank you Mark that was really helpful. I can go and tackle my motor problem knowing what to expect when I pull things apart.
Great video.. Funny when you saw the 3 terminals and then the video cut to the installed capacitor.. But I see you educated yourself and explained it to us very well.. Good job
LOL...Exactly what happened. I purchased it not realizing that I ordered a 3 terminal version. So, I read enough to to learn about it and understand that I could, in fact, still use this in the pump. Then went forward.
@@MarkFauntleroy Please note, the other terminal is 5 uf as per the box top, so you can't use it when the cap fails, as you mentioned.
Just went through this whole ordeal with a Hayward Super Pump. Hummed when powered up. Pulled capacitor off the top housing. Visually it wasn't domed or leaking so knew it was a stuck propeller. Disconnected from pump basket housing and used a strap wrench to turn the impeller housing. After which, I was able to manually turn the impeller which I wasn't able to do initially. Put it all back together and it worked.
I have the same pump with exact same issue. You can kick start the pump by taking off the back cover, turn on pump and then spin the shaft manually by hand and motor will start running. Needs to be done quickly before the breaker trips.
Thanks I followed your suggestion and my pool pump is working good now .
Very helpful showing how to trouble shoot and finding the problem to restart your pool pump.
Great video. Saved me $85 and the hassle of dealing with the a home warranty. $12 and 15 min of work
There are indeed 2 capacitors in one can. But - one is 35uF and the other is 5uF as it says on the box. You can only use the bigger one here, leave the smaller one disconnected (it can't be used as a backup).
Precisely. It bugs me t hat this person is giving out wrong info! Like WHY didn't he KNOW it was a bad cap, instead of taking the motor off??? Boy. He also said it was a "Start cap". It is a "RUN" cap!!
He called it a start cap because it started!😊 Lol
He should have corrected that. A 5uF will not start that motor!
Thank you!! Very great walk through trouble shooting and solving of problem. Appreciate your sharing your work.
Very good video. Easy to understand instructions.
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
1. I removed the capacitor and had it checked out at Plumbing Supply store. To my surprise, it was still good.
2. I removed the motor from the pump and cleaned out impellers with a water hose and wiped it all down. It had some feather looking type stuff on it, amongst other debris.
3. Prayed, then started up!!! Worked. Thank you sir.
Thank you for that sharing sir,salamat sayong ibinabahagi sir,from Philippines.
Thank you for up load the video, and its very helpful. 👍
Great video and instructions. It helped me take care of my problem .
Great video!!!!!! Absolutely wonderful as far as information and technique. You will save alot of people money! Thank you! Much love from Ulster County NY
You are the man, fantastic video saved me big $$$ by just purchasing a capacitor rather than a whole new motor. Thanks again 👍🤙
Very useful. A thorough check. It is good that you introduced the 3 terminal Aircon capacitor but you did not show how it was connected.
Thank you for sharing such a great detailed video!
You notice that the box said 35 uf (microfarads) and 5 uf. That tells me that one of the capacitors is 35 and one is 5 uf. Probably, in the original application of an Air Conditioner, the 35uf is for the compressor and the 5uf is for the fan. Otherwise, video is extremely helpful. Thank you!
Bill Duncan correct. you can use the 35 side for this project but not the 5 side (which would be for the hvac fan)
Thank you so much for this--fixed my own pool pump for $25!
good job man proud of you .
this is what my pool motor was doing, fixing the capacitor as we speak.. $500 bucks for a new pump when its not necessary.
good video
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Very comprehensive to walk me through the steps to check one potential issue at a time. I was quoted $375 to replace a relatively new pump. I asked the tech how do I know if it isn't clogged or something else bc the pump is 1-2 years old. He didn't reply. So I did what I normally do, and went to UA-cam. Found your video so I'll try both of these things first.
One quick piece of feedback for your AWESOME video: What else could I try if the impeller isn't blocked and the capacitor isn't bad? What would I try next before I decide to replace the motor? Last, is there a way I can *SAFELY* check the capacitor prior to buying a new one and installing it to see if that is the problem?
Thanks agin for your video!
For anyone interested in how to check if your capacitor is bad, ONE way to test it is to access the motor shaft at the rear of the motor. There will be a plastic cap covering it. Remove the plastic cap and turn the motor shaft using a screwdriver. Now, you need to do this VERY quickly AFTER turning the power on for the motor, otherwise there is an overheat mechanism that will shut off the capacitor and you won't be able to get the motor started.
I did this and it worked twice, so I know that it might work for others.
Be careful with electricity and everything else so I don't get in trouble by you doing this and saying I told you to do it this way. Have a qualified technician do this if you're not comfortable around mechanical and electrical equipment.
Thanks so much for the nice comments. I'm not an expert on these things. I just recorded that because I thought it could help others. So, I'm not sure what else to look for, but will say that a capacitor is pretty cheap (like $10 - $25). So, it's an easy and quick thing to replace before spending several hundred on a new pump.
Thanks!! This video saved me some $$$
I love you. You saved me Sooo much money.
Would have been nice to see you test the capacitor
Thanks for the knowledge, brother
Good video, thanks.
You're welcome. Hope it's helpful.
Cool thanks
Great video. Thank you
No you can only use the HERM which is comoressor on the new capacitor which gives you 35uF. The fan and common together act as a running cap and constantly gives you 5uF to run the motor But the 35uF is for starting the motor.
When picking around with a screwdriver trying to remove debris from the impeller, it helps to release the filter air bleed device allowing the water in the filter to run backward through the impeller.
Thank you brother
Thanks bro. Big help.
Awesome information!
FYI--you can spot a bad capacitor when it is domed on the top. The one he pulled out clearly was rounded.
Not always. "I" have one with NO bulging at all, but it has no mf reading at all. But it has some continuity. I put this cap in the pump motor about 2 months ago, and it's bad already. No bulge--looks new.
Great Video! Replaced the Capacitor and back in business! Really useful video.. thanks!
thank you
I will try this first thing in the morning and hopefully its all! I don't want to think it is something bigger
How did it go?
@@MarkFauntleroy Hi Mark! thanks for the response. Following your instructional video, i took the pump apart and cleaned the impeller, i almost pulled the capasitor out but decided it was above my pay-grade. However, once i put it all back together (no small feat for me, since the pump is right up against the wall and teatherd between the filter) it actually started sucking water through!!! so thank you!!! great video
Thanks! Saved me $400 bucks...
Thank you for this. I saw smoke coming out of the hump above the motor. Now I know it's a blown capacitor and needs replacement. But it makes me wonder how/why it blew.
They just wear out. The higher the temps....summertime, the harder they work. Pretty common problem with this type motor.
thanks for the information. I was going replace pump till saw your video which help lot and am going replace capacitor. I did took apart and clean up and check everything else which was good and thank goodness i took apart because found bee hive inside and cleaned that out.
Thanks for the video, question Where can i buy the capacitor?
i had this humming, and then i turned it off for a few minutes, then back on and it worked fine again. could it be the capacitor still? if the problem comes and goes?
Good day,
Okay I did all of this cleaning the pump clearing out any dirt, changing the capassador,still have the same noise no changes. Newly built pool everything is connected correctly,but this is the same pump In the video,but it is a used pump.
Hi Mark, I watched the video a few days ago replaced a run capacitor with 20uf (the one I replaced is 20uf as well). Tried to start it, the first time, no luck, still humming, and then it triggered the circuit breaker, I tried again, the pump started successfully, Yeah!!!, But once I shut it and restart, ...humming... I highly doubt the one I purchased from inyoppol is a used one and it is defective since has white stuff on the top when it came. Any thought?
You are freaking awesome thank you so much you save me $300
I have this problem too, pump started after a few tries and when measured the capacitor i got a value of 2.07uF, so i bought an exact copy of it and before installed it i measured that one too. 14uF. Good i thought, i found the problem. But after 4 days the new capacitor just blowed up. Could it be a bad copy or could it be something else going on with the pump?
any guidance...I have the dual capacitor to hook back up, but don't remember which wire goes where (should've taken a pic, I know). I have two black wires, one red and one white with red strip coming out of the pump. Any guidance on what should go on HERM, FAN and C? Thank you in advance!
on Capacitor with 3 terminals you are dealing with two different "rated" internal capacitors and they are not both the same value the one you are holding as rated 35uf and 5uf so between common and herm (typically the compressor motor on an air conditioning system) its 35uf the other terminal is F or fan ( typically a condenser fan motor on a ac unit) and its 5uf ,, you cant just switch between the two.. if the original capacitor was the protected type your replacement must be also
Hey Mark - great video but I noticed you skipped the section where you connected the terminals back to the new capacitor; how do I know what wires connect to the terminals?
If the pump is working properly but hums superloud during season startup, could this also be the capacitor? The capacitor doesnt seem hot but the motor is hot, but pumping freely.
Hi Mark. How about that green ground wire? Where was it connected too? My motor has stopped running and I’m going to start diagnosing pump motor. First thing I noticed is that on mine there is a green ground wire that is hanging out and old. Looks like my ground wire hasn’t been connected at all and yet motor has been working for last six months. So I’m guessing that the green ground wire isn’t going to make a difference if it is connected to make the motor work or not? Tia, ken
Will a bad capacitor trip the circuit breaker? Or should I try changing the circuit breaker first?
The pump runs fine after I reset the circuit breaker a couple of times.
I learned some things. Good video but wonder about that word "pop" related to dissipating the charge. I assume you mean blow apart? How common is that because I've never heard that before. Thanks again. My motor is sitting on the work bench waiting to go to the motor shop.
Could it still be a bad capacitor even if the motor doesn't make any straining noise at all like yours did before you fixed it? Thanks.
The fan to common in your replacement is 5uF.... so no, you can't use either one with the common.
docimastic,,, yes the capaciter he replaced with was a dual and an ac compressor draws a lot more than the condensor fan 30 uf and 5 uf Im no pool guy or hvac or electrical wizz but I caught that and cruised the comments. No offence to Mark but kind of dumb not to know that. also why remove pump if the shaft was turning ? I guess he just got lucky hooking it up
Can you please do a video that includes plugging in power to capsitor.
Just did this with my StaRite - NOTE that you should match the capacitance (micro-farad number) *exactly*, it's the working voltage where a higher number doesn't matter.
I need a 30uf 370vac where can I get this
Nice video brother!
Fixed the capacitor last week and the pump worked fine. Now it stopped again. Could the capacitor be bad again, or do I have bigger problems? Please help...
How do you know if the start capacitor is bad? The capacitor kn the back of motor behind cover ..what symptoms would I have if that failed? Tia
My pump only has 1 lead wire coming out(it's red) and there are 2 terminals on the capacitor. Is this normal and do I only hook up the one or am I missing a lead wire?
You can only connect the 35 uf side to replace the 30 uf cap. The 5 u will not work. Bad answer saying either can be used hope you got the correct connections.
....WHAT IS THE PART NAME OF THE V-SHAPED SWITCH THAT PROVIDES POWER TO THE CAPACITOR?
This was the fix for my motor not working. Thank you.
Can you do this without turning off the main ?
Hi my swimming pool exercise machine turns off after 5 seconds. Does not trip the switch. I just changed solenoid but sane thing. It's not hot either?
Please explain what the Problem is... I have a 1 1/2 HP pump that all of the sudden when I plug it in it Does NOTHING.. No Hums, Clicks, nothing.. What kind of problem am I looking at..??
Where do you buy a capacitor?
My situation is I left my motor run for a few second got a little warm very little like when it’s running now when turn it on it stays on for one second or two then turns off. Motor on my pool pump I think it’s a Haywood 3/4 ho
I need help with mine. I don’t remember which wire goes to which terminal. Does it matter? One of the wires has red mark on it. I just bought a new capacitor but I am unsure on the wire placement. Any suggestions?
Hi, Cli. Honestly I'm not sure. I BELIEVE that it DOES matter if you have more than two terminals on the capacitor - maybe not if you only have two terminals. I've always taken a picture or written down which wire goes where.
Sorry I can't help more. I'd suggest reviewing some online documentation for your pump or consulting a blog where pros could comment.
What would cause my pump to not turn off?
Never go higher either...keep it the same always
Is it me or did he say impeller like 100 times.??
Original capacitor 30uF. You replace it with a 35uF. Your motor will consume more/less power than design; thus the motor will not last as long. Replace same with same. Don't deviate, except in emergency, and replace with the right size ASAP.
Good video up until you said "it's got 3 terminals" YOU DIDNT SHOW WHICH TERMINALS TO ATTACH THE WIRES TOO Which would've been very very helpful
Don't matter.