Damaging voltage fluctuations and a lost electrical feed are reasons why a pool pump won’t work after a power outage.
Unusually high or low voltages occurring before an outage can cause damage to components inside of a pool pump.
The components mostly affected include the motor and any electronics. This post will explain why the pump isn’t working and the likely fixes from an electricians standpoint.
Pool Pump Fault Finding
Pool pumps are small single phase motors for pumping water.
They are sometimes controlled by electronics which affect the function of the motor. Check the manufacturer’s website for your own specific brand of pool pump.
A pool pump will plug into a wall socket which provides the power supply. This wall socket will be wired from either the main switchboard in the house or potentially a sub switchboard located nearby.
The wall socket for the pool pump will be protected by circuit breakers in the switchboard. There should be a MCB which protects the circuit from overloading and short circuits. There should also be an RCD which protects anyone from getting a shock. An RCD is vital electrical protection around wet areas (such as around a pool pump that could accidentally squirt water on live electrical parts). An RCD will trip and shut off power if this happens.
Unfortunately, these circuit breakers won’t protect your pool pump from damage in the event of a power surge or low voltage. These surges commonly occur during a power outage. A surge protector will protect appliances from high voltages as I will show you further below.
Normally, the incoming power supply to the switchboard needs to be kept at a constant voltage and frequency.
Pool pumps are designed to operate at a constant voltage. This includes the motor and any electronics that control it.
When a a fault with the incoming supply changes the voltage, weird things can happen to the pump causing permanent damage.
Let’s look at each reason and how it affects the pool pump.
Pool Pump Not Working After Power Outage? Reason #1
High Voltage
Likelihood: High – contact the company that manages your local power lines for more information on the fault.
Fixable? It may be possible to replace the motor or electronics depending on what was affected. Check with the manufacturer for more information.
High voltages wreak havoc with two key pool pump components. This is the motor and any electronics. The main electronics affected are parts controlling the pump and display (if there is one).
The parts of an electronic circuit board typically affected by high voltages are capacitors, resistors and semiconductor components.
Capacitors in particular are designed to operate within a very narrow voltage range. When this is exceeded the capacitor will short out – usually with a crack or bang. This leaves a black spot on the circuit board which may also give a metallic smell.
A black spot on the circuit board or any melted discoloration appearance is a key indicator that the electronics have failed.
A capacitor will also be found with the pool pump motor itself. This capacitor could have also failed.
Replacing the capacitor could get the pool pump to work.
It may also be possible to replace certain electronic components depending on the pool pump manufacturer.
Pool Pump Not Working After Power Outage – Reason #2
Low Voltage
Likelihood: Moderate – contact your local company that manages the power lines for more information on the cause of the fault.
Fixable? Check the switchboard for a tripped breaker. The motor could have tripped the breaker due to an overload. There may also be an overload button located on the motor which has tripped. Resetting both could get the pool pump to go. However if the motor windings are burnt out it may be more economical to simply replace it.
Low voltage will cause the motor in the pool pump to draw more current to compensate for the lost power.
This will cause the motor to generate more heat and possibly burn out the windings. Hopefully before the motor burns out an overload has tripped.
This overload button could be located on the pool pump body. Resetting this could get the motor to go. There may also be a breaker in the switchboard that has tripped. Resetting this (switch into the up position) could also get the pump to go.
Pool Pump Not Working After Power Outage – Reason #3
Incoming Electrical Feed Is Offline
Likelihood: High – but only if your property has three phase power.
Fixable? Yes, just wait for the power to come back online. Contact the power line company for more information on when that will be.
Three phase power essentially means that you have three independent power feeds to your property. Losing an incoming electrical feed due to an outside fault is a common issue in our experience. It may seem like power is back on completely but one feed is actually offline.
The pool pump is getting its electrical supply from this feed. Waiting for the feed to come back online should resolve the problem.
Get A Surge Protector
A surge protector works by diverting high voltage away from the circuits in the home and discharging it safely to earth.
This can help avoid a costly replacement bill for electronics in the home. Today most appliances contain some form of electronics.
The TV, fridge, microwave, wifi and water pump are some examples.
A surge protector can be installed in the switchboard. Here it will protect all appliances in the home. Surge protectors can also be found in specific devices such as multi boards.
These surge protectors will only protect whatever is plugged into the multi board.
Electricians Perspective
Intermittent high voltage and low voltage before the power outage is likely to have damaged key components inside the pool pump including electronics and the motor. If these don’t work the pool pump won’t work. Depending on the extent of the damage it may be more economical to simply replace the pump. If your property is on three phase power, there may also be a phase offline resulting in the pump not working yet. Just wait for it to come online.
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