Pump Overheated

freddy · 09-10-2011, 03:04 PM

Hi folks.

A couple of months ago my Sequence 12,000s overheated. Because I needed another straight away, I bought another one. This too has now overheated. Any ideas as to why this could happen?

Cheers...Freddy.

faz201283 · 09-10-2011, 03:17 PM

not and expert on any aspect of these things but it to me it seems that if you have had 3 of them do the same thing then its something your doing and not the pumps.

were do you have them situated? maybe you need a little more air circulation around it to keep it cool or is it struggling to suck up the water, do you have a blockage ??

Gazfish · 09-10-2011, 04:33 PM

Hi Freddy,

What do you mean by overheated and does it stop ?

How have you got it running on the system and do you valve it back at all ?

Doghouse Riley · 09-10-2011, 04:53 PM

Pumps designed to run 24/7 are pretty durable. The most common reason for overheating is a lack of water.
This usually triggers the cut-out which will only kick back in again when the pump cools down. A shortage of water will play havoc with the bearings. It is possible to not notice this is happening particularly if it happens overnight, it could cut in and out several times and eventually the overheating could burn out the motor too.

freddy · 09-10-2011, 05:58 PM

Hi.

With the first pump, I just happened to be in the shed when I could smell heat, if you get my meaning. So, checking around I noticed that the pump was hot, so I shut it down. It never started again. Exactly the same thing this time. The pump is situated after my sieve, which is gravity fed. The pump feeds my bead filter, then back to the pond. As it's behind the sieve, I can't imagine that there are any blockages. I must admit, that it's in a pit, but there's plenty of open space behind it. Thing is, if it was a lack of air circulation, wouldn't it have packed up when we had all that hot weather?

Cheers...Freddy.

Gazfish · 09-10-2011, 06:13 PM

Hi Freddy,

How old was the pump was they new or second hand ?

The thing with the pump not starting could be the capacitor as they can go and most pumps will run fairly hot and i run Sequence as well and never had it overheat.

jasonp · 09-10-2011, 06:40 PM

Nightmare when things go wrong and you can't figure it out. Try checking the air temperature in the pit with everything running as normal. Might also be worth measure the pump temperature as well so you can quantify. If it is not overheating due to poor air circulation, then it might be the load you are putting it under. What sort of losses you getting, how much return flow do you get? Check for blockages. You could try by-passing the bead filter an see if the pump runs cooler. Finally it might be something to do with electrics. Has anything be changed lately?

Hope you solve the problem soon

Gazfish · 09-10-2011, 06:54 PM

Hi Freddy,

I am not sure on what bead you are running but some of them need a high pressure pump and also how often do you clean the bead as this will also put more resistance on the pump if it starts to clog up.

Doghouse Riley · 09-10-2011, 07:06 PM

Yes, excessive back pressure on the impeller blades would cause the motor to heat up, but I'm struggling to get my head round this one.

freddy · 09-10-2011, 07:17 PM

Hi folks, thanks for the replies.

Both pumps were brand new. I'm running an Econobead 60. As for the return flow, I have no idea. I'd only just flushed the filter yesterday. There have been no changes to the system. After the first pump went, naturally I checked for blockages or anything else that might have caused it, so I just put it down to bad luck. I was told that the bead filter shouldn't be an issue, but I'm beginning to wonder if (as said) back pressure might be causing it. I DO know that when I'm flushing the filter, the flow increases greatly, I can visibly see the difference as the water passes over my sieve.

Cheers...Freddyl.