Help with whirlpool tub

[Harry Everhart]

Our house has a hot tub and a whirlpool tub - don't ask me why. It seems the former tenant had arthritis and needed the help. Anyway the whirlpool tub was working fine. We had not used it in a month or so. Today - we filled it up - and the electric motor hummed like it wanted to start and then it shut off. Every couple of minutes it would hum again and then shut off. At no time did the pump work. I opened up the side panel and reached in to touch the electric pump motor. It was very hot.

I am guessing the pump is stuck and the motor is trying to turn it but can't. Once everything is cold under there - I will reach in and try to find something to turn - maybe freeing up the pump. Any other ideas - the electric gets to the pump because you hear the hump - but nothing turns. The tub is also filled with water.

I can't believe how tight everything is under there - not much room for seeing or working.

Has anybody else had this problem?

Harry

[John Grabowski]

My cousin had the same problem with his hot tub spa. I drained the tub, pulled out the motor with the pump attached and brought it to a motor repair shop. It must have been a simple fix as it only took one day and $15.00 to get repaired. It was a very tight space to work in. Put some comfortable mats on the floor. You'll be getting into some creative positions. Fortunately for me my cousin's spa had a smaller side access panel in addition to the large door for servicing.

Don't continue to turn the pump on and let it get hot. It is probably shutting down on thermal protection.

[Backlash]

I've had a previous smimming pool pump do that a couple of times. It would run after the impeller was broken loose. Sitting too long would do it. I think the pool chemicals tended to "glue" the shaft seal in place. It may have been flushed with heavily chlorinated water, and rusted the mechanical seal spring in place, making for a lot of drag. Some pumps have a cap on the dead end of the motor that can be popped off, and there is a screwdriver slot in the shaft to allow turning it by hand. It's real use is to hold the shaft while installing a screw-on impeller.

RJ