Wire inground pool pump "Low" or "High"?

[bent]

I bought an Aqua Coastal Champion 56-frame pool pump from Interpools.com here in Toronto for a 16x32' in ground pool. It is made by Waterwayplastics.com in Oxnard, CA. It is 1.0 h.p self priming and says it has 115/230 option although on the boxes sticker "110AC" is written in a couple places. I write all this because I am a duffus. The wiring I have going to the pool pump has a black wire, a white wire, and a green (or ground) wire, coming from an electrrician installed (probly req'd by Canadadian code) CFCI throw attached to the main fuse box running underground inside.

This pump has two ways to wire it inside the cover plate which they call "Low Voltage" or "High Voltage". There are only two internal connectors, plus a third for ground. For Low it is one way for High it is the reverse. They are labelled "White" and "Brown". Which way do I wire it? Is this enough information? The store so far: nada.

[terry]

[bent]

This is the twentieth year everything has been done safely by us, but its a new pump, I believe there is probably enough information, if not tell me. There are only two ways to plug it in, and by duffus, I am stating I don't know why, but the fact that there is and always has been only a white wire and a balck witre, plus ground leads me to believe it that this is the key to the solution. Its unthinkable that the store can't tell me whivh wire goes where. Nothing needs to be wired. It just needs to be plugged in. Pls.

[Ralph Mowery]

You wire it for whatever voltage you have. If you have 230 volts, use the high voltage and for 115 use the low voltage connection. You need to find out what voltage is comming to the pump on the black and white wires.

[Silver Surfer]

Have you considered sending the folks at Waterway Plastics an email? Their address is shown on their Web site.

[Dave]

It's unthinkable that the wiring for the pool has to be done by a licensed electrician and now you want to change a permanently wired pump and not need an electrician! If you don't know how get an expert. Safer and legal.

[bent]

I had a $4 tester to tell me it was 110V out from house. i then realised the label options L1 L2 white brown were factory wired white brown from the motor (not house power) and was left with L1 and L2, which could only be hot & neutral from house. Either way works. The way it works now white is to white and power (black from house) is L2, as opposed to vise versa, which I said also works. It says not reversible, so that may explain. After I reset the white brown from the motor entirely (to assumption "Low Voltage". I was reding it wrong.

[bent]

whops, power is now L1 (as opposed to vise versa), and it was factory wired for wht and brw for 230V.

[Phil Again]

Bad guy wears the black hat, the good guy wears a white hat.

Black wire (bad) is 120VAC (or 110, or 115 depending on local utility) white were (good) is neutral Green is safety, just in case white wire breaks.

Normally, the black wire goes to the circuit breaker, the white and green wires goes to common wire gang blocks. All on / off switches should open close the black wire connection.

The color of the insulation is just that, covering of the wire. All wires are equal under the insulation.

Phil

[RBM]

[bent]

ok now that its been running 1 hr incorrect and 24 hours presumably correct let me explain the problem. After 1 hr of being connected incorrectly it shut itself off so I had to study the label more carefully. I then decided what was wrong it was factory wired for 230V. I now assume "Low Voltage" means 110V and "High Voltage" means 220V. Originally I never thought I'd have to re-wire the wires internally to the pump, whatever else happened. I assumed the label schematic notations were all for the same wires - my house wires. I though "Brown" was a type of power, not a wire color. There are 4 posts inside (aligned Vertically top to bottom labelled B L1 L2 A) the weatherproof cover and 2 wires with clips that slide off those posts to the motor internally which are White and Brown in colour. Then there is the ground screw which is clearly marked. I supply the wires to the house (white black green).

So now I know that after I reconnected the Brown and White wires from the motor internally to the Low Voltage posts (they were on the High Voltage posts). Origianlly I though White and Brown and L1 and L2 were all labels for my house wires, and because the schematic for the Low or the High setting had White and Brown physically above and one was below /vice versa I thought my only option was to put my house white and black wires either one way or the other, on the other available 2 (of 4 total binding posts). But for the Low setting there is a common post. For thiose who understand motors I tried both my house white and black as either L1 or L2 and it woked either way (with high pressure flow). Considering the label "non-reversible. I have two options for white and black L1 and L2. Because for the Low setting (only) there is a shared post (a wire from both the motor and house to the same binding post - the motor one is white in colour and that leaves either white or black from the house, so which one? How about the white one (not the alternate black one =- though that works with equal pump pressure too) - this leaves L1 as black (hot). This is how it is now and been running for a day.

My only other option is black from house to white from motor, not as logical is it? I have got it right now don't I!? Before I was supplying 110V to the middle 2 of the 4 posts, but factory wired for High V with the Brown motor wire on bottom as schematic (and white house to L2 as per Low in schematic). Why was it running slow and why did it trip the GFCI? the pump is "Thermally protected" too.

Originally I never saw the Brwon and White pump wires, nor could I figure why they labelled all house wiring only as "L1" and "L2".

This is the schematic:

Low V High V

Brown O B White O L1 White O L2 O A Brown

So now I have pump wiring as on left and my black house as L1, and my white house as shared white (white house to white pump). Good? It works the other way too! Why? Same as reversing the white and black plug on an extention cord? Is either way just as good (in this wiring hardware question)

[RBM]

[bent]

While we are on the topic. I understand that 110V in a fuse box is all there is available to connect to. Its a rail. If you want 220V you have to use 2x 110V. Can't remember if there are 2 rails, or how it works. Probably. Anyways, with a 110V std. wall plug you have the hot (black), neutral (I have just learned by poster above) the white is "neutral", forgot what it was, but it kinda explains what it does (or not), ground is into the earth via rod pounded into earth and plumbing pipes used etc. So a 110V needs 3 wires. Since 220V has 2 x 110V does not a 220V ned by definition 4 conductors. I know my dryer plug has 4 conductors because its got a 4-prong plug. If I needed to be sure if my wire out from house was a 110V couldn't I at the very most check it by counting the number of wires through to and in the sleeve and boxes the cable was connected to (magnifying glass etc.) Or might a 220V only have 3 wires as here?

My problem here was obviously I was (could) not read the schematic, until it died after 1 hr itself, at which point I knew something in my (lack of) thnking wasn't right.

oh, btw, between the pump and the wires out of the ground from the house each year we disconnect not the pump but a weatherproof swirch box and bring it inside, wrapping the wiring from the elements and leaving the pump itself wired up to the box inside. What if I did ground to ground (screwed onto steel box), black to black (marette), and white to one side of 2-screw switch, and the other white to the other screw of that 2-screw switch. I think someone here said to switch black, not white as I did. I will do black next year. Is it bad to wait a few months. What could happen e.g GFCI and all?

[RBM]

[Stormin Mormon]

You still havn't figured out the very basic question which folks asked you from the beginning. Does the wiring you have supply 115 or 230 volts? Failing to determine that, you're still just geuessing. Get electrician help, please.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm trying to imagine you, as a surgeon.

While we are on the topic. I understand that arterial blood in a vessel is all there is available to connect to. Its a rail. If you want blood pressure you have to use 2x artery. Can't remember if there are 2 veins, or how it works. Probably. Anyways, with a body organ you have the hot (artery), neutral (I have just learned by poster above) the vein is "neutral", forgot what it was, but it kinda explains what it does (or not), ground is into the body via lymph system. So a kidney needs 3 wires. Since blood pressure has 2 x artery does not intestines need by definition 4 conductors. I know my sciatica has 4 conductors because its got a 4-prong plug. If I needed to be sure if my wire out from house was a 110V couldn't I at the very most check it by counting the number of arteries through to and in the sleeve and boxes the cable was connected to (magnifying glass etc.) Or might a 220V only have 3 wires as here?

My problem here was obviously I was (could) not read the schematic, until it died after 1 hr itself, at which point I knew something in my (lack of) thnking wasn't right.

oh, btw, between the pump and the wires out of the ground from the house each year we disconnect not the pump but a weatherproof swirch box and bring it inside, wrapping the wiring from the elements and leaving the pump itself wired up to the box inside. What if I did ground to ground (screwed onto steel box), black to black (marette), and white to one side of 2-screw switch, and the other white to the other screw of that 2-screw switch. I think someone here said to switch black, not white as I did. I will do black next year. Is it bad to wait a few months. What could happen e.g GFCI and all? Will my patient live?