Pump will not start

[grumpyunk]

Certainly you can try to run the pump on 120vac. There should be a diagram indicating how to wire power when set to the 120vac setting. Likely you will have line & load & a ground. Connect that way, switch the selector to 120vac and it should work.
It could be there is a fault in the motor where one leg of the 240 has a break, either a broken wire or loose connection. Give it 120, and it doesn't use that conductor, so it works. Try the 240 and you are applying two 'hot' leads, and apparently the switch is sending power... but it doesn't run. Likely one leg has taken a hike. (get it)
tom

 

[noquacks]

Certainly you can try to run the pump on 120vac. There should be a diagram indicating how to wire power when set to the 120vac setting. Likely you will have line & load & a ground. Connect that way, switch the selector to 120vac and it should work.
It could be there is a fault in the motor where one leg of the 240 has a break, either a broken wire or loose connection. Give it 120, and it doesn't use that conductor, so it works. Try the 240 and you are applying two 'hot' leads, and apparently the switch is sending power... but it doesn't run. Likely one leg has taken a hike. (get it)
tom

OK, so if one just switches the selector it may require more work like rewiring? That may be my problem. I made no other wiring changes assuming the switch was all that needed to be done. I never knew. I should look at/study the diagram on the label. Feedback appreciated.

 

[kjonxx]

Sounds like bad pressure switch, 120 would work fine but install a new pressure switch anyway.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Some jet pumps will have a knob switch on the box on the motor where the wires go in to switch voltage but most require changing a couple wires around. If this pump uses an external 4 contact pressure switch it can not change the voltage the pump needs. If the pump is dual voltage then somewhere on it there should be something that tells you how to switch the voltage. At this point we are just guessing. If it ran properly with 120v and then you applied 240v to the same wires i would be suprised that the magic smoke didn't come out.

 

[guitarman4805]

Certainly you can try to run the pump on 120vac. There should be a diagram indicating how to wire power when set to the 120vac setting. Likely you will have line & load & a ground. Connect that way, switch the selector to 120vac and it should work.
It could be there is a fault in the motor where one leg of the 240 has a break, either a broken wire or loose connection. Give it 120, and it doesn't use that conductor, so it works. Try the 240 and you are applying two 'hot' leads, and apparently the switch is sending power... but it doesn't run. Likely one leg has taken a hike. (get it)
tom

Tom, I like your response. I was thinking someone would remind us the 120/240 switch doesn't convert the pump; it lends a crutch so the pump wont try to run on one leg.

 

[noquacks]

Sounds like bad pressure switch, 120 would work fine but install a new pressure switch anyway.

So, 240V at the pump itself (bypassing the pressure switch) condemns the pressure switch???

 

[grumpyunk]

So, 240V at the pump itself (bypassing the pressure switch) condemns the pressure switch???

Not necessarily. Generally the switch will break one leg(crutches not needed...) not both. When switching the 120V, breaking that hot will stop the pump. Breaking the same hot lead will also stop the pump when set to 240v mode. Takes two hots for 240, and only one for 120V operation. For that reason, it is likely the pressure switch only makes/breaks one of the two leads to the pump motor.

 

[noquacks]

Certainly you can try to run the pump on 120vac. There should be a diagram indicating how to wire power when set to the 120vac setting. Likely you will have line & load & a ground. Connect that way, switch the selector to 120vac and it should work.
It could be there is a fault in the motor where one leg of the 240 has a break, either a broken wire or loose connection. Give it 120, and it doesn't use that conductor, so it works. Try the 240 and you are applying two 'hot' leads, and apparently the switch is sending power... but it doesn't run. Likely one leg has taken a hike. (get it)
tom

It just hit me- I was looking at the end/rear of the pump wiring and the green ground wire has no connection to anywhere. Could that be the problem? Should I connect a wire to that and ground it where the power source is at the pressure switch, together with the source ground?

 

[grumpyunk]

In all cases I know of, the ground connection is not used in normal operation. It is to be the alternate path for juice to take vs going thru a person. The two used in AC current are the Line and the Load. Black & white.
In 240VAC, there are TWO conductors, out of phase with each other so the difference between them is double each conmductor to ground.
Have you found 120VAC settings? Is there anything indicating how to wire for 120VAC? Ground is ground is ground... or SHOULD BE.
Take some pics of things & post.
tom

 

[noquacks]

Crazy- I tried to upload just one picture of the back of the motor like Tom suggested and I get from this website "the uploaded file is too large for the server to process". Sheeeesh.

In all cases I know of, the ground connection is not used in normal operation. It is to be the alternate path for juice to take vs going thru a person. The two used in AC current are the Line and the Load. Black & white.
In 240VAC, there are TWO conductors, out of phase with each other so the difference between them is double each conmductor to ground.
Have you found 120VAC settings? Is there anything indicating how to wire for 120VAC? Ground is ground is ground... or SHOULD BE.
Take some pics of things & post.
tom

Tom,

When you say "120VAC settings", you mean the simple hex switch to switch back/forth from 120 and 240?