pump wiring

konafixits

I have an older sta-rite pool pump that I'm trying to wire. The label says that it is a 230v pump. When I removed the back cover, there are two terminals, (L1 & L2). I hooked up 110v just to see if the pump worked, and it did, I hooked the hot to L1 and the neutral to L2. When I go to 230v, I assume I hook up a hot lead to L1 & one to L2. Where does the neutral go to complete the circuit and make the pump work? I should add that I'm only using the pump to transfer water from one tank to another, so I'm not concerned with code requirements.

micromind

On a 230 volt circuit such as this one, there isn't a neutral. There are two hots, and a ground. One of the hots goes to L1, the other to L2, and the ground goes under a screw (usually green) somewhere on the frame of the motor.

A 230 volt motor will run on 115, but it'll have 1/4 of its rated HP. Speed will be the same (if it ever gets there).

Rob

konafixits

Thanks for the reply Rob. I tried this, the only difference being that I connected the neutral to a screw on the motor body. When I flipped the breaker, nothing happened. I did do a poor job of connecting the bare ground wire to the pump body because the screw was rusted out but I figured if the pump worked then I would correct the ground connection afterward. Could this be the reason that it did not run?

BillyD

You don't need a ground or neutral for it to work on 220. If I remember correctly to switch a motor from 220 to 110 you have to move a jumper on the start switch. Re-check your wiring plate on the motor.

Speedy Petey

Billy, I truly hope you included "ground" in this sentence by mistake.
A motor most certainly DOES need a circuit ground.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

Speedy Petey

So you are using an electric motor pump at 240v to move water and you are not concerned with code????



Listen to Rob, there is NO neutral required for this circuit. DO NOT hook up the white to anything.

Did you find the rating sticker on the motor? This will tell you exactly what wires to move to where to convert it to 230v. You DO NOT simply hook the wires up the same as 120v.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

chris75

One other thing, if you hook the pump up with 240v and the pump is on the 120v setting, it will probably never work again....

BillyD

Speedy I was just stating that he only needed two hot wires for the pump to run. Not implying it would be safe or proper.

J. V.

The OP must look for the pump motor wiring diagram if he wants to change the voltage. If it's a dual voltage motor, which it sounds that it is, it could have as many as 8 wires to contend with. It could have start and run caps too. The nameplate should have the wiring diagram on it. As Chris mentioned if this motor is connected wrong, most likely it will never run again. Also, rotation on a single phase motor cannot be manipulated by swapping wires around. In most every case the interchange of leads 5 & 8 will do the trick.

If no diagram is available on the motor, Google "NEMA Terminal Markings and Connections". Then look for single phase motors.
You can also check EASA's website. I think they have the diagrams for all NEMA motors and much more information.

chris75

This nice thing about pool motors, is that they usually go with the KISS method, the last one I wired had a selector switch for voltage selection ..

konafixits

Thanks for the replies everyone. The faded label on the pump says only 230v. Inside the cap there are only two terminals marked L1 & L2. When I tested the pump on 110v hook-up (hot to L1 and Neutral to L2 with a ground connection) the pump worked albeit slowly and it "pulsed" as it ran, it also got hot very quickly. As far as code is concerned, I live in rural Hawaii and the pump is only being used to transfer water between storage tanks about 120 ft apart. I will recheck all my connections and re-do the ground hook-up, leave the neutral off and see what happens. Stay tuned.

wirenut1110

Hawaii? Hell, just buy me a ticket and I'll bring you a pump.

konafixits

With the cost of airfares, make it two pumps. Well, I tried the hook-up, L1 & L2 to the hots and a good ground, NOTHING. I tested all the connections. I even retested the pump for 110v, it still runs. Now what, could it be an internal issue with the pump, is there a better place to ground, (I just connected to a screw on the back of the plate).

chris75

The ground wont make the pump run, its a safety feature, anyways, you sure you truly have 220 at the motor, and the motor is correctly wired for 220?

where did you get the 220 to test the pump?

wirenut1110

Hopefully he's not using 2 single pole breakers on the same phase or a tandem