Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Problem with Gast pump

Most likely it's a bad cap. Just make sure you dispose of the old one properly or you may get a surprise bill from the EPA to clean up the mess

Nope, that never happened, but have been stung a few times by super coils and magnetos. I would rather get hit by AC. On the VFD's we use, always wait till the drive totally shuts down before you mess with it. 300-1000 VDC with some amps behind it is not something you want to tangle with.

This is true. When you get up into the bigger stuff it can get ugly.

You're alright picking the condenser up by either the pigtail, or the body. Just not both together. It's a fascinating experiment to conduct however, as inevitably the guy picks it up in one hand,(OK) and grabs the pigtail with the other....(not OK)

Why do I remember doing that? And more importantly, does recognizing an ignition condenser make me old?

Never heard of the condenser, but maybe a coil? That just may be one of your Super Powers

Then it's official. I have gotten old.

I'm right there with you, Tony!

Back in those days ALL the cars had points, condenser & rotor! And you could actually work on them!

And I've been on both ends (pun intended) of that one, from shop class in high school, to having two older brothers,,, I learned quick!

Oh, that condenser

Been so long ago I forgot.

At least you remembered what a condenser is, that's a plus

Ahhh! You mean back in the days when you popped the hood and actually could identify what was under there!

Especially if you know how to adjust points in a distributor......

Why did they make feeler gauge sets with one brass feeler gauge?

I made the mistake of spinning a magneto from one of the dragster engines while having my hands in just the wrong spot....... I never repeated that mistake again.

Well, no such luck on the new capacitor as the motor's doing the same thing as before,,,, just a hum and not wanting to spin.

The date on the pump is 01/2011 and was purchased from the late (great) Ted Lea when I first installed my system in May 2012. At this point is it worth tearing down for further inspection/testing and possible repair? I know nothing about electric motors but have a desire to learn and am willing to try if I'd be able to find parts and do it myself.

Researching, my only guess at this point is the start and and/or run windings? Anything else I can check or test?

Unfortunately I just dropped about $150 on the top end rebuild and they don't give new ones away .

Thanks again for any ideas and sorry for so many questions on this!


Keith

And it turns freely by hand, through 2-3 complete revolutions?

I hate saying this on an open forum, but can you plug it in, reach in with a pencil and flip a fan blade over, and see if it runs?

That's funny, Sprk, I was thinking of doing the same thing, yet at the same time considering the consequences of my normal luck!

I need to head into work right now but tonight I'm going to give that a shot as I'd still like to troubleshoot before giving up.

And yes it spins freely and even seems to have good compression as I can feel the air coming out of the port when I spin the blades.

You're absolutely correct in being leery. Be sure to use a non-conductive chicken stick....no fingers.

May be a winding problem. That's not good.

Ah, just use your finger

I have a couple fans here with shaded pole motors that need a boost to get going.

Try tap on the motor from several different directions like with the wood handle of a hammer or something when you plug it in. Seems a few motors I have need a kick to get going. I put a new blower motor in my truck and sometimes have to give it a whack to get it going. Started doing this after warranty was up. Go figure

Well, by spinning the fan blades I got it to run, but very slow and certainly not up to full power. As well as seeing a few sparks coming from the windings, the motor gets hot quick and puts off that lovely "something electrical is burning" smell

Is the general consensus a problem with the windings at this point?

Leading to ??????

I'm betting so. Do you have an electric motor repair shop near by? Rewinding is not really in the do it yourselfer's domain. May well be cheaper to replace.

FWIW My experience is having a motor rewound may save you a few bucks but you end up with an old motor that works....for a while, until the next weak link craps out. IMO it is time for a nice reliable new motor, that is, unless you want to be out in the middle of a Nebraska winter working on the next problem.

Thanks guys!

So I guess the search is on but it would be nice to find another Gast similar to mine since I wired my cabinet for 240V, including the cooling fan. And since I just dropped $150 on rebuilding the top end, if I can find one similar, I'll have extra parts if necessary.

So just as a forewarning,,,,, I'm gonna have questions!

Keith

PS - PM's are welcome if anyone has any suggestions or ideas! TIA!

I might be fairly simple to split the 240V to a separate box with 110-120V that way you have both power options in your box?. You may not be able to quickly locate a new 240V pump. Buying a 120V will get you aerating and use the 240 option as a back up. Electrical members will know the feasibility of this.

Thanks, Bill!

I buried my 10-3 wiring in PVC from the fish house to the compressor cabinet which only runs about 30', so if necessary I could change that out to 110/120V, using 12-2 and 20A breaker. I'd be a little leery about splitting the 220/240V in the box if it all leads back through the same 10-3 wiring to the 30A breaker currently running it (if that makes sense).

Strange as this may seem, but with the 75R I have here, it wouldn't be too much trouble to adapt a real motor to it. Of course, it would look funny, but do your fish really give a hoot on what it looks like?