Motors

This section is for induction motors on horsepower-driven pumps.

This section is not for magnet motors on variable speed pumps.

Many pool owners confuse the pump and the motor. The pump is the entire piece of equipment (which includes the motor). The motor is a mechanical part of the overall pool pump. The motor is the part of the pump that powers the circulation of water yet never comes into contact with the water. When you have a horsepower-driven pool pump, regardless if it's a single speed pump or a dual speed pump, its motor is an induction motor.

Many pool owners refer to their motor as the "pump motor" when they are talking to pool professionals. This is fine. Just be sure to understand that the "pump" and "motor" are separate. To reiterate, the pump is the entire piece of equipment (which includes the motor) and the motor is a mechanical part of the overall pool pump...it powers the circulation of water yet never comes into contact with the water.

As a pool owner, be prepared to have to have the motor replaced. In fact, replacing the motor of a pool pump is one of the most common reasons for a service call. If the motor itself fails, but the pump housing and all of its parts and pieces are still in good shape, then just the motor needs to be replaced (not the entire pump).

When you are researching the horsepower of a pump, you are really researching the horsepower of its motor. Did you realize you can even change the horsepower of a pump by replacing (and properly-sizing) its motor and a few other internal parts? This would be a less expensive option. And it would properly-size the pump (technically the motor) to your pool, given its size, gallons, filter, plumbing schematics, and other specifications and considerations.

Within this pool manual, the following information is available about pool motors: