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Sea Recovery Aqua Whisper 600GPD troubleshoot

Discussion in 'Watermakers' started by BoulderGT3, Apr 28, 2019.

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  1. BoulderGT3

    BoulderGT3 Senior Member

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    I've got a 600GPD unit that has worked perfectly. This past weekend I started it as normal. I got three low pressure alarms with shut off. I watched the sight gauges and it looked like it was trying to make pressure as normal. After that, now, it just trips the breaker immediately if I start or hit booster pump. All new 25 and 5 microns as well as charcoal. Flow is checked from the raw water intake through the Groco to the pump. I removed the output line on the pump and it still trips the breaker immediately. Seems like a pump or motor that is locked up. Any other thoughts on what might be wrong? Thanks.
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Sounds like the pump is bad, locked up etc
  3. BoulderGT3

    BoulderGT3 Senior Member

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    bad booster pump motor. Caused by the centrifugal switch sticking open. $350 for the replacement painted white with the right mount to match the one that was removed.
  4. dikikh.dm

    dikikh.dm New Member

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    Malta
    Hello everyone.

    The question is about Aqua Whisper II Sea recovery 1800. The system was run last time and winterized in December 2018. Then, I tried to start it yesterday to rinse and the booster pump didn't run but the motor got very hot. So, I think the pump is locked.
    According to the pump plate and manual, the existing pump has single-phase 230V/50Hz, 0.5 hp motor and performing 85 Ft head @ 60 Hz with a feed water flow of 4.5 GPM.

    As a temporary replacement, I think to install a new centrifugal pump, which I have onboard with the following characteristics:
    Q 20-80 L/min; H 30.7 - 0 m
    single phase, 230 V, 50 Hz, 0.6 HP

    So, this motor looks slightly bigger/stronger, than the old one.

    Can I do this replacement and what I should be careful of, something specific? I will try to attach photos of the pumps' plates.

    Thanks.

    Admin edit: oversized pics removed
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 26, 2019
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    It seems to me that the original pump is a US motor, 115/230 where as the new one is Euro 220v.

    US 230v is two 115 v hots whereas in Europe 230 is one 230V hot and one Neutral

    Completely incompatible
  6. wdrzal

    wdrzal Senior Member

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    Actually it will work. If you hook it to 240 volt single phase (120v X 120v) equals 240 volt @60 HZ. The RPM will be higher because you are running @ 60 hertz. The 240 volts changes nothing.
  7. dikikh.dm

    dikikh.dm New Member

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    The boat system is 380 v (3ph)-220 v (1ph)/50 hz, the Watermaker is using single phase power supply 220v/50 hz, so I believe even the old pump must have 220v/50 hz power supply
  8. wdrzal

    wdrzal Senior Member

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    I positively know it will work, with the only exception that the motors have a solid state control inside the motor or system that would recognize the frequency and voltage difference and shut it down. Just a regular pump will work.
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If you have 220v between one hot and the neutral it will work fine.

    Otherwise euro 220v is completely incompatible with US 220v which does not use neutral but two 120v feeds.
  10. gsholz

    gsholz New Member

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    220V AC is 220V AC. The only difference is 50Hz vs 60Hz which may or may not cause issues.
  11. wdrzal

    wdrzal Senior Member

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    All power world wide is generated as 3 phase, only difference is American countries use 60 hertz vs European /Asian use 50 hertz. Also "all power goes to GROUND" , literally the ground you walk on. The secondary voltages differ a bit but that is just dependent on what the winding ratio is inside the transformers used.

    If its completely incompatible, How do Yachts do it ????

    The correct answer is in the "First Law of Thermodynamics" . "ALL ENERGY is MUTIALLY CONVERTABLE" & "ENERGY CAN NOT be CREATED or DESTROTED". And this Goes way beyond Heating, cooling ,refrigeration and electricity.
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2019
  12. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    European 220 single phase wiring consists of one conductor carrying 220 volts, one conductor for neutral and one conductor for ground .
    _____220 (hot)
    _____Neutral
    _____ ground
    Makes no difference if it was on a boat or in your hotel room in Lisbon.

    American :
    _____ 120 (hot)
    _____120 (hot)
    _____ neutral
    _____ ground

    Most compound wound motors are 50/60 hz for the last 20 yrs or so . Pascal was referring to the actual wiring of a European wound motor W/ taps vs an American w/ taps and the incompatibility of the two connection wise & he is absolutely correct.
  13. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    I lived on St Barth thruout the 80s and 90s, probably the only place with euro 220 but 60hz

    Being so close to the US we d get many appliances from Florida. When I built my house I set up a 5000 W transformer to run 120v to US outlets thruout the house, next to euro 220v outlets.

    For 220v US appliances like dryers, we had to use TWO 5kW transformers to get two 220v lines down to 120v. Without the tranaformers you couldn’t connect US 220v aplliances to euro 220v power. You d fry them...
  14. wdrzal

    wdrzal Senior Member

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    The heating Elements would not care in a dryer 220 or 240 volt, but many use a 120 volt motor to turn the drum & 120 volt control circuits. 220 volt would burn them up.

    Many people don't understand the electric company's side of things, using a delta or wye transformer connection.

    Also this thread was talking using a 220v 50hz motor vs a 240v 60 hz. Only difference the motor will run ~12 % faster.
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2019
  15. dikikh.dm

    dikikh.dm New Member

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    Thanks to everyone.
    In our particular case the pump is surely running on european standard 220V/50Hz, I checked the voltage coming to the pump contacts, when it's switched on.