Top 20 Hayward 1.5 Hp Northstar High Performance Pump Questions & Answers

open it up and see if the impeller will turn freely when it is disconnected from power. Call pool guy or pool store and see if it just needs a solenoid.

Old or new pump? If new, not much. Other than some kind of insulation, but it needs to have air circulation. If old, then your bearings are wearing out and eventually it would be louder and then will seize up.

The lock ring must be placed over the center of the motor before both the electrical and the seal plate and mounting bracket are assembled. When putting the pump back together the ring needs to be on the pump side of the motor support bracket.These pumps can be a major pain to put together. If there is enough "leash" on the wiring, I undo the suction and pressure side unions (where the pipes attach to the pump) and stand the pump on its nose so gravity helps the motor ass\'y slide into the pump housing. Use lots of magic lube on the o-ring and inside the housing.The Northstar pumps are hard on motors. In my experience, three to four years is the common time frame for motor failure. Typically a motor should be expected to last 8-10 years.

Compare old and new impellers, the new one must be bigger. Return it for the correct one.

Have you looked at the vanes in the impeller? if they are significantly clogged nothing will pump or flow.

Bearings are seizing and not spinning freely. That is common when a shaft seal starts to leak & goes uncorrected. The sound you are hearing are the failing bearings. This will also create the symptoms you described. Replace the bearings & you will have the problem corrected. There are two of them: front and rear - both are different sizes. They will look similar to this:

Is there good water flow? Can you feel good flow at the pool return?
If so, using your hand, try to stop the flow. Does the pressure go up?
If the pressure goes up, something inside the filter is not presenting resistance to flow as is normal; it could be a broken element, etc.
If there is no flow or if the pressure doesn't go up, make sure that there is no obstruction in the line coming from the pool to the pump. Check the inlet basket, inlet strainer in the pump, look for debris in the pump inlet & pump outlet piping.

Gary

I assume that it pumps from/to the hot tub. If so, the pump is fine. Look for any air leaks in the piping/hoses from the connection in the pool to the inlet of the pump.

Gary

When you vacuum the pool you pick up alot of dirt, etc and this is caught by the filter. The more dirt that goes into the filter the more plugged it becomes until flow slows down. For this reason you need to clean the filter. If the filter is a DE filter it needs to be backwashed and new DE needs to be added to the skimmer basket. If the filter is a cartridge then the cartridge should be removed and washed with a spray jet on a hose. If the filter is a sand filter it should be backwashed. I hope this helps.

I have had Northstar pumps apart but it has been a while. I found a narrative written by another expert, macdirk, describing how to replace the motor and here it is.

In order to remove the motor, first turn the motor locking ring. This holds the too halves of the pump together. There should be a small tab you have to press in, then grab the round handle, and spin the outer sleeve to unlock. Once you do this the back half of the can be pulled away. This can be very hard sometimes. If the pump and motor still work, you can flip the switch on for a sec or two, and it will pop the back half away from the front half. If the motor is not working then you'll just have to twist, wiggle and pull till you get it apart. After this make sure the power is off, breaker off, etc. and you can remove two screw from the plastic cover on the tail of the motor and disconnect the wires, and remove that half the pump. Next step is to just pull off the diffuser, which may actually have stuck inside the front half the pump. Next remove the impeller, by unscrewing while locking the shaft from the rear with a wrench. if there is a screw in the center of the impeller threaded into motor shaft remove that first. This should be a left handed thread, so unscrew by turning clockwise. The impeller should unscrew counter clockwise like normal. Next remove the seal plate. That should expose 4 bolts holding the motor to the motor mounting plate. Once you remove this you can remove the old seal, clean, and install new seal. you should replace the diffuser and seal plate o-ring as well. Normally I don't recommend a lot of lube on o-rings, but this one can be a ****** to get back together, so use plenty of lube. As I said getting the back half inserted back into the front half is a pain, so you'll just have to work it. Make sure the motor locking ring is forward of the mounting brace that sits on the ground. This can be hard, but if you get it at the right angle it will go raight in place. Make sure the diffeser and/or diffuser o-ring does not slip off into the pump housing when your trying to get it lined up and back into place. There is a notch in the housing and seal plate that have to line up. Sometimes a clamp or ratcheting strap can be used to help pop the two halves back together.
Now all that being said.... it might be worth it to just take the whole pump in to a pump repair shop and let them rebuild it, or put a new motor and seals for ya. At least check the price and consider it. This pump has unions to install it so there is no pipe work required to remove the whole darn thing. Good Luck, and let me know if you have more questions.

I hope this helps.

The only suggestion I have is that some manufacturers caps last longer than others. If you can get one that is a higher voltage, same capacitance and still fits then that might help. That is a tall order. I have had good success by purchasing at Tolbert Electric Motor Co. in Garland, TX and at SCP. Unfortunately you probably don't live in the DFW area so you might need to find similar sources in your area. Tolbert supplies motors parts and motor repairs and I don't think you need an account. SCP is a wholesaler that sells to pool professionals. You might also call Hayward's technical support number at 908-355-7995 and they might help. I wish you success.

you may have some debris in the impeller. you'll have to separate the wet end from the motor and access the impeller to see if it is partially plugged with debris. Northstar pumps have a closed face impeller that can trap debris at the opening and slow flow dramatically.

You didnt mention removing the impeller before trying to "slide it out" Remove the impeller and diffuser first before trying to seperate the two pieces. Lock onto the rear shaft with a 7/16th" wrench while rotating the impeller counter clockwise until remoed. Now you can seperate the two halves.

The impeller and impeller housing assembly needs to be disassembled and checked for blockage. The issue could also be related to a defective impeller or impeller housing itself, There is a small area that the water travels thru when the pump impeller is in motion, and this area has a small plastic ridge that is known to break. Or, the housing has a small hole in it from the impeller or debris, and this small internal hole is causing the pump to loose it's prime.

Thank you for posting your question here on Fixya.com.

No, the ceramic is supposed to be a larger diameter to allow the motor shaft to turn freely. The rubber boot the ceramic sits in need to fit snugly into the seal recess and the rotating head fits snuggly on the impeller.

If this answer does not fix your problem, please comment with additional details prior to rating the answer. You may also contact me thru our website at www.arrowpools.net. Positive feedback is appreciated once your problem is solved!

John

In order for the pump to **** up water, it must discharge air. Try this. Install a hose bibb (faucet) in the discharge line over top of the pump. Fill the pump housing with water, turn on the pump and open the hose bibb/faucet until full water flow is established. Almost all air should be out of the pump and suction line at this time. Now when you close the hose bibb/faucet, the pump will have plenty of pressure to fill the long discharge line.
Suction line should be 2-1/2 inch if that is the pump suction size.
What size is your discharge line?
There should be a check valve/foot valve on the end of the line in the creek to keep water in the pump once it is primed.
Gary

you either have a problem with a suction side air leak, a bad start capacitor, or bad bearings.

Start with trying to prime it by adding water to the hair/lint pot. If it doesn't move any water and it acts like the motor is not turning, it's most likely a start capacitor. The pump would have been making alot of noise before the bearing would have been bad enough to seize.

In order to remove the motor, first turn the motor locking ring. This holds the too halves of the pump together. There should be a small tab you have to press in, then grab the round handle, and spin the outer sleeve to unlock. Once you do this the back half of the can be pulled away. This can be very hard sometimes. If the pump and motor still work, you can flip the switch on for a sec or two, and it will pop the back half away from the front half. If the motor is not working then you'll just have to twist, wiggle and pull till you get it apart. After this make sure the power is off, breaker off, etc. and you can remove two screw from the plastic cover on the tail of the motor and disconnect the wires, and remove that half the pump. Next step is to just pull off the diffuser, which may actually have stuck inside the front half the pump. Next remove the impeller, by unscrewing while locking the shaft from the rear with a wrench. if there is a screw in the center of the impeller threaded into motor shaft remove that first. This should be a left handed thread, so unscrew by turning clockwise. The impeller should unscrew counter clockwise like normal. Next remove the seal plate. That should expose 4 bolts holding the motor to the motor mounting plate. Once you remove this you can remove the old seal, clean, and install new seal. you should replace the diffuser and seal plate o-ring as well. Normally I don't recommend a lot of lube on o-rings, but this one can be a bugger to get back together, so use plenty of lube. As I said getting the back half inserted back into the front half is a pain, so you'll just have to work it. Make sure the motor locking ring is forward of the mounting brace that sits on the ground. This can be hard, but if you get it at the right angle it will go raight in place. Make sure the diffeser and/or diffuser o-ring does not slip off into the pump housing when your trying to get it lined up and back into place. There is a notch in the housing and seal plate that have to line up. Sometimes a clamp or ratcheting strap can be used to help pop the two halves back together.
Now all that being said.... it might be worth it to just take the whole pump in to a pump repair shop and let them rebuild it, or put a new motor and seals for ya. At least check the price and consider it. This pump has unions to install it so there is no pipe work required to remove the whole darn thing. Good Luck, and let me know if you have more questions.

If D.E. is returning to the pool, it's usually because you have a tear in the grids or the backwash valve is not working properly and returning D.E. back to the pool.

Your heater will not work until you fix your pump, and your pump won't work until you replace the shorted out motor.