Pool pumps
Pool pump not working after a power outage: what to check
When the power comes back after a monsoon storm, most pool pumps that don't restart have lost the time, are waiting out a schedule, or are holding a voltage alarm or a locked-up panel. Pentair, Hayward and Jandy each say what their equipment does through an outage. What to check in order, what you can safely reset, and when it points to something that was damaged.
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The storm has passed, the lights are back on, and the pool pump is sitting there doing nothing. In the East Valley that usually means monsoon season, which the National Weather Service's Phoenix office tracks from June to September (NWS Phoenix). Most pumps that don't restart after an outage haven't been damaged. They've lost the time, they're waiting for their schedule, or they're holding an alarm or a locked-up control until someone clears it. This guide goes through what Pentair, Hayward and Jandy say their equipment does through an outage, in the order worth checking.
If the pump won't start at any time, not just after an outage, start with pool pump not turning on.
Safety first
- Work from the breaker and the keypad only. Don't open the pump's drive, the motor or the panel behind the automation's dead front. Pentair warns that a variable-speed drive holds a 230 VAC charge even when there is no power to the unit (SuperFlo VS manual, p. i).
- A breaker or GFCI that trips again as soon as you reset it is a fault, not the outage. Leave it off. Pentair says that if the GFCI trips without its test button being pressed, the pump shouldn't be used until a qualified service representative has corrected the problem (SuperFlo VS manual, p. i). See pool pump tripping breaker.
- If anything at the pad smells burnt or shows scorch marks after a storm, leave it off and call.
- If you have a gas heater and smell gas, leave the area and call your gas utility from a safe place before anything else.
1. Check the breakers and GFCIs
Outages and storms trip breakers. The pump, the automation panel and the heater are often on separate breakers, so check each one, and any GFCI outlet or breaker on the pool circuit. Reset a tripped one once. If it trips again straight away, stop there (see above).
2. Look at the clock and the schedule
This is the most common answer. A pump or panel that has lost the time runs its program at the wrong hours, which looks exactly like a pump that's stopped working.
- Pentair SuperFlo VS and SuperMax VS: the clock survives an outage of up to 24 hours. After a longer one, it blinks until it's reset. Until a custom schedule is programmed, the pump runs Pentair's default: 3,000 RPM from 8 a.m. for two hours, 1,400 RPM for ten hours, 2,200 RPM for two hours, then off until the next morning (SuperFlo VS manual, p. 8). A pump that's off in the evening may simply be on that default.
- Pentair IntelliFlo VS+SVRS: the pump runs on its own internal clock and schedule, which Pentair says the user must set (IntelliFlo VS+SVRS manual, p. 6). Check the time on the display before assuming anything else.
- Jandy AquaLink RS automation: programs, labels and temperature settings are kept on a memory chip through a long outage. What can be lost is the clock: on power center boards before Rev N, a 9-volt battery runs it, and after more than 34 hours without power it drains too far and the date and time are lost. Rev N and later boards use a 3-volt lithium battery (Jandy AquaLink RS manual, p. 14). Jandy's check list says a system that sometimes doesn't run its programmed times points to an outage with a dead battery, and the battery level can be checked in the Diagnostics section of the System Setup menu (Jandy AquaLink RS manual, p. 32).
If the time is wrong, set it, then check the schedule is still what you expect. For other automation systems, see pool automation not working.
3. Check whether the pump is stopped, or waiting
- Was Stop/Resume pressed? On a Hayward TriStar VS, a pump stopped with Stop/Resume stays stopped until the button is pressed a second time (Hayward TriStar VS manual, p. 16).
- SVRS models set to manual restart. On a Hayward SVRS pump, the safety vacuum release can be set to restart automatically after a trip, in which case the pump resumes after 15 minutes, or manually, in which case it resumes only when someone presses Stop/Resume (Hayward TriStar VS manual, p. 18).
- Pentair IntelliFlo VS+SVRS saving its settings. When the incoming voltage drops too low, the drive shows Power Out/OFF and uses its capacitors to stay powered long enough to save its run settings. If power comes back during that process, about 20 seconds, it won't restart until it has finished (IntelliFlo VS+SVRS manual, p. 27). Give it a minute.
- Priming at full speed. When it does start, a SuperFlo VS runs at 3,450 RPM for five minutes before settling to its scheduled speed (SuperFlo VS manual, p. 11). That noise is normal.
4. Read any message on the pump
Voltage messages after an outage are common, and most describe the supply rather than the pump:
| Pump | Message | What the manufacturer says |
|---|---|---|
| Pentair IntelliFlo VS+SVRS | Power Out/OFF | Supply voltage too low; the drive faults to protect itself and saves its settings (p. 27) |
| Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF | Under Voltage or Over Voltage | Supply outside the proper range; the alert clears and the pump resumes when the voltage returns to normal (IntelliFlo3 VSF guide, p. 11) |
| Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF | Offline (in the app) | The Pentair cloud can't reach the pump; Pentair lists a power outage at the pump or the router, or a loss of Wi-Fi signal (p. 11) |
| Pentair SuperFlo VS | 0F | AC under-voltage; see our SuperFlo VS fault code guide |
| Hayward TriStar VS | Check System: DC voltage too low | The drive's internal voltage is out of range; see our TriStar VS error code guide |
For any pump fault, the manufacturers' first step is a proper power cycle. Pentair says to disconnect power at the breaker, wait until all the keypad lights have gone out, then reconnect (SuperFlo VS manual, p. 19). Hayward says TriStar VS errors can be reset with Stop/Resume while the message is showing, or by cycling the power to the pump (Hayward TriStar VS manual, p. 27).
The TriStar VS also keeps an event log of its last twenty errors and status messages, with the time since each one happened, under the Diagnostic menu (Hayward TriStar VS manual, p. 21). If you're not sure what the pump did during the storm, it's worth looking, or photographing for us.
One voltage message during a storm is the supply. If it keeps coming back once the power is steady, Pentair's chart says the voltage needs checking at the motor terminals and the panel while the pump runs, and that an electrician is needed if line voltage is below 90% or above 110% of the rated voltage (IntelliFlo VS+SVRS manual, p. 28). That's a measurement for a technician or an electrician, not something to do with the covers off yourself.
5. If the automation panel is blank or frozen
If the pump is controlled by automation, the panel may be what's stuck:
- Hayward ProLogic or AquaLogic, blank display. Hayward says a blank display with no lights can be caused by an abrupt power outage, and that resetting the unit may correct it (Hayward ProLogic guide, p. 22).
- Hayward Comm Error 1. Hayward says this typically happens after a brownout or power outage and can typically be cleared by turning the panel's breaker off for 2 minutes and back on (Hayward ProLogic guide, p. 33).
- Jandy AquaLink RS locked up. After a power interruption the controller can lock up, with an All Button controller lighting every LED, or a OneTouch filling its screen with dots. Jandy names a power surge hitting the power center's microprocessor as one cause, and its fix is to turn off all power to the system, wait two minutes and turn it back on. Programming isn't lost, though boards before Rev N need the time and date set again. Jandy also suggests a surge protection kit (Jandy AquaLink RS manual, p. 12).
More on each of these is in pool automation not working.
When it points to storm damage
Most outages leave equipment fine. These are the signs that something didn't come through:
- A breaker or GFCI that won't stay on. That's a fault on the circuit or in the equipment.
- A pump or panel that stays dead with its breaker on, after a full power cycle.
- A drive fault that returns after a power cycle once the supply is steady, rather than a voltage message that clears.
- An automation controller that won't talk to the pad after a power cycle. Jandy notes that a lightning strike on the controller's four-wire cable can damage the communication chip on the power center board (Jandy AquaLink RS manual, p. 16).
Once it's running again, Pentair suggests the IntelliFlo's Quick Clean for extra skimming after a storm (IntelliFlo VS+SVRS manual, p. 15). For the dust that a monsoon leaves in the pool and the filter, see Arizona dust storms and your pool filter.
When to call
Call when the breaker or GFCI won't stay on, when the pump or panel stays dead after a full power cycle, when a fault code or voltage alarm keeps coming back on steady power, or when anything at the pad looks or smells burnt. We check the supply at the pump, the controls between the panel and the motor, the drive and the automation, and tell you what has failed and what putting it right involves before anything is quoted.
If you don't know what's wrong, a diagnostic is $120, and it's credited toward your repair if you go ahead. Start from variable-speed pump repair or pool automation repair, or answer a few questions in the Pool Problem Finder. A photo of the pump's display and its label helps.
Sources
Every manufacturer statement above links to this list. Page numbers are the printed page numbers in each manual.
- Pentair, SuperFlo VST, SuperFlo VS and SuperMax VS Variable Speed Pumps Installation and User's Guide, P/N 356292 Rev. A (7/10/20).
- Pentair, IntelliFlo VS+SVRS and IntelliPro VS+SVRS Variable Speed Pump Installation and User's Guide, P/N 356916 Rev. D (11/6/23).
- Pentair, IntelliFlo3 VSF and IntelliPro3 VSF Variable Speed and Flow Pump User's Guide, P/N 356088 Rev. C (5/30/23).
- Hayward, 2.70 THP VS Pump Family Owner's Manual (TriStar VS), 1011786 Rev B.
- Hayward, ProLogic/AquaLogic Troubleshooting Guide, Residential, TSG-PL447c.
- Zodiac (Jandy), AquaLink RS Troubleshooting Manual, 6919 Rev E.
- National Weather Service Phoenix, 2023 Monsoon Season Review.
Pentair, SuperFlo, SuperMax and IntelliFlo are trademarks of Pentair. Hayward, TriStar, ProLogic and AquaLogic are trademarks of Hayward Industries. Jandy and AquaLink are trademarks of Zodiac Pool Systems. They are named here only to identify equipment.