Pump timer stopped or drifting? We'll find out why.

Pump on a timer that's stopped keeping time?

Most older North County pads still run the pump on a yellow-dial Intermatic mechanical timer, and they're honest little machines: when they fail, it's usually obvious. The dial stops turning, so the pump never comes on or never goes off. A tripper falls out or works loose, so the schedule drifts. The clock motor gives up after twenty summers in a metal box. Or the box itself has taken on water and the terminals have corroded.

We check the timer with the pump running and not running. Is the dial advancing — that's the clock motor. Are the trippers tight and set where you think they are. Is there voltage in and voltage out when the dial says there should be, which tells us whether the switch contacts inside the timer have burned. Is the door seal keeping water out, and is there corrosion or heat discoloration at the terminals. On a digital timer we check the display, the battery backup, and whether it's lost its program in a power blink, which is a common cause of a pump that ran fine until the last outage.

The finding goes to you in writing: clock motor, trippers, contacts, wiring, or supply. A tripper re-set or a program restored is a maintenance fix and we do it while we're there. Anything inside the box beyond that is electrical work.

If it needs more than a diagnosis

Work that needs a C-53 goes to our referral partner: Pool-Clinic Inc., a licensed C-53 swimming pool contractor, CSLB #1122305. You contract with them directly and pay them directly. We take nothing. Our write-up goes with you, so you know exactly what you're being quoted for.