Need electrician help--- broken rheostat on Luft pump....

[redfishsc]

I have a Luft pump that drives my DIY skimmer, and the other day I accidentally knocked over my collection jug that holds skimmate.

The luft sucked some of the skimmate up into it's housing. Maybe a tablespoon or 3.


I immediately unplugged it and rinsed it with denatured alcohol, flushing it out well.



It worked fine for a couple days, and now the rheostat is shot. It started out working fine, but if you backed it off to anything lower than 10, the pump would stop (the diaphram would still quiver, but not enough to produce air).


Well now the thing won't run at all- the rheostat won't adjust. I'm 100% sure it's the rheostat.



I always run this thing wide open anyhow, is there any way I could just splice the white wire going into the rheostat (coming from the power source/outlet) to the blue wire coming out of the rheostat (going from the rheostat to the motor coil)??

Would this run it at normal "wide open" or would it be overload?


Any help is much, much appreciated! I need to get something running on this skimmer SOON!

[whatevva]

Should not cause a problem if the splice is made properly.

[Staplesofficewar]

well.... It already doesn't work.... I would experiment. I'm not recommending that though because I don't want to be liable. I've never had one apart and I doubt there will be prints online. It would be dificult to point you in the correct direction. Ohm the motor wires to check for a burned up coil. Check from one lead to the other. You want low resistance... Maybe 5 or so ohms. If you get really really high resistance, buy a new pump. Check from each lead to the case to check for a short.

Check the operation of the knob device, I know you said rheostat, but without drawings I can't be sure. It may be a potentimeter. Check the resistance of it while turning the knob, it should change.

Let me know how you make out.

[Loverotties]

It mite be wet inside the pot.