New Pump Tripping Breaker In House

[Poconos]

My 1 HP Hayward Superpump pulls around 7 amps at 240, running. If this is a 1.5 HP and wired for 120 then it's at or above the breaker rating. More questions....you didn't answer what the old pump rating was and is this a 120 or 240 volt configuration?
Al

[Xndman]

I'll check the old pump when I get home. How difficult is it to replace a breaker in the panel?

[Poconos]

Real easy. When and if you decide to do it, make sure you wear eye protection if not full face protection. You're messing in a panel where a simple slip of a screwdriver or something can blow off a bunch of molten metal. Don't mean to scare you but always err on the side of caution. As many times as I've been inside power panels, I always take precautions just in case something does go wrong.
Al

[mshumack]

If you can, shut the main power off to the breaker panel when you work on it. If you just turn the breaker off (that your changing) it is still safe to remove the wire and replace breaker but you would be better off killing power to the whole panel as the adjacent (breakers) wires will be energized. Make sure you buy the same brand (i.e. ITE Siemens, Cutler Hammer, GE, Square D, etc) since the panels are designed for specifc brand breakers (its also required by code not to mix brands).

[Xndman]

The new motor is 115 volts and 12 amps. So I shouldn't have to change the breaker, right?

[mshumack]

The breaker may be weak so it may still need to be changed but I would look elsewhere for a problem.
FYI, you should also check that the wire into the breaker is tight. A loose wire will cause heat build up and increased resistance. You should periodically check all the breaker screws to make sure they're snug - but don't do this with any power on at the breaker.

[tribe_fan]

You should not simply replace a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp, unless the wire size is 12. I cant imagine someone using 14 gage wire (15 amp) for a pool but you should check before replacing the breaker.