First of all, thanks a lot for putting great material out there to help make it easy for pool owners like to me to maintain our pools. Unfortunately, I have hit a problem that I can’t seem to fix either am not doing something right or worse have a major problem with the pump itself.
My pump is not sucking water from the pool. I disconnected suction cleaner, filled the strainer pot fully with water, close the lid tightly and then started the pump. When the pump starts it drains the water in the strainer pot and then just sucks air. I would let the pump run for around 3 minutes and then turn it off.
I have repeated this process many times (would be more than 20 times over the last couple of days) and still no luck. On some occasion, I can see water raise in the pool cell for a minute or so with bubbles coming out into the cell as well as water bubbles in the return valve but after a minute or two it either settles down and nothing happens or I have to turn off the pump to avoid running without water for too long.
The pump was just running fine until I recently removed the strainer pot to empty debris collected recently. After that the pump suck water at all.
I checked the o-ring and it does not look like there is any wear on it. I havent applied any lubricant on it yet. What would you suggest I look at next to see where the problem is?
Thanks a lot for your help (photo of pool system below for reference)
Hello Iggle Piggle - The most common cause of a pump not priming is an air leak. An air leak would come from the suction side of the system. This would be the area between the skimmer and the pump. One way to determine if you have an air leak is by looking for air bubbles coming out of the return jets. Another sign is air in the pump strainer. The pump strainer, in most cases, should be full of water and have no visible air. Listed below are areas of concern.
Pump lid O-rings are a habitual offender of air leaks. The O-ring can expand or deteriorate over time and allow air to enter the pump. You can try applying a silicone or Teflon lubricant to see if it helps, but often times it needs to be replaced.
Plumbing fittings will also draw air. A popular technician trick is to use burning incense. While the pump is running, wave the burning incense near suspected areas. The smoke will be drawn in, if there is a leak. Check the fitting on the pump intake, the couplings and elbows. Cut out and replace any fittings that have an air leak.
Valves can be inspected like the plumbing fittings. Diverter valves and check valves will usually have internal O-rings. These O-rings can easily be replaced to fix an air leak. Simple ball valves are not usually repairable and need to be replaced if there is a leak.
Drain plugs are found on most pumps. These plugs are usually used to drain the pump when a pool is winterized. They should be tightened firmly into the pump. Inspect the drain plug and drain plug O-ring. Replace them if they look decrepit.
