How To Troubleshoot a Pool Pump That Is Not Fully Priming
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2021
- How To Prime A Pool Pump: • How To Prime a Pool Pump
How To Find Suction Side Air Leaks: • How To Find Suction Si...
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In this Pool Care Basics video, we troubleshoot a pump that is not full of water. A pump that is not fully primed can eventually run dry and cause damage or complete pump failure.
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Thank you! You just saved me from paying someone $120. It was the seal. May God bless you and your family always.
That is great to hear! Helping the do-it-yourself pool owner is what we are all about.
Can you help me understand why when I had the device performed on my pool and the water was running fine in the filter and all of a sudden when I went to get in the pool, I saw no water circulation in the filter.. the service person is gone on vacation so I cut the pool off because I didn't know if it is a problem to the filter running with no water bubbling in it as it was before the pool service
Troubleshooting worked like a charm went from this is bad problem to maintenance. Thanks!
That's great to hear!
The lubbing of the lid o-ring and priming the pump fixed my issue! Thank you and you earned a like and subsribe from me! Cheers and God Bless You
Happy to help, and thank you for subscribing!
Thank you, my issue was the pump lid o-ring - this was a great help to me thanks again!
Awesome! Inexpensive and easy, are the best kind of repairs.
Thanks for the Vid!
right on the money thank you.
ohhh... trying to find a video about the valve leaking and now I think it means, my valve must have a o-ring 🤔 which means if its leaking somewhere near the handle. must need to change. I've been looking at a store's stuff to find valves or whatever can help me figure out the problem and websites and videos, left and right. Think I may know now! Thank you so much! Going to make the test with a hose and or bag, and possibly open that thing up.😄
Thanks for this. I had already cleaned the impeller and wasn’t sure what else it could have been. It was the O-ring. A little lubricant and off we go!!
Great to hear!
What kind of lubricant did you use?? Please. My pump is not priming at all… please any advice is welcome!!! Thanks
@sobretiempo68 Magic Lube as what he used. FYI: It's a lot cheaper from Amazon than a pool store. Do NOT use vaseline for this....very bad for orings.
Great help. Thanks
You're welcome!
Thanks for your help. Turns out a pine cone got below the skimmer basket (maybe when I was cleaning the basket?) and it was reducing the flow. That was a fast and inexpensive fix. Whew!!!
Glad it was an easy fix!
Thanks! Worked for me
That's great to hear!
Great video!
Great video!! Solved my problem right away.thank you so much
Glad it helped!
Thanks for this video, You mention using plastic wrap to create a vaccum, this didn't work for me, but it created a pool of water, and highlighted a crack that was basically invisible. I patched up the crack with a mixture of paper towel and superglue to create a plastic, and the pump is now fully primed. We almost spent a bunch of cash because the pool company told us iit was the filter, and wanted to charge us an arm and a leg. All we need to do now is buy a replacement elbow joint.
We're glad to hear that you identified the problem. Thank you for the feedback.
Hey Rob I noticed that your pump lid is not on properly look at a picture of a Hayward TriStar pump that's new and you'll see how the lid is tightened have it backwards
The pump must have water to it to prime. If you turn on the valve with the lid loose so that the filter is fills full of water, then tighten. It will prime. If the o ring is in need of attention it will be leaking with the pump off unless the pump is higher than the level of water in the pool. Above ground pool. In this case valves off, fill with water, put lid back and tight, valves on and start. You run the risk of damaging the pump by letting it run dry trying to prime.
Hey Rob, I have an inground pool with a Hayward Super Pump and I’m having air bubbles in my return lines and in my pool pump….so I took the water hose trick and put the hose at the front of my pump where the lid is and the bubbles went away and once I took the hose away they came back….so is my problem the O ring? I l took out the O ring and looked it over pretty good it doesn’t look bad at all just has Magic Lube on it
If you had the hose right on top of the lid it is most likely a cracked lid. If you had it closer to the suction hole where the union is then the union is either loose or the o ring in the union is bad or the threads are bad. I would try tightening with a wrench but be careful not to over tighten and break it. Especially though wherever you out the water from that hose is where your air leak is.
i have a salt water pool and a water fall ,13000 gallon pool .i have a 2hp pump i wanted to go to a variable but have told NO because the water fall will need to extra power to run the pool and the water fall "when it is on"( rarely used.) What do you think? ..the variable would save me a lot of money but i dont want to sacrifice the full use of the water fall for that. Suggestions???
Hello Cecilia - I'd recommend a variable speed pump that is in the range of 2HP-3HP. That way you can circulate the water on a low speed and use the higher speeds when you want to run the waterfall. You'll save a ton on energy consumption.
I have hayward 700 super pump just stopped priming. This is only 2nd year will the o ring wear down that quickly?
It could, or it may be the other things we mentioned. You won't know until you start troubleshooting.
I have a new Zodiac pacer set up. When I run the pool pump with out the Pacer connected the whole system flows properly and strong. Once I add the Pacer then it stops sucking and the waterflow drops completely. I replaced the sand , skimmer lid and added the new Pacer ( had a n old Pacer ) . Checked everything you guys suggested. The flow is good when nothing is connected but once the Pacer is connected it stops working and the flow reduce greatly..... HELP PLEASSSSEEEEE!!!!
Im currently experiencing the same issue...
Hi there if the o ring is bad and sucking air , would you see bubbles in the pool? Thank you
If there is air in the system, then you may see air bubbles coming out of the return lines.
My Janus variable speed pump controller has time at 65: 1247 how do I reset back to non military time?
Will a small leak after the pump (say the collar of a sand filter that has small beads of water escaping) cause the pump basket not to fill all the way? Thank you
A small leak on the pressure side would not cause the failure of the pump to fully prime. It would cause the system to drain out when the pump turns off. Then the next time the pump turns on, it will take longer to prime. Try putting the filter valve in the bypass/recirculate position and see if the pump primes. If it does, there is an issue inside the filter. The filter may need to be backwashed or the sand may need to be replaced.
@@Inyopools I appreciate the response. I bypassed like you said and the pump fills completely. So I know it is the sand filter. However, I just replaced the sand and installed a new pump. I replaced with 300 lbs sand on a Pentair sand filter just like the side of the filter said. My filter has a black hexagon collar that looks like it screws into the shell. The port sits on this collar and the clamp attaches to that. my filter doesn't have a lip that the port and clamp attach to. At the base of this hexagon collar where it meets the shell there is very small amounts of water seeping out. And it didn't do this before the sand change. So I guess I will have to take the port off again and maybe re seal the collar? I don't know why there would be so much pressure for this to happen after a sand change and re attach of the port. Thanks again
thanks for sharing .❤️
My pleasure 😊
I just installed a new variable speed motor a Century ECM16SQU with a GOKIT54.for my old Sta-Rite pump.Everything worked but I get bubbles in the pool and the pump basket area. This happens at lower speeds. At 3100 RPM a get a few bubbles in the pool but none in the basket. at lower speeds there are lots of bubbles. No debris in any basket, I replaced the o-ring for the pump gasket. I also replaced the o-rings and gaskets for the new motor install and did not touch any of untouchable parts. the only thing I can think of is the 10" gasket under the stainless steel ring. I haven't taken it apart until I get an ordered replacement. Thoughts? Again this is a new install from last week. Wanna do a new video? 45 minutes from you guys.
Hello Artie - The 10" gasket under the clamp would not cause a bubble issue. There would be water dripping because it is on the pressure side. Do you have a salt chlorine generator? If so, that is hydrogen bubbles and that may explain the bubbles coming from the jets but not gathering in the pump at 3100 rpm. Bubbles gathering inside the pump on lower speeds is very common with variable speed pumps/motors. I wouldn't be concerned with a few air bubbles on lower speeds.
@@Inyopools I do NOT have a salt chlorine generator. Nothing is dripping from any pipe. This all started after I installed the new variable speed motor. When I first installed the new motor I did have some dripping but it stopped so I thought it was just extraneous water. It has not leaked/dripped since. Just bubbles and especially at lower speeds. Can it be any of the seals/o-rings. These bubbles aren't normal. Air is getting into the system. Could it be an old cartridge filter? Also could it be and of the actual parts? Like the diffuser or impeller? They weren't damaged but looked old. I cleaned them up
I just had this exact issue. Run a garden hose over each valve on the intake side of the pump. You will notice the bubbles in the pump basket disappear. That valve is the culprit. You are taking in a little air. Go on Amazon and by the three O-ring packet (4) sets for $5.99. You will obviously have 3 extra sets for a rainy day. Take a picture of the valve before you disassemble it and at each stage. Remove the 6 or so screws and pull the unit upward. There are two O-rings on the diverter shaft separated by a spacer. Save the spacer. Tere is one larger O-ring on the lid. Replace all three O-rings using a little lubricant. No WD-40! Replace the unit back in the valve and tighten the screws in an opposing pattern. Don't go around in a circle. I am willing to bet the bubbles in the pump and the pool disappear. BTW...if you call in a pool guy they will sell you a new valve for $175 or more plus labor. Trust me this is very easy to do! Good luck.
We have a used pump and 325 sq ft cartridge filter that was given to us. It had sat up unused for a while before we got it. Replaced a couple parts on the filter, bought new cartridges and it’s working fine. We turned on the pump to test it (just for a few seconds) without water and it sounded fine. Once we installed it and turned it on, it works great on high speed but if we switch it to low speed, the water flow drops way down and then the pump trips after about 30 seconds. Do you have any idea about why this is happening on low speed. Thanks
Can you explain what you mean by letting it run on high speed? I’m confused as to high and/or low speed? I have a 38000 gallon inground pool with a blue torrent pump. O ring is good & primes we’ll but after about 10-15 minutes, I notice my Pool jets become very week & the pump looks as if water level is half way which may be it’s sucking air into it. I’ve checked the propeller to make sure there isn’t debri. Is there a speed I should be adjusting & how exactly do I do that? My apologies in advance, my Pool service guy I normally have do all this can’t be reached.
The pump in the video is a variable speed pump. Meaning the speeds can run from high to low. If your pool pump only has a 3450 rpm specification, it is single speed and will only run high. It does sound like you have an air leak situation. This video has a lot of info about low water pressure. ruclips.net/video/mAb2abgwbk8/видео.html
Should you change anything about your pool chemistry before you have a pool party
You'd want to make sure the free chlorine level is 2-4 ppm, ph is 7.4-7.6, and the alkalinity is 80-100. The key would be to shock the pool after people are done swimming. The chlorine level will likely be low.
@@Inyopools ok
Great video my skimmer plate wasn’t opened i called professionals they couldn’t figured out easy fix thanks a lot
Great to hear! Glad we could help.
Great video! Did all that and won’t prime tho 😩
Here is a link to additional information regarding pool pumps not priming. www.inyopools.com/blog/troubleshooting/pump-not-priming/
The second half of that comment about filling with a outside water source is for a in ground pool.
Well- In my case was step 1 - make sure the skimmers are open. Pool maintenance people closed them and forgot to reopen them.
We're glad it was a simple fix. Thanks for the feedback.
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Hey you put the lid on correctly at the end of the video great job I bet that that was your problem
How to get lid off
What is the make and model of your pool pump?
My pump basket has water coming out when I turn off pump and close valves. But when I turn it back on there’s no water in the basket. Any tips? New to pool care. Thanks!
Are you saying the pump lid is leaking water? Also, when you turn the pump back on, are you opening the valves? If you aren't, that would explain why the pump is not priming.
The Lid is backwards, just saying
why the hell didnt you empty the pump basket of all the crap?
The pump basket was emptied around the 1:50 mark.
No way just pump o ring was the issue here!
I can vouch that in this case, it was the pump lid o-ring. It was my pump.
The first thing I noticed is that you don't have a safety fence with a safety gate surrounding your pool....by law aren't you suppose to have one.
No. The local code requires a 6' fence around the yard and a pool alarm.
And its fixed big thanks from Cape Town