Pump Loosing Prime

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Sun 26 Apr, 2009 19:14

I'm fairly new to pools (this is my third swimming season of bumbling along figuring this thing out). I'm having trouble with loosing prime on my pump and low suction all together. The water seems to circulate well, but not when I close the main drain.

I can barely get enough suction to vac some (with low suction) and then after 10 mins or so it looses suction and releases the hose.

From reading other posts here, I'm thinking I may have an air leak above water level. I do not loose water. We have tried several things to check for a blockage in the line from the pump to the skimmer. 1) ran a garden hose in both sides (pump side and skimmer basket) to try to blow out blockage. 2) ran plumbing snake in from pump side about 10 ft with no apparent obstruction. 3) tried attaching shop vac on suck at skimmer. It sucked water, but nothing else.

I can't hear any suspicious air movement in the pipe/pump area. I am somewhat concerned about the automatic chlorinator seal possibly leaking. It is a Hayward with screw on top. How could I tell?

Appreciate any help you can offer.

Heidi

Postby **Me...** » Mon 27 Apr, 2009 09:40

Does it lose prime when you try to run on the skimmer only WITHOUT attaching the vacuum? Be sure any air being sucked in isn't just being hauled in through the skimmer because of excess suction too.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Mon 27 Apr, 2009 11:01

It does loose prime on skimmer only as well.

I'm not sure what you mean about air coming in thru skimmer because of excess suction. Can you elaborate for me?

I ran a small plastic bag thru the vacuum line last night and it did not appear in basket which is leading me to believe I have a blockage some where under concrete.

Do you know the best way to knock a blockage loose? I have run the snake in from the pump side at least 10 ft, but can't seem to get it to go any further. I can't get the snake past the first corner from the skimmer side. Is there a way to take apart the skimmer?

Postby **Me...** » Wed 29 Apr, 2009 10:32

Since you probably don't have an extra pump ...........

See if you can run your vac hose directly from the pump suction into the pool. If you can get the pump to run nicely then quickly stick the vac hose in and out of the skimmer hole.

This should be the hole furthest away from the pool wall if there are 2 holes in there.

Try doing this every few seconds and if you are lucky (it usually works) it will pull whatever is in there, back out. If it is a plug of some sort.

Postby **Pooltech32** » Thu 30 Apr, 2009 00:30

I have had better success with trying to push the blockage out rather than suck it out? not sure why. have you tryed a drain king? it is an attachment you put on your garden hose, you would open your pump and insert it into the suction side of the pump(away from the motor) then turn your garden hose on, the rubber drain king will expand and get lodged into the pipe, then water will be pushed through the pipe and hopefully push out the blockage, I have used a plug at the skimmer on my pools for stubborn blockages, this will build the pressure in the pipe and when you let it go you should get a rush of water and hopefully a bunch of gunk., when using a plug(I used a bottle of coke once) get the hose running or use whatever fits, shove it into the skimmer opening and hold it down, you will hear and feel the plug being pushed out, hold it there and the just let it go, you should get rush of water. Sometime this takes multiply attempts

Postby **Me...** » Thu 30 Apr, 2009 16:40

The only reason I never use a drain king is because you use house pressure which can be 90psi in places. Even at 60 psi or so you can do a lot of damage if that plug REALLY plugs and you have no gauge to go by.

Postby **Pooltech32** » Thu 30 Apr, 2009 17:04

humm thats strange here in Canada the pressures are quite a bit lower than that, I use the drain king before anything else here because you can't really do any damage.

Postby **Me...** » Thu 30 Apr, 2009 17:09

In Burnaby I have read 90psi. Rest of the city will be 60 or so. Also depends what the city is up to. They can radically alter the pressure periodically with work they do. Then you will hear about people blowing relief valves for no apparent reason and later when the plumber gets there all seems normal. But the home owner ends up footing the bill for a new valve and install anyways, just to be sure.

My buddy just had his basement flooded, but we had just put a new tank in and I KNEW it was all ok. Made the city come and put a PRV valve on his house at their expense.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Fri 01 May, 2009 21:19

I did try drain king, but not with a plug in skimmer. I may give that a try. I can't push the drain king past the first 90 degree and there is at least one more 90 degree before the blockage so I can't imagine the pressure is great at the blockage.

I don't have an extra pump and I'm not sure I understand what I am to do with the vacuum hose to break the blockage loose....get the pump sucking at the skimmer and then plug in hose that is full of water intermittenly?

Thanks for all the helpful advise! As I read all the issues folks are having it makes me wonder how much I like having a pool....seems like it can be endless trouble and expense at times.

Postby **Me...** » Sat 02 May, 2009 08:50

"get the pump sucking at the skimmer and then plug in hose that is full of water intermittenly?"

Exactly

Dallaspls · Postby **Dallaspls** » Sat 02 May, 2009 14:53

I had a clog from hell that that I tried everything from the drain king to bursts of compressed air (175 psi compressor) (also snaking). Nothing worked. Finally found a CO2 charged "Kleer Drain" (at home depot) and after four co2 cartridges, my clog was cleared.

Me... wrote:"get the pump sucking at the skimmer and then plug in hose that is full of water intermittenly?"

Exactly

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Wed 06 May, 2009 09:01

ok, i understand what you are saying about using the vac hose itself.

we ended up dislodging the 2 flexible dive sticks and the piece of fishing line with a bead on it that we sent in to confirm the blockage. We believe the block was at the 2nd 90 degree turn (1st turn after the immediate one at the bottom of the skimmer)

Anyway, what finally did it was the we started asking our friends to pray about this as we really wanted the pool available for our daughters grad party on 6/9. My husband bought enough fittings to plumb his compressor straight onto the line from the pump basket. He unhooked the pipe at the shut off by the pump basket and plumbed his compressor there and sent air through to blow the water out of the line. He planned to plug the skimmer basket after and put some pressure in the line, but that didn't turn out to be necessary. The blockage came bubbling up with the water.

Thanks so much for all your practical assistance and thank you Lord for your divine intervention!

Heidi