Help-Pool Guy Is A No Show

[Dafreak]

I hired a company to open my pool. He came out the other day, pulled the plugs, shocked it and told me to fill the water up to the filters (half way). Did what he said but he was supposed to ocme back today and he didnt. Im not paying this little **** $400 to play games. All I need to do is turn the system on but being new to pools and this house I have no idea what to do. Should I attempt to do it or wait? I think all I need to do is prime the pump and flip the switch, no? The water is clear but there is a lot of sediment etc. that I would like to start filtering so that i can use the pool. Any suggestions?

[Dafreak]

I tried priming the pump but I cant get any suction from the pool. What am I doing wrong?

[mwsmith2]

Hard to tell. Are your valves set right? How long did you wait for the pump to prime? It can take 2 mins or longer for some pumps to self-prime.

Also, I can understand your frustration, but profanity is not really necessary here.

Michael

[Dafreak]

Thanks for the response and I apologize for the profanity. Maybe I am not priming the pump correctly. Is there somewhere where I can find out that process?

[Poconos]

For a start some info would be helpful:
--Above or in-ground pool? Defines the equipment location as being above or below water level.
--Filter type? Model would be nice as it may define the valving positions.
--Pump model?

If you have any blockages the pump won't prime. As Michael said could be just valving.

If you do get the thing going check for leaks all around.

Post the info and we'll go from there.
Al

[Dafreak]

It is an inground pool. I am at work now so I can not tell you what brand the pump or filter is. I was worried about running it too long without water flowing through it so the longest I let it run was maybe 15 seconds. Do I need to let it run longer? I placed a hose directly in the pump filter and I did notice a pinkish liquid coming out of one of the skimmers in the pool. I assume it was antifreeze. Are all lines to and from the pump supposed to be open while priming?

[mwsmith2]

Yes. It can take up to 2 minutes for a pump to prime. Opening the skimmer basket and filling it with water will help the pump prime. The water probably won't stay in there, as it will try to drain back into the pool.

The pink juice is antifreeze.

Yes, all lines to and from the pump should be open.

Michael

[docsobeck]

in case the "valve" talk didn't make sense to you, many inground pools will have shutoff valves for one or both of the return lines - the one from the main drain, and the one from the skimmer. the valves would probably be close to the pump entrance. make sure that both valve handles are turned parallel to the pipe.

i just opened my pool yesterday, and i would say the pump ran for close to a minute before there was any water at all running into it, and a good two minutes until it was totally primed.

what you're looking for is the point where you can't see any air bubles at all inside the pump - it should be completely filled with water. if that doesn't happen after a couple of minutes, report back.

also, make sure that the returns into the pool are unblocked. they may have had something put on them for winterization.

[waste]

Dafreak, was the water level too low to get the system 'up and running'? If so, do you only have skimmer (s) for suction? How much higher than the water level of the pool is the filter system (the pump intake)?
I'm not trying to make excuses for your pool dude, his failure to keep you informed as to what's going on is inexcusable! However, as a service tech, I can give you some insight as to the delay.
This is a very busy time of the year for us, the majority of our customers want their pools open for Mem Day (next big day is July 4). (Many folks don't want to waste the money running their pools when the weather isn't suitable for swimming, so they postpone the opening as long as possible) I don't know where you are, but the weather in Ct. has been horrible (for pool work) the last 2 weeks, we've gotten well over 1' of rain, it has cost us a lot of lost time. We have 6 to 9 openings schedualled/ day, if it rains and we can only do 5, there's a back-up, when this happens 9 days in a row (with 3 of them being total washouts), there are about 30 pools that didn't get opened on the day they were supposed to be. In addition to the backup, all that rain makes each opening take longer (solid covers need to be pumped off, mesh covered pools need to be drained...) Add to this the occasional major problem, (ie you go to start the pool and the system leaks everywhere, or the pump is frozen), you loose time having to fix whatever's wrong, but you can't just leave it that way. This is a short list of why service can't be done 'on time', but whenever we can't make it out to a schedualled pool, we call the customer and let them know we can't be there on that day, and if the delay continues, for whatever reason, we call them again and let them know.
Enough of that! When I prime a pool, I only try to draw from one suction source at first (I start with the low suction (MD when applicable)). Then I slightly crack other suction sources' valves (1 at a time), until the air has been fully bled out of each line, open it fully and then progress to the next.
If you still need tips on how to prime a hard to prime pool, give a whistle and I'll tell you how I've been able to do it (most take 2 people)

[Poconos]

Gee...on a hard to prime system it seems pretty easy to set any valves to skimmer only, shove a garden hose down the skimmer pipe at the bottom, pack a rag around it to seal a little, fire up the pump, and when it starts sucking pull out the hose. Then start looking for air bubbles and go from there in the troubleshooting process.
Al

[Dafreak]

Thanks guys for all the info. The pump is primed and running. NOW, how the heck do I get all of the leaves out of the pool and how long until all the dust is out? It looks like a pool at an old motel (although the water is crystal clear).

[Watermom]

Scoop as many leaves out as you can. Then let your pump handle the dust.

[Dafreak]

Thanks, unfortunately the leaves are all in the deep end of the pool. Ill work on it. One more question, is it OK to turn the heater on right now or do I need to wait for some reason? I thought I read somewhere that I should wait. Thanks.

[docsobeck]

there's an inexpensive item that's GREAT for getting out all those leaves in the bottom without vacuuming and clogging up the baskets repeatedly. check it out here:

http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Big_Sucker_Leaf_Vacuum

there are a couple of brands available. you can find these at most pool stores, and even some wal mart-type places, or home centers. i've seen them for as low as $21, and it works great for leaves. just attach to your plain old garden hose and telescoping pole, then drop it in and suck up the leaves. the only down side is that is stirs up the dust on the bottom and clouds up the water a bit, but that's why you have a filter.

[mwsmith2]

I'd wait to turn on the heater until you check your water balance. That becomes very important when heating, because if not correct, it can damage your heat exchanger.

Michael