Help, new pump not working

[jnorris]

Just noticed today that the pump basket had very little water in it, and the filter pressure was zero. Pump was running on low speed. I tried cutting it up to high speed, no change. Cut it off and waited and cut it back on, no change. It sounds like everything is fine, just no water is pulling. I cut it off, pulled out the pump basket, and ran a hose into the line that leads to the pump from the pool. I was thinking that, if there was an obstruction there, eventually the line would have filled up with water and overflowed at the pump basket but it never did. I also tried changing the valve to have it pull from the skimmers to the main drain and back again, and no change.

If there is an obstruction in the impeller, would the pump still sound like it is running, but not pull any water? I am uncomfortable trying to check the impeller (don't really know how to take the cover off) and don't want to void any warranties (pump and pool only 5 months old). We are not losing any water from the pool as far as I can tell.

What else should I do?

[Poconos]

Sorry for not getting to this sooner but I wasn't on the forum yesterday. What cover are you talking about that you can't get off? Sounds like you have an air leak somewhere on the suction side. It doesn't take much of a leak to prevent the pump from priming. These pumps are not designed to pump air, only liquid. They will pull a slight vacuum then damp and virtually no vacuum when dry. Whether they prime on their own or not is determined by how much vacuum they can pull and the level of the pump above the water surface. To help it along with priming you should fill the pump basket chamber with water, seat the lid, then fire the pump. Most common source of an air leak is the pump basket lid gasket. Wipe clean the gasket and mating surface and lube the gasket with silicone grease. If you see any cracks, tears, etc on the gasket, replace it.
Hope this helps.
Al

[jnorris]

Al, you are my hero! But I swear, I had already tried what you said, but because you said to do it, I gave it one last shot. I took the lid off the pump basket, inspected the o ring, it looked brand new, took it off, wiped around the lid rim, put the o ring back on, filled up the pot as much as I could, hurriedly put the lid on, and started it up. It worked!

Now, tell me why it would suddenly stop working? Should I just replace the o ring (5 month old pump, o ring looks brand new), or should I be lubricating it each time I open the pump pot? I only open it every couple of weeks or so, to clean it out, usually there's not much in there but a couple of small bugs.

[Poconos]

What make/model of pump? Should not be any need to lube every time the lid is taken off, just make sure the sealing surfaces are clean. In 9 seasons I've never replaced the gasket in mine and lube it usually at beginning of season...sometimes. As I said it only takes a tiny leak when the basket is not loaded with water for it to fail to prime, especially on low speed. Does the water drain out when the pump is off? If so you may have a leak somewhere else in the system that lets water drain back through the skimmer. In any case, glad it's working again.
Al