Pump Tolerance

Hi,

Last night sometime the inlet feeder hose blew off of the port and I lost about 7" of water out of my pool, enough to put it below the skimmer opening.

When I got up this AM and saw the level down I went out to the pump to investigate. The pump was still running.

Two questions...

1) How long can a pump be expected to run without water without burning up?

2) Is there anything on the market that shuts the pump off automatically if the water ceases to flow through it?

I'm in the process (slow with a hose) of filling it back up. Sigh....

Thanks.

CoffeeBean

Sorry to hear of your problems. I don't think there is any way to know if you have suffered any damage to the pump with out trying it when the water level gets back up there. I don't know of any safety shut offs for pool pumps but if you have your pump and filter installed with that black hose and clamps I would definitely invest in some flex PVC and PVC fittings. We added shut offs and quick disconnects for convenience. Good Luck I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

Please explain "quick disconnects". Right now every hose I have is connected via a hose clamp. (And I just discovered the skimmer hose is leaking too now.)

CoffeeBean

I had almost the exact scenario happen to me except it was the return line that blew off and the large volume and pressure of the water shooting at the side of the pool dug a big hole of dirt out from under the pool. I tried to fill it back in, but without draining the pool I could not fill the divot back in. Luckily it looks like the liner stretched and now I have a 3-4 inch deep pit about 3 feet long and 1 foot wide at its widest point at one edge of my pool. I was able to build the support back up at the rail and the liner seems to be holding so I am not worried about it. The hoses that I was using are the ones supplied and recommended by the pump manufacture and were included with the pump/filter package. During this I noticed that the return hose would stretch about a foot and the suction hose would shrink about the same when the pump was turned on, so I decided that this hose, even though supplied by the manufacture, was not a good thing and would continue to cause problem. Ultimately I just hard plumbed with PVC using unions and ball valves on each end so that in about 2 minutes I can disconnect everything and put it away for winter. Now I don’t have to worry about cheap hoses or unreliable hose clamps.

Todd & Jennifer,

Pardon my glaring ignorance but where does one get the information on what parts to buy, what goes where, etc., when arranging a system with PVC fittings?

I always have these great ideas but when it comes to getting the appropriate parts I usually bomb. Just today I returned some stuff to our hardware warehouse because the idea for a hose hanger over my fence didn't work and the PVC elbows I bought to keep the waste hose from kinking wouldn't fit. They hate to see me come in. Their return policy is so paperwork intensive.

CoffeeBean

I found everything I needed at Home Depot. First look at your skimmer, return, pump and filter I think I had all 1 1/2 inch female threads on all components. So if you have the same you will need (6) 1 1/2 inch male pipe thread to glue on union. I used 2 ball valves (glue on) one after the skimmer and one before the return line. Next the quick disconnects (I used these so if I needed to service or move something I could do it without disturbing the rest of the plumbing) 1 went after the ball valves and 1 between the filter and pump. I used all 1 1/2 inch flex pvc I think It is called spa flex or tiger flex I bought 16ft and used 12ft. You will need PVC primer and glue as well as some thread tape for the threaded fittings. First wrap some thread tape around the threaded fittings and install hand tight snug them up with a wench but careful not over tighten them. Now the rest of the pieces I took some time to make sure the valves would be accessible. I basically worked from the skimmer to the return line cutting looking gluing. Try to leave 8" to 10" between fittings incase you have and oops you can cut the flex PVC and still have room to glue another fitting on. Your flow is best when slow gradual bends are used instead of sharp elbows. This page has some pictures to help identify the parts. http://pvcfittings.com/ Good Luck

Thank you so much. I'm going to give this a try for the next season. It's *got* to be easier than all these hoses and clamps. I've had the clamps fail at least twice now in the 2 seasons we've had this thing going. Got enough to fiddle with.

CoffeeBean