Thank you Al! I think mine primed itself because the water basket is already filled with with water and the pump is off. I know my water level has to be 1/2 way up the skimmer in order for the whole operation to work and it's not quite there yet. However, it is about 1 inch into the skimmer and it seems just that amount has been sufficient to prime the pump (my pump sits on the ground at the base of the pool so I imagine this is why). Thanks again! One less thing to stress over.