Pump not pulling any water

[ChuckD]

Hi All,
Need some help restarting my parents pool. They are out of the country for 2 more weeks, and I wanted to surprise my dad by opening the pool for him. He loves to swim.

Anyhow, it has not been opened for several years. Their are two major problems, but i need to deal with the first one.

Specs: 16'x32' Inground, Vinyl liner. Pump is a "Richardson Industries" 3/4 HP pump with a diatomaceous earth (sp?) filter barrel.

The filter is not pulling any water through. I have primed the pump by filling the pump's hopper to the brim with water, screwing the top back on, and starting it quickly. However it barely gets out a squirt of water (on waste mode). I've tried shoving my garden hose down the hopper and forcing water through the line, but that doesn't work either and water comes back up at me.

Could there be a blockage or puncture in the line? How to tell? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Raj

Hey Raj,
What a guy! You're Dad will love you for it.
Anyway to your question: I can't speak for that make of DE filter, but I have a Hayward DE and it typically takes (and the manual confirms) upward to several minutes for the prime to catch. The manual says it could take up to five minutes. Maybe some more patience?

That said, if the pump's sat idle for a couple years there may be something else amiss but first I'd make sure the valves are open properly, any plugs removed from the skimmer, the filter's been thoroughly cleaned, new DE added, etc. and give it five minutes to get up to speed. Then start looking for other possible problems.

Also it'd be worth looking for the pump on the web and seeing if you can dl the manual.

Chuck

[PatL34]

If the pool has a main drain open that and close the skimmer valves. Make sure the water level is halfway in the skimmer port.

Set the multiway valve to bypass the filter, and start the pump. Once you see water coming through the pump basket lid, slowly open the skimmer valves until you see no more air in the pump basket.

Slowly close the main drain, and you should then be running on the skimmers.

Lastly, shut the pump down, and set the multiway valve to send water through the filter.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[Poolsean]

"I've tried shoving my garden hose down the hopper and forcing water through the line, but that doesn't work either and water comes back up at me.

Could there be a blockage or puncture in the line? How to tell? Any advice would be much appreciated"

Um...yeah. If you've got the hose into the pump trap and in the line coming from the pool, and water is coming back at you, something is blocking it. There is a hose nozzle device that can be used to pressurize and blow out most blockage. It fits on the end of the hose, inflates a canvas or rubber bladder to block the water flow coming back at you, and therefore forces the water in the direction of the pool. These are usually available from Home Depot or Pool Stores, called a Drain Jet.

No need trying anything else until you can verify your line is clear and you can draw prime to your pump.

[rqbanerjee]

Thanks a lot guys! It seems that their is a blockage in the line. I disconnected the pump and used the garden hose to force water down the line backward to the hopper. Tied it up with rags and everything, and the water squirted out at me. So it must be clogged.


I'll pick up that "Drain Jet" gadget tonight. Is it safe to use a plumbing snake if water pressure can't blow out the blockage? I'd hate to puncture the lines which are buried beneath feet of concrete.

Thanks a lot!