Hey all! Wanted to reply last night, but the weekly 'safety meeting' at my boss' house went into extra innings, so I got home late and had limited 'useful consiousness' To aid in the priming of a set up like the one described, close the MD line shove a garden hose (wrapped with a rag - to make a better seal) into the suction port in the skimmer. This will take 2 people; 1 to hold the rag wrapped hose in the line, and the other to start the pump when the water arrives. Then you can open the MD valve slightly until the air is out of the line- this should save you a few minutes. * Trying to do this w/ only 1 person may result in a rag becoming lodged in the skimmer line

7:10AM CDT...Mizzou, I forgot a very important line last night...you need to close your pressure side valves at this point as well. In other words all pipes to and from the filter (except backwash) are valved closed. Sorry, I forgot this
Dave, why? You may drain the filter down to the multiport outlet (if there is an air leak, as per AL), but shouldn't syphon the pump's prime with the suction lines closed.

Secondly:
Ouch!!, I wouldn't do that. That can't be good for the multi-port valve. I don't think you'll lose prime if you shut off the pump first.[/QUOTE]

I agree, most certainly a BAD idea, unless you want to keep buying multiports, or the components that will get ruined by changing the valve when it's pressurized.

(If any of this is bad, wrong or stupid - blame it on the hangover) - Waste