Pump not drawing/won't prime

[CelticDaddio]

Ok... I spoke too soon and jinxed my work...

Yesterday the pump ran good for 3 or 4 hours then slowly began to pump less water, eventually producing bubbles and finally stopping. I guess that means I have a leak?

This morning, I tried to restart the flow as I did yesterday and while at the pump I saw what appeared to be a drip coming from the connection between the pump and the pipe(s) going TO the filter. Is this still the suction side, or since it is on the top of the impeller housing going to the filter, would it be the pressure(?) side? Could this be causing my problems?

Two years ago, I moved the filter and pump system. It was 3 or 4 feet from the pool and wanted to move it out further away out of site. As a result, it is now maybe 1 foot higher than before. Additionally, the pipes look like something in Rube Goldberg setup, not my best effort. I am considering replumbing the entire suction side of things to remove as many turns as I can because I read in a pool maintenance book that the more turns in the pipes, the more suction pressure required to pull the water. Is this a good idea? Also, I have all my joints glued, effectively creating one big mass of pipes, filter and pump. Any movement in one pipe, the pump or the filter, would, I guess put pressure on other joints down the line. Are there PVC joints, or connections, I can to, in effect, isolate the pump and the filter, and the multiport valve? My thinking is that by doing so, any pressure used to change the multiport setting, or take the lid off the pump basket, would be isolated from other joints. Lastly, should I paint my pipes to protect them from UV?

Ed

Happy to hear you got it working. As for living with it, depends on where the leak would be located. A tiny leak on the suction side and subsequent bubbles, but you have none, is no big deal. Where it becomes a problem is if the pump basket drains out when it's off and won't prime when you kick it on. Could it have been something as simple as a small piece of crud on the pump basket seal? Clean it and lube it with silicone grease available at pool stores. That stuff won't attack the gasket materiel. Also curious how far above the water level the pump is located. Some installations may actually take a minute or so before the pump is able to start pumping water.
Again, good show.
Al

[aylad]

Don't know about all the plumbing, but one thing to check is the spider gasket in the multiport valve. Mine has to be replaced every couple of years because it gets all crumpled up, and when it does that, I get a very small air leak that I only notice when the pump is off for more than 12 hours or so, but it does drain my pump basket after about 12 hours. I don't notice the leak at all when the pump is on. It's a pretty quick fix with a $12 gasket. It would be worth checking.

Janet

[Poconos]

Ed,
That drip you mention is on the pressure side. Won't affect the suction or the ability to prime but it could be the reason the water drains out when the pump is off. In any plumbing situation the fewer bends the better. Each change in direction adds more flow resistance whether it be on the pressure or suction side. The number of bends on either side won't affect the ability to self prime, only add more resistance to flow once water starts flowing. As for isolating things when you replumb you have two options. You can add Unions which allow you to disconnect components but they do nothing to reduce noise and physical stress on components. My solution was to use straight sections of auto radiator hose to connect PVC sections. Nice thing is they allow for some movement between parts and the hose does hold up real well. I've been using the same hoses for years now and are just starting to show some deterioration on the inside but should get several more years out of them. Radiator hose is reinforced and designed for high temperature and adequately high pressure and the pool environment is very easy on them. Ypu can get 3 foot straight sections in various diameters at any good auto store. Buy the cheapest you can. Some are super thick and overkill for this application.
Here's a couple past threads with some pics. In the one you can sort of see the other hose sections behind the filter.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=6156
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=7054

Al