Cavatation, Clogs and Crazy-making

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B

BeanTree

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Aug 2, 2012
25
Ok so I need help! My husband is on a boat in the middle of the Mississippi with no cell reception and naturally, that is when stuff starts to break around here.

I have a 1.5hp Water Ace pool pump attached to a Hayward DE filter (1 year old) with a SW chlorinator.

Last night I noticed that the flow light was flashing and I went over to the pump and realized that there was NO water flowing through the pump. I tried all of the settings, (backwash, filter, drain, etc...) nothing. The pump just whirs along and the water does not move in the basket. ZOINKS!

This morning, the neighbor and I removed the motor from the pump housing and looked at the impeller and turned the motor on. The impeller spins just fine, it is not jammed. So I put it back and ran water into the pump and the line for 5 mins and filled the basket up and turned it on....nothing. The motor spins the impeller (or at least I think that is what I am hearing) but the water does not move.

I am supposed to have a ton of kids over on Saturday to swim and I need to keep the Chlorine levels up in this heat before I wind up with hot green mess.

Could this be a clog? I did vacuum a ton junk out of the bottom a few days ago. The pump was working just fine after I vacuumed it. But a few days later it is not. Could this be a clog? What is happening?
 
Welcome to TFP.

What type pool is it?
Is the pump basket full of water?
Does it have any air in it?
Is the water level in the pool about 3/4ths the way up on the face of the skimmer?
Is the skimmer weir operating freely?
 
Bama Rambler said:
Welcome to TFP.

What type pool is it? 22k gal gunnite
Is the pump basket full of water?no, not full
Does it have any air in it? yes, when I try to prime the pump the water drains back into the pool This makes me sound dumb, I will go out and close the valve so it does not do this then put the lid back on.
Is the water level in the pool about 3/4ths the way up on the face of the skimmer? No but the water is high enough that the skimmers have PLENTY of water.
Is the skimmer weir operating freely?
Click to expand...
yes, the pool has 2 skimmers and neither of them are "stuck"

I wanted to add that I have checked the skimmer baskets and there are no obvious obstructions
 
I had a similar problem. Had the pump off for 4 days and the whole pool went green. The problem was that I had vacuumed to waste and it drained a lot of water out until the returns and the skimmer was high and dry. I added water to get the pool level up, closed the valves before the pump then ran the hose to the skimmer and vacuum line and filled them up. It took about 30 mintes for each one, but eventaully I got them full again. I turned the valves to open and flipped the switch on the pump. It took a half a minute or so before it stated flowing completely, but it's been good since. Now when I open the pump skimmer, I close all the valves first, dump the strainer as fast a possible, and get the pump back on as soon as I can.
 
1. Go out to the pump and close the valve.
2. Open the pump basket lid.
3. Fill the pump basket with water.
4. Clean and lube the pump basket lid o-ring and the o-ring groove in the lid well.
5. Put the lid back on the basket.
6. Open the valve and immediately start the pump.

It may take a minute for the pump to prime.
Sorry about all the steps but I wanted to be sure and cover everything.

Let us know if it works.
 
Ok I have water running into the line. I am not sure if the valve is closed or not. I cannot make heads or tails of this Dang valve assembly and I am no longer on speaking terms with the guy who remodeled the pool. (it got very ugly towards the end). Perhaps I should take a picture and let you guys see what I am working with.
 
This is the valve. I do not think there is a closed setting on this valve. It is either open or it closes off one side or the other (meaning the two pipes that come up out of the ground).

I filled it as best I could, the pool is nearly over full now because all of this water has drained back into the pool. And still, no water is being pumped.
 

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You are correct, the way that valve is currently setup does not allow you to shut it off. But, changing it is easy. See the 2 pins in the holes, remove 1, you will then be able to turn the OFF tab to the center pipe to the pump. Then try Bama's procedure.

NOTE: You do not EVER want to be running the pump with the center pipe closed.
 

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If water is churning in the pump basket, the motor is turning, so no likely a capacitor problem.

Have you said what kind of filter you have and what the pressure reading is?
 
Ok my daughter helped me do this 4 times. I shut the valve. removed the cover, added water till it was full. She turned the pump on the second I opened the valve. It was simultaneous. The water drained back into the pool line until it was below the level of the opening in the skimmer basket. *sigh*
 
So the motor turned on when off the pump?
Is the motor making any noise when you have been trying to get it to prime?
So the water in the pump basket (even after draining) is not not moving around at all with the pump on?
How long are you letting the pump run these times?

Can you add a picture of all the plumbing? Wondering if there is a valve on the return side that is closed or something.
 
jblizzle said:
So the motor turned on when off the pump? Yes, the motor turned when it was removed from the pump
Is the motor making any noise when you have been trying to get it to prime?It is making the usual noise, in the past it would take a minute while it primed, there is nothing abnormal about the noise, it is just humming/whizzing. there is no grinding sound
So the water in the pump basket (even after draining) is not not moving around at all with the pump on?That is correct, no movement.
How long are you letting the pump run these times?Last night it had been on for about 2 hours before I noticed, or at least I think that long, the timer was set to come on 2 hours before I noticed the problem

Can you add a picture of all the plumbing? Wondering if there is a valve on the return side that is closed or something.
Click to expand...
Let me see if I can get a pic.

BTW, I REALLY appreciate your help.
 
When you had the motor off, did you remove the diffuser and check the impeller for clogs? If not do so. Look between the little vanes, they should all be obstruction free (can be poked clean with a piece of wire).

Not to be facetious, but there is pump lid o-ring, isn't there?

Lastly try turning that valve so that the pipe to the skimmers is closed. Doesn't work, close the pipe to the main drain and try again.
 
What is the multi-port setting currently?

Try the priming procedure with it on Circulate (that will test if it is something in the filter causing the problem). You could also try it on Waste (that would take all the return plumbing out of the loop and see if it may be clogged)

You could also try the priming procedure with out one side of the suction line open (that could test if one of the side is leaking badly ... although I suspect that is not the case given that you have NO movement of the water).

I guess I am still not sure how the water in the basket is not moving at all if the impeller is moving ... almost makes me think the motor is not actually turning.
 
There is nothing obstructing the impeller, I felt around in there (when the motor was off)

Yes, the o-ring was cleaned and greased with silicone lubricant this afternoon.

The multi-port setting is on filter. I tried to get water to move via all of the settings last night and nothing happened. I will check one more time.
 

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