WhisperFlo 1 1/2 hp pump won't prime on its own anymore!! It was intermittent at first, but over the past few months it has gotten to the point where it will not prime without filling it with water ( sometimes 3 or more , that is shutting everything down, filling the pump and turning it back on, before we can get water flow). The skimmer basket is clean, the cartridges in the Pentair Clean & Clear plus 420 are clean and the manifold is seated firmly, I just replaced the gasket on the filter housing & the pump lid gasket (pool lube included) after installing gaskets and refilling pump, it primed fairly fast, however after shutting down for the night, it wouldn't prime....again!
WhisperFlo won't prime...HELP!!
- Thread starter GC
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
Did you recently clean your filter cartridges? Just making sure that you tightened the barrel nut assembly enough. You know you have tightened it enough when you can no longer see light between the spring coils. Another thing to check is that your pressure gauge on top of the filter doesn't need changing. If you shut the pump off and you can hear a slight hiss of air at the pressure gauge, the gauge should be replaced.
Did you recently clean your filter cartridges? Just making sure that you tightened the barrel nut assembly enough. You know you have tightened it enough when you can no longer see light between the spring coils. Another thing to check is that your pressure gauge on top of the filter doesn't need changing. If you shut the pump off and you can hear a slight hiss of air at the pressure gauge, the gauge should be replaced.
Your issue is from the lint pot lid back to the pool. Somewhere on the suction side you are getting air into it and it is unable to prime. When the pump was running ok did you evernotice when you shut it off water leaking out of the plumbing?
I just watched my husband prime the pool, first off, he waits oh maybe a minute, perhaps 2, before he shuts it down opens the pump and fills the check valve and pump, replaces the lid and turns it back on. He repeats this process until it primes!!! Adding to that our timer is failing and needs to be replaced, asap. So at this point I'm not entirely certain that the pool WONT prime on its own without further investigation. I intend to do that tomorrow and I will let you know, we have many issues with our pool that I need advice and guidance for so I WILL be back.
Fix that suction side leak and your pump will prime. In a perfectly leak proof circulatory system (hard to accomplish but possible) the pump will NEVER lose prime.
(FYI our pool equipment sits about 8-10 ft above the pool)Okay, so today I went out and ( the pump was full when I began) I switched it on set a timer for 10 min. and waited. Then I started off by taking the pump lid and cleaning it thoroughly, then applying pool lube generously inside the lid, filled the pump with water, opened the pressure valve on top of the filter and set the timer for 5min, no go. Then I closed the filter valve, filled the pump, then I went to the skimmer and put a hose into the port inside and turned the water on full blast, fired it up...no go. It took about 30 min of off & on and refilling the pump before I was able to prime it. I have an obvious suction issue! I did not notice any leaks at the pump, but the way the equipment is set up( fully exposed to weather, with leaves,etc. around it, it isn't easy to spot) I fully intend to build some kind of shed around it, as it should have had anyway! I will take some pictures of the pool and the equipment today, and hopefully post them later this evening. Then I'm hoping you can give me a place to start.
8-10 feet above the pool is pretty helpful advice. You will ALWAYS have a hard time priming that pump if you have even the tiniest air leak.
You are going to have to install check valves to prevent that water at the pump and filter from going back to the pool. If you have them already, they are not working.
You are going to have to install check valves to prevent that water at the pump and filter from going back to the pool. If you have them already, they are not working.
Actually, if the pump was full with water while the pump was off, that seems to indicate that you may not have any leaks (at least on the pressure side that may allow the water to drain back to the pool).
Or maybe I do not understand since it then sounds like you turn the pump on for 10 minutes and nothing happens?
I agree with Dave, every time you open the pump and the suction line drains that far down, it is going to be hard to get it re-primed. Adding a check valve on the suction side seems to make a lot of sense in this case.
Or maybe I do not understand since it then sounds like you turn the pump on for 10 minutes and nothing happens?
I agree with Dave, every time you open the pump and the suction line drains that far down, it is going to be hard to get it re-primed. Adding a check valve on the suction side seems to make a lot of sense in this case.
My wife joined the forum last year and is having trouble accessing her acct, so I joined as well. She is the one with experience, her Dad was in the industry for 40 years, she spent many of her summers helping her Dad with his route in Palos Verdes, CA. I am a California State licensed Electrical contractor since 1992, I grew up on the beach in So. Cal. My wife and I moved to Nevada City, CA almost 14 years ago and last year moved into a home less than a mile from our old one…one of the major differences being the in ground swimming pool! If my wife didn’t have the same background we wouldn’t have approached the prospect/ project as confidently…the previous owners authorized the disconnection of the existing solar heating system(apparently they were unable to find anyone more qualified than a neighbor claiming to be a “pool guy”). He also disconnected the drain(????) there is a waterfall as well. My wife submitted photos last year, seeking advice on plumbing corrections, which I will post again, to give a fuller picture of our pump issues. My wife also stated that when she shut the pool done the other night, she could hear several “loud, popping & hissing coming from the equipment” she could not tell whether it was coming from the filter or the check valve before the pump, she thinks it was the valve. We are capable people, but this is rapidly going over our heads!! Please help!!
Don't worry we will get you there, it does sound like you have some type of leak, just not sure exactly what yet. Suction side leaks are the worst because they are so hard to spot and even a little pin hole leak can keep a pump from priming right. One trick that can help locate the source of your problem is to use good old fashion shaving cream around suspected leaks, look for it to be sucked in, but also look for soapy bubbles on the return water once the pump is primed.
Is this a new problem or a part of your existing won't prime" issue?
The suction side of that system is gonna' have to be airtight to keep you from dropping prime. You may well have more than one leak but there's no doubt that you have it (them). You will need to methodically track them down, get them sealed, and your system will operate.
Awesome!! There are a lot of "How do I wire...?" questions that pop up on this forum.GC said:
The collective knowledge here is unsurpassed, and we'll help you through it. Just pay it forward with your electrical knowledge when the time comes :grin: .