I'm in my first full year as a pool owner and for the life of me , I can not get the basket in front of the pump to stay full of water.I have to unscrew the lid to get it to fill with water , then tighten it back up .after turning the pump on , after about 3 seconds, the basket empties again. I know this cant be good for the pump so I turn it off. I.m very dissatisfied with the company who sold it to me, no how to demos or anything. could anyone on here please help?
I'm so confused
- Thread starter uncrob
- Start date
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Are there any valves that are closed that should be open?
Pump drain and lid seals are lubed and tight?
Water level is high enough and the skimmer weir is not stuck causing air to be drawn into the pump?
Welcome!
First, it's not uncommon for the pump to empty instantly when the pump gets turned on. You might be panicking about nothing. It might take a few seconds - and it feels like minutes - to suck the air out of the pipes and get going good. You should at least hear a change in pitch. Then it starts foaming up in the basket and you'll see bubbles blowing out the returns and then the basket fills almost completely and it starts to sound normal and then it's all fixed. There's always a few stray bubbles stuck under my lid that take hours to go away.
If after thirty seconds or so it still won't get going, then you have an air leak somewhere. The most common is the gasket on that lid you unscrew. They get stiff and flat and crack with age. If you grease it up good with pool lube, it should help. If you see any cracks, you need a new gasket. Sadly, the pool store is the place to gop for that. They'll probably have one in stock.
First, it's not uncommon for the pump to empty instantly when the pump gets turned on. You might be panicking about nothing. It might take a few seconds - and it feels like minutes - to suck the air out of the pipes and get going good. You should at least hear a change in pitch. Then it starts foaming up in the basket and you'll see bubbles blowing out the returns and then the basket fills almost completely and it starts to sound normal and then it's all fixed. There's always a few stray bubbles stuck under my lid that take hours to go away.
If after thirty seconds or so it still won't get going, then you have an air leak somewhere. The most common is the gasket on that lid you unscrew. They get stiff and flat and crack with age. If you grease it up good with pool lube, it should help. If you see any cracks, you need a new gasket. Sadly, the pool store is the place to gop for that. They'll probably have one in stock.
Welcome to TFP! Richard320 covered the two items I would check first, so I'll echo that recommendation. I once had a problem with the pump lid gasket. One quick way to test the condition of the gasket is to roll it between your index finger and your thumb. If it feels uniformly round (no pronounced flat spots), then it's in good condition. OTOH, if it feels more flat than round, or there are pronounced flat spots, or it leaves a residue on your fingers and feels "crumbly", then it's time for a new gasket.
