Hi all. I made a boneheaded mistake. My pool water is currently below the skimmer. I am waiting on it to get below my light so I can putty the hole where the light cord exits the niche. I believe I have a leak in the pool in the niche/conduit junction, considering the water level has been decreasing by quite a bit ever since I replaced my light. I did not putty that hole when I replaced the light because I didn't think it was necessary. I was wrong.
Anyway, I was going to vacuum the pool...and silly me did not fill up the skimmer pipe. I figured that the pump would pull a little bit of air but that it would be alright. Well, the pump did not pull water from the hose. So, I turned the pump off and primed it. I filled up the skimmer line to the point where water was flowing through the skimmer. I also put plenty of water in the main drain line, but the basket before the pump would never overflow...the water level woudl always drop. So, I filled up the basket and quickly screwed the top back on and turned on the pump. Air came out of the filter exhaust...but quickly stopped flowing. So, repeated the priming steps a couple of times and finally got the pump working (off of the main drain)...but it only worked for a couple of minutes...then the water flow slowed to a halt and the pump pressure went back down. It starting getting dark, so I turned off the pump and quit.
Now for my questions: Should I just leave the pump off until the water drops below the light level and I'm able to patch up the hole? By doing that, I know the pool is going to turn green. Or, should I try to prime the pump again tomorrow when I come home from work? That way, I can at least keep the water relatively clean.
If you're wondering why I'm waiting for the water to drop below the light level, the answer is because it was extremely difficult for me to deal with the light the first time around. Without any snorkel gear, I kept having to hold my breath and work on it. Also, I think it would be much easier to path the leak if it's exposed to air.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Anyway, I was going to vacuum the pool...and silly me did not fill up the skimmer pipe. I figured that the pump would pull a little bit of air but that it would be alright. Well, the pump did not pull water from the hose. So, I turned the pump off and primed it. I filled up the skimmer line to the point where water was flowing through the skimmer. I also put plenty of water in the main drain line, but the basket before the pump would never overflow...the water level woudl always drop. So, I filled up the basket and quickly screwed the top back on and turned on the pump. Air came out of the filter exhaust...but quickly stopped flowing. So, repeated the priming steps a couple of times and finally got the pump working (off of the main drain)...but it only worked for a couple of minutes...then the water flow slowed to a halt and the pump pressure went back down. It starting getting dark, so I turned off the pump and quit.
Now for my questions: Should I just leave the pump off until the water drops below the light level and I'm able to patch up the hole? By doing that, I know the pool is going to turn green. Or, should I try to prime the pump again tomorrow when I come home from work? That way, I can at least keep the water relatively clean.
If you're wondering why I'm waiting for the water to drop below the light level, the answer is because it was extremely difficult for me to deal with the light the first time around. Without any snorkel gear, I kept having to hold my breath and work on it. Also, I think it would be much easier to path the leak if it's exposed to air.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!