Pump running dry after hard freeze

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G

gustafson

0
Jul 20, 2015
89
Houston, TX
We've had a hard freeze in Houston that started Friday night. My pump was set to its regular schedule of 8hrs during the day with 2 hrs for the booster. Today afternoon I noticed that the pump was running dry. I stopped it and cleared the skimmers and the pump filter basket, but no dice. Could it be the underground lines are frozen, or something else? Pointers greatly appreciated!


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It is very unlikely likely that the ground is cold enough to freeze the plumbingunderground. More likely that the above ground plumbing and/or the filter are frozen.
 
pooldv said:
It is very unlikely likely that the ground is cold enough to freeze the plumbingunderground. More likely that the above ground plumbing and/or the filter are frozen.
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Gotcha! Makes sense. I tried the main return and the two skimmers independently and no dice. I also checked the filter pressure and it's flatlined, supporting your hypothesis. Should I wait for it to thaw out, or can / need I do anything prior to that to get things flowing?


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I think waiting for it to thaw out is ok at this point. We are in the 40s up here today and going up so there isn't any further danger of freezing so it should be fine. If it were going to freeze more over the next couple of days I would take active measures to thaw and restart the pump so it wouldn't freeze more. Things like put a tarp over it with a heater or light bulb inside or add warm water to the pump basket, etc.
 
pooldv said:
I think waiting for it to thaw out is ok at this point. We are in the 40s up here today and going up so there isn't any further danger of freezing so it should be fine. If it were going to freeze more over the next couple of days I would take active measures to thaw and restart the pump so it wouldn't freeze more. Things like put a tarp over it with a heater or light bulb inside or add warm water to the pump basket, etc.
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Great ideas, thank you! It's supposed to warm up considerably in the coming week, hopefully all will be good?


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It was in the 50s this morning, so thought I'd run the pump and see if there was any change. Still running dry. So I primed it with a bucket of warm water. Not sure if I closed the pump filter fast enough. At any rate, no difference, pump still running dry, and no sign of suction in the skimmers, and filter pressure still at 0. Could it be there's still some sections that need to thaw out?


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It is unlikely that anything is still frozen, we barely hit 32 last night. But, sometimes frozen water has an odd way of hanging around. Put a garden hose in the pump basket to fill up the lines until it overflows. How long are you letting it run to prime? Sometimes it takes longer than it seems like it should and a few minutes seems like an eternity with the pump screaming away. But, it is fine to let the pump run for a few minutes when trying to prime. If you a phase a multiparty valve put it on recirculation. If not open the air bleed valve on top of the filter. If you have bottom drains a blend of skimmer and bottom drain might help.
 
Same thing is happening to me. We had 2 days of below freezing temps here in Huntsville. My pump filter basket is partially full of air, and seems to be having a hard time staying full of water. I have been running the pump every 4 hrs for ten minutes each time to prevent freezing of lines, and I checked the skimmers for clogs. I am waiting today to see if warmer temps eliminate the problem. I am also going to re-lube the pump basket lid and make sure I haven't developed an air leak due to cold temps.
 
Turned on the pump but it's still not drawing water from the pool. Put the valve on Recirc and got a gurgling sound for a bit. Then primed the pump with a bucket of water (lubed the gasket too), but the level dropped quickly before I could replace the lid. Guess I need to try the hose to prime. Are y'all able to maintain a full basket when you prime, or does it drop down to the pump intake?


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Whenever I clean the pump basket, the basket empties. I just replace the clear lid, and turn the pump on. It refills after about 25-35 seconds, and restores prime on it's own. By the way, I was able to re-lube the gasket and re-installed the lid today. Temps are back in the mid 40's, and the pump operation is back to normal. I think the cold weather caused the gasket to shrink, and leak air. That's my guess.
 
The basket won't stay full if the pump is above the pool water line. The idea is to fill it with the hose, put the lid on quickly and let the pump run a few minutes to prime.
 
Glad you got your issue sorted out. I tried priming the pump after filling the chamber with a garden hose with MFV on recirc. No luck. Also tried priming with the MFV set on Filter, with the air bleed valve open. Pump isn't pushing water. I'm guessing pump itself has lost its seal or the impeller is broken, because it seems to be much quieter than normal and has lost its bite. The booster is running loudly and moving the Polaris, so wondering if the main pump gave out, possibly unrelated to the freeze? Any other suggestions or troubleshooting tips before I start calling for help?


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Do you mean the filter air bleed because that should not matter?

But either way does the pump fully prime with no air left in the pump basket?
 
Ok, I turned off the pump and breakers and stuck my fingers in the pump inlet through the inlet chamber, but couldn't feel the impeller. Not sure if that means the impeller is kaput, or if I need to check differently. This is a Centurion Smith AO pump.


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