New pump issues

[AStevens]

Hi guys, I have changed out an old one speed pump assembly for a variable speed assembly.

followed the directions in regards to priming etc.

we filled the pump strainer up, put lid on and started the pump. It lowers the pump basket water level down to about one inche, but wont draw any water in the suction side. Once the pump is off the water back fills into the strainer basket again and drains down the suction port until the water is under that port.

is it possible the polarity is backward or am I missing something very ovious?

 

[Jimrahbe]

a,

Welcome to TFP... A great resource for all Canadian pool owners...

You can't connect the pump so that the electrical input is "backwards"... so that is not the issue.

Either you have a suction side air leak, or the valves controlling the water coming into your pump or leaving your filter are turned off. I guess your filter valve could also be off, depending on the type of filter

Most suction side air leaks are at the pump basket O-Ring. You should make sure it is there, not damaged, and lubed. When you shut the pump off and the basket fills back up, does water spurt out anywhere???

I assume this is for an in-ground pool...

If you can post a picture of your equipment pad, it might help others here to "see" the problem.

It would also be good to know the specific model of VS pump that you installed.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[AStevens]

Thanks for the reply! It is a Blue Torrent Variable speed. We had a single speed hayward that failed originally....which also had no priming issues at all!

suction and discharge lines hooked up accordingly, and the sand filter valve is on recirc.

instructions said to fill pump basket up and put lid on / turn pump on.

one thing I noticed is when I fill the pump basket, water drains out the suction until the level is under the port, is this normal? the pump setup is slighty higher than the pool.

will try to attach some pics...as mentioned our old setup had zero issues with priming. It is for an in ground pool, also....I did not lube the basket o ring, is this a vital thing to do?

- - - Updated - - -

Hope these pics work

 

[JamesW]

Your pressure gauge is showing pressure, so I'm thinking that you have some sort of blockage on the pressure side.

 

[sktn77a]

I did not lube the basket o ring, is this a vital thing to do?

Yes, this is very important.

 

[AStevens]

If I had a blockage then wouldnt I have had issues with my previous system, it worked fine until this one was installed, although the pressure side union does leak a bit which seems strange. How can I prove a pressure side clear?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076645SMP/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512358963&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=variable+speed+pool+pump&psc=1


this is the pump.

I didnt lube the basket O ring at all, used dish soap ( a friend recommended ) so perhaps I simply need to get the proper lube?

is it normal for the water in the basket to drain down my suction line once the suction valve is open?

 

[JamesW]

Why are you using recirculate?

When on recirculate, you can pass debris like grass etc that can clog SWGs, heaters etc.

If you have a salt cell, make sure that it's clean.

Turn off the heater and open the bypass valve to see if that helps.

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

Have you heard of gravity?... Gravity is what causes all the water you pour into the pump to flow back into the pool.. Quite normal unless your pump is well below the pool level and then gravity works the opposite way and you won't be able to get the lid on fast enough...

Are you sure the filter valve is in Recirculate position for sure??? Try putting it in Filter or backwash and see what happens.

Do you have any valves after the filter??

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[AStevens]

I assumed it was normal but wanted to double check. I left it in recirc from trying it after filter didnt work.

should I put it on "filter" and just have the valves bypass the heater?

the pump sucks down the basket when I turn it on, then nothing starts to fill it at all.

the skimmer level is halfway or slightly less, but I dont see any vortex or feel suction from the port at all.

no valves after the filter. Just the two discharge valves, one bypass valve and a suction valve ( not counting the filter multi position one

as mentioned I used dish soap for the o ring lube ( due to a recommendation ) perhaps I just need the real deal seal lube?

 

[JamesW]

If your pressure gauge is accurate, it shows pressure, which only happens with flow or a blockage.

Since you have no flow, you probably have a blockage.

Does the gauge go to zero when the pump is off?

Can you post a picture of the whole system?

 

[AStevens]

I took the gauge off and out it back on, pressure read the same when it was off also - so faulty.

not sure what would be blocking if all thats changed is a new pump?

 

[JamesW]

Ok, maybe a suction side air leak.

 

[AStevens]

I will go to the pool store tomorrow and get new o rings for the unions and some proper lube for all the o rings, especially basket cover O ring as I didnt put any on that.

 

[cfherrman]

If the pump basket is full of water and you turn on the pump and the level drops, it is being replaced with air.

Suction side air leak. Did you Teflon tape the threads?

 

[AStevens]

I taped the male union threads that go into the pump, not the union threads itself. Its the old o ring in that union also. Didnt lube any o rings also.

Once pump starts the level drops and doesnt have any water flow in from suction, if turn pump off it fills up to under the suction port

 

[cfherrman]

Take the union off and take the Teflon off, lube up the o ring. Before you reassemble, is the threaded connection at the pump Teflon tape? That connection if npt thread and requires Teflon, the union is o ring sealed, and Teflon can hinder the seal.

After this see if high speed does the same again . If so, could you run the pump on low speed and throttle it up? Could you run it on low and try to find your leak?

 

[AStevens]

I will try that, gonna head to store today to get proper lube, will grab new o rings for unions also.

For threaded portion into pipe I have about 5-6 rounds of teflon on.

whats the best way of detecting an air leak?

 

[mknauss]

With pump running spray shaving foam around the areas. See if it gets sucked into the pump basket. You can also run a hose over the affected area and see if it seals the air leak.

 

[AStevens]

Well all mew male parts of unions and o rings. Lubed everything and atill the same. I tried leak testing by running water over and nothing. Tried ramping it up slowly, tried full out.

would it possibly be that this pump doesnt have the suction to pull ? The pumps about 2-3 feet higher than the pool.

 

[AStevens]

I ran the pump with the discharge connected and still got no flow ouf.

amazon stated it was an inground pool pump, but no mention of self priming. Would that be the issue seeing as my pool is 2-3 feet below my pump and filter?