Pump lost prime. . .

[giulietta1]

. . .and I don't know how to get it running again!

I was going to backwash the filter as I've done many times. After shutting off the pump, I opened the strainer pot and cleaned out the strainer. Closed everything back up but the pump wouldn't pump any water!

Always before, I'd start the pump again, and it typically took a few minutes, but it did start pumping the water again. I ran it for 30-45 minutes and it wouldn't pump water in backwash, waste, or filter mode. I'm feeling like an eejit, but I don't know how to correct this!! Could it be something really simple, like pouring a bucket of water in the strainer pot and popping the lid back on?

Please help! The pump does make the right noises, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I shut it down b/c I didn't want to burn out the motor. . .

 

[sammm]

Is there a control valve controlling it? If so, try 'turning off' the other pipes sharing that water so it all goes in to the strainer. The other option is to fill the strainer with a hose to help it along.

 

[JohnT]

First, make doubly sure all your valves are in the right positions. Drag a garden hose or a bucket of water to your pump and put a bunch of water into the basket to fill the lines. Put the lid on quickly and start the pump quickly. Usually will work.

 

[giulietta1]

Thanks folks!! I really appreciate it. I will try the hose or bucket strategy when I get home tonight.

 

[JohnT]

I keep a bleach jug full of water in my pump room in case I let mine drain too much. If you close the valves to the skimmer and main drain, and set the multiport to close, you can maintain most of the water in the lines. Kind of awkward when you try to turn everything back on quickly.

 

[giulietta1]

Just to update anyone who was interested. . . problem solved. It was getting dark Monday night when I tried to start the backwash. What I didn't see (b/c the light was fading) was that the o-ring fell out when I opened the pot and took out the strainer!! When I thought about it later, I thought that might have been what happened. Last night when I went to implement the suggested solutions, there was the o-ring on the ground! I popped it back in (along with pouring in a bucket of water) and closed the lid. The backwash cycle started up with little delay.

After backwash and rinse, I started up the filtration and it worked just beautifully. What a relief!