i have the model sf15110 sand filter for my above ground 18 foot wide pool. i believe it holds 13,500 gallons. well.....someone must be retarded, cuz they shut off the filter at night and the pool got deep forest green with algae! :grrrr: well, i took it upon myself to do the right things: turn the filter on, add shock, add dry acid, and then they shut it off again and it got algae again!! so........i drained the darn thing!! and i scrubbed every inch of the walls and floor while wading with trash bags around my feet cuz there were mosquito larvaes everywhere.......i got a bucket and literally scooped every darn drop of water out! so.....we wanted to test the fliter to see if it still worked since it had been off for a few weeks and we filled a 5 gallon bucket with water and placed the end of the hose in it and turned on the pump......not much happened. the pump was on....but with lack of suction. so....now id like to know: do you guys think that the issue is with my pump and filter? or with the fact that my pool is epmty and im trying to use a bucket of water? like...does the suction of the pump only work if the pool is full? or should it work even if i just place the hose in a 5 gallon bucket? i just need to know so i can either fix the pump before or after i fill the pool. thanks!![/color]