Pump ran dry - now won't prime

[cdub]

I was away on vacation, came back, the water level was below the skimmer, and the pump ran dry. I'm assuming that I have a leak somewhere that I need to find.

My immediate concern though is that my pump is not self-priming. When I first found it, the pump had been running for about an hour and hadn't primed yet. It's a Pentair Superflo. I was able to get it to prime finally by pouring water in the basket from the hose, turning off the solar heater on the roof (just turn the valve and the water doesn't go up), and turning off one of the 2 lines coming from the pool. So, the pump isn't completely done for I guess.

Any suggestions on where I should start troubleshooting? What actually burns up in a pump? Seals/motor/???

Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

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A Superflo should be a self-priming pump. If it is not, then you must have an air leak somewhere.

Running a pump dry can cause a heat buildup and the plastics to melt/deform. If you have it running, then you might be lucky. Is there any air in the pump basket? Does it stay primed if you turn it off?

 

[cdub]

No, it does not stay primed if I turn it off. I don't know how quickly it loses prime but, I checked back the next day, there's air in the basket, and the pump won't prime. After I turned the pump off and opened the basket, there was some steam coming from the pump.

 

[jblizzle]

Sounds like something has deformed and allowing air into the pump. Does the lid still fit correctly? Any damage to the o-ring? Did you lube the o-ring? Any obvious damage?