Help! Left on vacation and once back pump won't prime and Gu

[MikeInMo]

I left for surgery and had my sister come over and take care of my kids and the pool while I was out. They apparently used the pool and water features w/o problem during part of the time I was gone. When I get back the first thing I do before even hobbling into the house is check the pump. The pump is running but no prime and basically little if any water in the pot. Shut it down, do everything I normally do to prime pump (only needed at start of season) and it still won't prime.

Pump is a Pentair challenger 2hp and is 2 1/2 years old. I have 4 inlet lines and have tried each separately and together without luck. Bought a 'Drain King' unclogger piece that fits on your garden hose and blew out one line and can get water thru it, although with being on a well there is not much pressure, still more than enough to fill the pot. Probably would not be enough to sustain the pump however so havent tried that as a direct feed method.

My guess is pump probably ran for a at least a couple of 8 hour periods without prime. What can I do?

 

[waste]

Mike, welcome to TFP!!

Hope that the surgery went well and you'll be 'good as new' soon!

Some of the usual causes for prime failure are - not enough water in the pool, air getting in (often the pump lid and/ or gasket), valves closed (including return or multiport), clogged pump basket or impeller, pump WAY higher than pool level, trying to prime off of more than 1 suction line at a time, filter so congested that water can't pass through it or, of course - any combination of these

If you think that the pump ran for a while without sufficient water, check for leaks as described here

Please see if anything I've mentioned applies or helps - we are here to help you, but need a little more about what is/ isn't going on to be able to advise you more

Get recovered from that surgery and back to enjoying the pool soon

 

[MikeInMo]

Don't know exactly what else to add but here goes:

The pump itself is running and sounds the same as usual.

Fill up the pot and line with water and then start pump. Pump sucks up water from pot and then keeps trying to establish a prime.

I close off the inlet valve, the only one I have switched open, while pump is running to retain vacumn. Refill pot, rinse and repeat trying to maintain vacumn.

No prime established.

Taken O-ring off and relubed. Don't see any air or water escaping during any part of the process.