Basket half full...

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No this is not a philosophical question

My pump housing is always half to 3/4 full. When I fill it, as soon as I pull the hose, the water drains out of the pipe. It is an older pump that is only on or off. It doesn't have a prime startup cycle to run the air out. Because of this I am getting sloshing in my solar which the pipes run on the exterior wall of the master bedroom so it is quite annoying. Thoughts?

Thanks

 

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Thoughts?

 

[duraleigh]

About a 90% probability you have a suction side air leak. Check out the article in Pool School.......that should get you started.

PS - tell us more about your location......sounds interesting.

 

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Dave, thanks for responding. The problem is is I can't get the basket to fill. Once I had to have our solar company come out to fix a pipe union. He was able to get the pump totally full before starting, but unfortunately, I wasn't there to pic his brain. I can get it to where is is full, but as soon as I take the hose out and go to put the lid on, the strainer housing drains out of the inlet from the skimmer.

 

[duraleigh]

The low pressure created in the pump basket when you turn the pump on is normally enough to draw in the water from the skimmer and prime the pump. It sounds as if you are drawing in SOME water but not enough to force the air out.

How long do you let the pump run before you stop the attempt? Try it for at least a minute but not two minutes and see what happens. Report back

 

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Dave, pump primes and runs, but about half of the basket stays air. I can run it for as long as needed and it does it's job, but it is introducing air into the solar system causing some sloshing.

 

[duraleigh]

Everything you post suggests a suction side leak. Somewhere from the skimmer to the pump, air is being sucked into your system. Find that leak (the most common is the seal on the lid of the pump basket) and your issue will go away.