Help! Pump ran dry overnight

[wgmamc11]

Freeze protection kicked in last night for the first time, but my return actuator didn’t move. This drained the hot tub completely into the pool and then ran dry a lot of the night, probably off-and-on with some water going into spa occasionally.
I flipped the valve as soon as I saw it, and the hot tub started to fill with dirty water, see photo. Water in the pump basket is clean. Do I have a broken pipe underground on the pressure side, or is that unlikely and I should let it run and filter?
What other things would need to be checked/replaced from running dry?

Side question : my intelliflo entered timeout mode (pump itself, not automation). How do I get it back to auto?

Thanks!!

 

[Jimrahbe]

11,

I suspect that your Intake valve actuator is not moving as it should..

Switch back and forth between the Spa mode and Pool mode.. Your Intake and Return actuators should both move about 180 degrees..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[wgmamc11]

Hi Jim,
Thank you. I am working on diagnosing the actuator/cable/relay/board to find that problem.
But I’m more worried about the potential damage from running dry for several hours, and the appearance of muddy water. Would running dry be likely to crack underground plumbing? Are there any preventative maintenance steps I should take before turning things back on?
Thanks again for your help.

 

[Jimrahbe]

11,

Running dry should not damage any underground pipes..

Running dry does not normally damage the pump itself.. It can, in some cases, but I would suggest that you fix the valve problem and then run the pump and see how well it works.

Not at all sure about the 'muddy' water.. Maybe backflow from the filter???

Thanks,

Jim R

 

[ajw22]

I flipped the valve as soon as I saw it,

Flipped which valve?

Side question : my intelliflo entered timeout mode (pump itself, not automation). How do I get it back to auto?

What model number IntelliFlo pump are we discussing? Pentair has had many different ones over the years.

Did you reset your pump?

 

[1poolman1]

Freeze protection kicked in last night for the first time, but my return actuator didn’t move. This drained the hot tub completely into the pool and then ran dry a lot of the night, probably off-and-on with some water going into spa occasionally.
I flipped the valve as soon as I saw it, and the hot tub started to fill with dirty water, see photo. Water in the pump basket is clean. Do I have a broken pipe underground on the pressure side, or is that unlikely and I should let it run and filter?
What other things would need to be checked/replaced from running dry?

Side question : my intelliflo entered timeout mode (pump itself, not automation). How do I get it back to auto?

Thanks!!
View attachment 619141

Once you get the system running properly again, be sure to watch for any water dripping just behind the wet-end of the pump. A pump that runs dry can easily ruin the shaft seal, which will cause it to leak, which can destroy a very expensive motor. It would be safest to just have the seal replaced. Unless it is an Intelliflow3, it uses a PS-1000 seal or a PS-3865R upgraded (Viton) seal.

 

[wgmamc11]

Thanks everyone for the help. Got it up and running manually, and the water cleared up. Probably was filter back flow.
The suction valve actuator had failed, and a replacement is working smoothly.
So far, no leaks at the pump, but I’ll keep an eye on the shaft seal. It’s an old pump, so I’ll probably wait till full rebuild or replacement unless it leaks.

 

[1poolman1]

Thanks everyone for the help. Got it up and running manually, and the water cleared up. Probably was filter back flow.
The suction valve actuator had failed, and a replacement is working smoothly.
So far, no leaks at the pump, but I’ll keep an eye on the shaft seal. It’s an old pump, so I’ll probably wait till full rebuild or replacement unless it leaks.

Please note that with an Intelliflow pump, even a minor seal leak, which can go un-noticed, can cause a large expense because those motors cost a lot and it is usually better to replace what is now a very expensive pump than deal with getting a new motor. Getting the seal replaced, as a preventative measure, might be the prudent way to go.