How to completely drain pool...pump wont prime

Hello I am in the process of draining my pool for the new liner to be installed next week.. my question is I am down to the last 1 or 2 feet and had to shut the pump off to gather up all the leaves pine needles etc before sucking the rest out and now my pump wont prime and suck out the last bit (plus rain water from yesterday)..I tried filling the pump basin with water, nothing happens, I try running the pump in normal position to get water moving and nothing.. I know the pump works do I need to send water down the skimmer side to prime the pump? why is nothing going to "waste" ...Thanks folks!!
 
James,

When there is a lot of water in the pool, weight of the water helps the pump prime when using only the main drain. Main drains (unlike the name) were never really designed to suck all the water out of a pool...

You will need a small sump pump...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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