Pentair Pump Intermittently Re-Priming

[g3lo]

Hi,

I dont know why my Pentair Superflo VS 1.5 Pump (342001) pump keeps intermittently re-priming. Shutting off and auto turning back on again. It started doing this about a few months ago. Any troubleshotting?

I am running it as follows:

9AM for 9 hours until 6PM - 2800 RPM
6PM for 5 hours until 11PM - 2600 RPM
11PM for 10 hours until 9AM - 0 RPM

Pump is on 14 hours a day, am I running it too hard?

Thank you,
Oleg

 

[mas985]

When it re-primes, have you noticed any air in the pump basket? You may have an air leak.

 

[g3lo]

Do you mean in the top of the pump cover? If so, when it reprimes, yes it goes back to filling up water. However, when it is filled and working, there is no air bubble in the top cover. So wouldn’t there be a leak if I saw air bubbles in top cover while operation? And, if I don’t shouldn’t that rule out leak?

 

[mas985]

Over time, the pump basket may fill with air again and then go into prime mode. Periodically check it after it primes to see if it is filling with air. Under normal operation, there should be very little air in the pump basket.

It could also be a low water issue with the skimmer sucking in air. Is the water level half way up the skimmer mouth?

 

[g3lo]

Yeah water level is good, definitely not the issue. I’m curious how to troubleshoot air you mention.

 

[Rich807]

How old is the o-ring under the clear lid on your pump basket? Do you / have you ever lubed it?

 

[mas985]

The pump lid gasket and the drain plug gasket are the two most common leak areas. Also, this resource can help:

Leak Detection

A number of things can cause leaks in your pool. You can learn tricks for leak detection and how to pinpoint where your pool is losing water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[g3lo]

How old is the o-ring under the clear lid on your pump basket? Do you / have you ever lubed it?

I would say about 3 years old and I did clean it and lube it. Also, if it was the lid wouldn't I see bubbles and not full seal at the top?

 

[mas985]

Also, if it was the lid wouldn't I see bubbles and not full seal at the top?

Correct but you also said the pump was filling with water which indicates it is displacing air so at some there is air in the pump basket. After the pump primes, you may not see air in the pump basket if the leak is slow. Over time it accumulates and eventually causes the pump to re-prime. Periodically, check in on the pump and see if air is building over time.

 

[Rich807]

That oring is very old in my world. I replace that one, the big one on the filter housing & the one on my filter housing drain plug about 1x a year.