Pool pump making regular noise but pumping zero water

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declandunleavy

Member
Jun 24, 2021
9
Austin, TX
Hey guys, Hope everyone is keeping well out there. I have a pump issue I'm trying to diagnose.

We just had a lot of rain and the pool is overfull, the filter was also a couple of days overdue its backwash and the last time I had looked when it was working was running about 20psi. Yesterday I noticed that the psi was down to 0 and there was no flow. I emptied all the things, skimmers and filter basket. I stuck a screw driver in and tried to see if there was debris in the impeller which didn't help. I tried running on recirc and backwash, again no flow anywhere.

The strange thing is that the noise sounds normal enough from the pump, although I guess it does sound slightly like it is struggling just a little, but not hugely different to normal. But I am quite sensitive to its noises at this stage and I noticed the psi at 0 before the sound. My best guess is that it could be a blockage? Or maybe the pump is bust in a way that I can't tell the sound difference. It is a century Centurion pump if that helps. Image attached.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance
 

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More likely you have a Hayward pump (Super Pump?) with a Century replacement motor. Is the pump-basket lid seal lubed? Can you force water back through the pump to the skimmer? A Drain King works best but a garden hose in the suction line at the pump with rags stuffed in around it will work.
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: Weather has been weird lately. Definitely check to see if something made it past your skimmer and plugged your suction line? Do you have both a skimmer and drain? Have you tried to alternate suction between the two? Have you tried filling the pump pot with water, replacing the lid quickly, then turning on the pump to see if water gets sucked IN towards the filter?

Let's start there and see what you come back with. You can also post some pics of your equipment pad. Between everyone here we should be able to get you some answers.
 
1poolman1 said:
More likely you have a Hayward pump (Super Pump?) with a Century replacement motor. Is the pump-basket lid seal lubed? Can you force water back through the pump to the skimmer? A Drain King works best but a garden hose in the suction line at the pump with rags stuffed in around it will work.
Click to expand...
Ah yes - A Hayward :) not sure what type (see pics). Pump basket is not lubed, I had lubed previously and tightened too much so don't use it as much on the pump basket. But the issue it that nothing is moving, zero. No water pressure at all. Skimmer door is opening fine. Way too much water in there.

Have tried filling pump basket with water and then quickly closing, didn't help.

'A Drain King works best but a garden hose in the suction line at the pump with rags stuffed in around it will work.' This is assuming a blockage right? Never used a drain king, what exactly would I need?

cheers
 

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I haven't taken anything apart in the equipment yet, apart from the filter to clean. I'm assuming that is the suction line in the pic with the arrow? Wasn't sure where you were saying to stuff the hose. Should I unscrew at B and then shove the hose in there? Sorry if this is not what you meant :) I'm not too experienced in pool maintenance.
 

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You don't have any PVC/valve access points on your suction line. I wouldn't mess with the adapter going into the pump because you would have to cut the PVC to turn it. Instead, just remove the clear pump lid and stuff the hose in from there so you can try to push water back to the skimmer.
 
How long should I expect it to take with the filter on and the hose is there for it to make a difference?

Tried it for about a minute. I kept the pump basket full with a bucket of water and the hose, left it on for about a minute on filter, but then the pump does sound like it is starting to strain just a little so I turned it off but didn't notice any water moving. Might it take longer?

Now that I'm typing I just remembered that I let some air out of the filter earlier and when I did that test it was closed. So there would have been air trapped in there, did I make the problem worse? I guess I should have left the filter gauge open for the test and waited til it filled?
 

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Tried it again for a couple of mins with the filter gauge open and no water ended up coming out of the filter, even though it was being sucked down the pump basket. Is there anywhere else it could be going? I haven't opened the filter to clean it for a few months, is there anything that could cause the issue in there? The pump basket isn't broken so can't imagine much debris getting through but I'm not an expert. (clearly) :)
 
declandunleavy said:
It would just happen naturally as I put water in the pump basket that it flows backwards to the pool?
Click to expand...
Maybe slowly water would seep backwards to the pool, but when actively pushing harder with a garden hose or a Drain King bladder it might dislodge something "IF" there is a partial clog. We don't know for sure, this was just an easy/free diagnostic check.
 
declandunleavy said:
Any other options apart from the pump itself? Is there any point opening up the filter?
Click to expand...
If you are sure water can move freely from the pump back to the skimmer (no blockage), then I can only see a couple possibilities:
1 - Either your pump motor is bad; it is about 7 years old
2 - Something is wrong at the multiport valve and it's stuck closed not allowing any water to flow through. I couldn't tell from your notes above the you put the MPV on recirculate if you saw any water movement in the pump or anything at the return jets.

So the only things I have left in this scenario.

1 - Suction side blockage
2 - Pump (motor) failure
3 - MPV failed in a closed position
 
When I did recirc I got nothing anywhere either.
If I open the pump basket and keep it full of water, turn on recirc, should I expect to see any water movement? Or will nothing happen with the pump basket open because it needs the vacuum? I ordered a drain king so will try that on the suction line again when it arrives. We have Leslie's coming out on Monday but I was hoping to try to fix if I could before then. Other places were a couple of weeks before availability.
Any guidelines for the expected costs for those issues?

thanks in advance.
 
declandunleavy said:
If I open the pump basket and keep it full of water, turn on recirc, should I expect to see any water movement? Or will nothing happen with the pump basket open because it needs the vacuum?
Click to expand...
It could depend. If the water lines are air tight, the pump pot might hold water until you turn it on, then the water "should" disappear very fast as it goes to the filter. Then turn the pump off very fast. But if there is an air leak or valve open somewhere, the water might try to travel down the suction pipe with the lid off before you get a chance to turn on the pump to test it.
 
At this point, if you don't find something obvious in the steps above to resolve the issue, it's probably good you have someone scheduled to visit Monday. In the meantime, you should consider adding liquid chlorine manually each day and brush it around really well to try and prevent the pool from becoming a swamp.
 
Wish I had more ideas other than the 3 listed above. If you see anything else between now and Monday that might seem like it applies let us know. Otherwise, do your best to keep the water chlorinated manually and post back with an update Monday. I'm very curious to see what results you find.
 

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