Pump issue - please help diagnose

[Silverdart]

Hi all! I'm hoping I can get some advice on my pool, which I'm trying to get open for the summer. I went to start the pump yesterday, and I think I did the right things - primed the pump, put it on filter, got it turned on. It was drawing some water into the filter basket within the pump, but not a whole lot. At first, I thought there might be a partial blockage or that the water level wasn't high enough, but when I went and looked at the pool, the water is almost at the top of the intake, and the water output was putting out MASSIVE bubbles - just air, basically. Enough that it's causing ripples on the surface of the water.

I was thinking that maybe there is just air in the lines, but it didn't settle down while I watched for a few minutes. Now, I'm wondering what could be wrong.

 

[Jimrahbe]

sd,

Sounds like your pump is sucking air..

The most likely problem is right at the pump and you need to eliminate them first.. Double check the condition of the O-Ring under the pump lid and the O-rings on the drain plugs. Make sure they are in good condition and lubed with pool lube.

I am assuming that the water in the skimmer does NOT look like a toilet when flushed and that the water in the skimmer is not being sucked down to the bottom of the skimmer.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Silverdart]

Hi Jim - thanks for your reply. I hadn't thought about the O ring on the pump lid, but it could be dry. I'll look into pool lube for it. I'm not sure where the drain plugs are - I'll have to take a look for them.

The water in the skimmer is being sucked in, but not down to the bottom (ie. it's not being sucked in faster than the skimmer refills). I have a sock over the skimmer, and you can definitely tell there is suction, because when I turn the pump off, the sock and the basket kind of float upwards.