Pump not priming/surging

[redbeardgumby]

Hey all, new here.
I’ve been having this issue for over a year now, thrown so much money at this and I need help.
So I have a 30,000g inground vinyl salt pool with a jacuzzi vsp 1.65 which is new about a year ago and only ran total of 10 mins. When the pump is on it’ll fill up with water then kinda surge and drop half way and won’t go up above the halfway point in the basket. The filter is a jacuzzi 150 and a jacuzzi salt system. I have had the pressure and return lines pressure tested and leak tested and blown out at 90psi. I was also told the piping above the ground needed to be replaced, so I had that done. The surging/priming issues still remain. I replaced a Hayward 1.5 super pump cause it was doing the same issue. I apologize if this is all over the place. But I appreciate any and all help.

 

[PoolStored]

What is the water level in the skimmer mouth? 25% up, 50% up, 75% up?
Do your weir doors move freely?

 

[redbeardgumby]

What is the water level in the skimmer mouth? 25% up, 50% up, 75% up?
Do your weir doors move freely?

The water is currently 75% up. It’s done this all the way to 50% as well and yes the weir door moved freely

 

[wireform]

Can we see equipment pad pictures from various angles with a good view of the valve setup. Also a few of the pool too. This may help to productive problem solving.

 

[setsailsoon]

Red,

Welcome to TFP!! Sorry your having problems but I bet we can solve your issue. What is the elevation difference between the pool surface and the pump suction? If it's high differential on the suction side they can be difficult to prime. I learned a lot about this the hard way with my new infinity edge pool that takes suction from a basin that's 3'+ lower than the pool. What size is the piping? To make it work I had to prime about 5 cycles. After this it takes about 3 cycles if the water has been allowed to drain back. Do you have a check-valve on the suction? Here's my thinking based on your description:

• If you've had a positive pressure test on suction and discharge piping you probably don't have a piping leak although pressure test does not completely rule out a vacuum leak
• You've had this situation for two different pumps so it's not likely a pump leak from the basket gasket or drain plug
• You could still have an obstruction in the suction piping

Seems like you may have a high head system that is causing the pump to be in surge or you have a suction leak that doesn't leak much until you have significant vacuum on the suction side. Try opening the filter vent valve or cracking the inlet flange. A photo of the pool and equipment would help.

Chris

 

[Jimrahbe]

Red,

A stuck weir door is the number one reason for surging.. But...

Since the weir door appears to be working fine, and the line pressure checks ok, then it most likely is an obstruction of the intake line..

You have been screwing with this for a long time.. If this were my pool, I would run a temporary pipe, from the pump, over the top of the ground, over the coping and down about 2 feet into the pool. If the pump then works like it should, then you can decide what to do next.

You might want to talk with Pat who recently did this to help discover a broken pipe.. Calling @Texas Splash

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Texas Splash]

This is what I tried at one time.

Suction Leak - Do You Have One? Try a Big Straw!

DISCLAIMER: Safety First! Our pool is still CLOSED. The water is too cold so there are no swimmers, no risk to life or limb due to exposed suction pipe in the water. This was my own personal test conducted in a fenced/controlled environment for less than a 24 hr period. This was a...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[redbeardgumby]

Here is some pictures. I’ll try anything at this point lol