Pump not pulling water

Jump to latest Follow Reply
bobby,

If the pump does not work when connected to just the spa, then the problem has to between the intake valve and the pump, or the pump itself, or maybe something preventing water from leaving the pump.

The next test I would try is to turn the pump on and then open the spigot right above the pump and see what happens.

Tell me why you decided to clean the filter? Was it just time or did you vacuum up a bunch of leaves?

Have you check the pump's impeller to make sure it is not clogged or broken free from the motor?

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Texas Splash said:
That is true in some cases. Some manuals say it can take 3 - 5 minutes to prime. Not what we typically expect, but some manufactures do say it.


So then even with a suspicious (potential) leak, the system ran fine before. By all indications that would seem to say something didn't go back correctly after the filter change. For example, a valve. But you appear to have triple-checked all the valves in various positions. :scratch: However a restricted area, in the filter for example, would prevent water from flowing out properly, thus restricting water from getting pull "in" as well. So you might consider opening the filter to ensure everything went back correctly and that nothing is causing a restriction inside.

Last thing, sometimes when we shut the system down for maintenance, something moves we didn't expect. Maybe something got pulled into the skimmer without you seeing it? This may seem redundant at this point since you should be able to pull water from teh drain or spa, but might be worth confirming. So you might also try taking your garden hose and inserting it into the pump pot (inlet). Wrap a rag around it to try and create a seal, and push water backwards to the skimmer to ensure there is no blockage. If you have a pressure bladder like the one below even better.

full
Click to expand...
I took apart the filter and replaced it as usual. Nothing looked odd. Tried running again and same issue... no pulling of water. I think at this stage I need a professional in... would you agree?
 
I don't think the pump has any problem pushing the water through to the filter as I've dumped bucket fulls of water into the basket and when I start it, the water leaves I assume through the filter., but not a drop is coming in.
I cleaned the filter as I'd not done it for a few months. I thought also it may help get my pressure back up a bit as well.
 
BobbyG813 said:
I think at this stage I need a professional in... would you agree?
Click to expand...
Hate to see you go down that road, but you might be at that point. A final last-ditch thing to try if you haven't already before making the call is to try and adjust all valve and water flow combinations (in & out) to see if there is any difference. Skimmer alone, drain alone, and spa. Also I don't recall if this was mentioned in your troubleshooting, but after you fill the pump pot with water and close the lid, turn on the pump and let it run for about 30 sec to a minute to try and prime. Give it enough time to pull water through the pipe(s) if you haven't already tried to do so.

Oh, and before you try the prime thing above, with power OFF, remove the pump lid and strainer basket then reach into the pump to touch the impeller to see if it spins fairly easy. Still hoping there's something you might see or try before calling a tech.
 
Try resetting the pump controller. It can be in Safe Mode.
Hold down the "1", "+", "-" for 3 seconds and release.
The display after flashing several times will change to flashing "2:00"
Then reprogram the clock.
 
Last edited:
BobbyG813 said:
I cleaned my filter and tried to start back up... to find that the pump was not pulling any water. The pump obviously shuts down after a few seconds and reads an error code.
Water level is fine
Skimmer flap is ok
Valves are open as normal

I've tried watching a few videos to trouble shoot, but nothing works. One method was me filling the basket up and starting...... but it just empties with no water being sucked / fed in. I have had a leak in my system (awaiting diagnosis from pool company) for months now, about .5 inches per day. The pump has worked no problem despite this. I can't imagine the leak has got worse, or else they'd be more obvious leaking from pool.

It's been a few days now and I have had no luck fixing myself.

Pump - Pentair SuperFlo VS Error code 0018
Click to expand...
hi , I don't mean to beat a dead horse so if I say anything that anyone else has im sorry , your plumbing is deadlocking ,a intake side of plumbing should not rise above the pump by what looks like 3 + feet ,and a pump should have as few bends as possible you have at least 3 90's before you even reach 3 way, a way to help this is a drain bag from scp(drain jet ) or buy from manufatuer or try pulling from spa only since its the highest point of where the water sits Drain Flush Bags | Hydraulic Flushers for Drains & Sewers

0018 is phase 3 electrical current imbalance for whisperfloxf vs and max e proxf vs (commercial only pumps ) I cant find a code 0018 for superflos on any book or website or my pentair rep https://images.inyopools.com/cloud/documents/superflo-vs-342001-pump-manual.pdf


try using a drain jet to force water in threw a skimmer with pump lid off and with all other lines blocked then once full take out and pump lid on and try to prime it and if it struggles and loses it try again and if fails 3 times its a diffuser crack making the impeller horribly inefficient but you gotta be fast with this or have 2 people also a ball valve on the drain jet is really good too

if you can prime it off the drain jet force feed method and have it holding prime , ever so slightly open up more lines one by one slowly as this introduces tons of air in system and will make you lose prime quick if you rush it .. for me if I was doing a diagnostic id first quote you for rebuilding the intake because having the intake side of plumbing be that is terrible and even says it in the installation and owner's operating manual pg.3
 
Texas Splash said:
Hate to see you go down that road, but you might be at that point. A final last-ditch thing to try if you haven't already before making the call is to try and adjust all valve and water flow combinations (in & out) to see if there is any difference. Skimmer alone, drain alone, and spa. Also I don't recall if this was mentioned in your troubleshooting, but after you fill the pump pot with water and close the lid, turn on the pump and let it run for about 30 sec to a minute to try and prime. Give it enough time to pull water through the pipe(s) if you haven't already tried to do so.

Oh, and before you try the prime thing above, with power OFF, remove the pump lid and strainer basket then reach into the pump to touch the impeller to see if it spins fairly easy. Still hoping there's something you might see or try before calling a tech.
Click to expand...
I wasn't sure I was able to spin the impeller manually, but yes managed to and seemed able to spin no issue. I also ran it again, trying different combos... still nothing being pulled. Btw the pump shuts itself down after a few seconds and as usual reads error code 0018.

I really need the pool installers back to help. They are dragging their feet.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Texas Splash
Rats! :brickwall: Well, it sounds as though you've exhausted just about every trick we could throw at you. Please let us know what the final verdict is. We're all curious now. In the meantime, be sure to add some liquid chlorine and manually brush it around. The last thing you need right now is a swamp.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BobbyG813

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply