question on priming pump - hose running a long time and never overflows pump basket

[heckofagator]

New pool owner - the creepy crawly wasn't doing very good so I picked it up out of the water and was messing with it with the pump on. After a min or two, I realized what I had done and went to go shut off the pump. There was no water in the basket.

I've got the garden hose putting water into the pump basket but it just keeps going and going. Do I just need to let it go, or is it possible I'm just filling the pool back up? I had the hose on for a good 5 minutes (although its only of those shrinky ones so the flow isn't crazy) but that still feels like an awfully long time.

Should I be shutting any valves while trying to prime or can I theoretically leave everything as is in normal operation?

 

[ajw22]

“Priming a pump” only works if the pump is below the water level of the pool.

If the pump is at or above the water level the priming water will just run down the suction pipe back into the skimmer and pool. Unless you have a check valve or shutoff valve in the suction input to the pump.

Above ground pool pumps are usually below the water line and are not self priming.

Inground pool pumps are usually self priming. They can suck air out of the line without damage for a few minutes until water is flowing.

So what type of pool and pump do you have and why do you think you need to prime it?

 

[heckofagator]

pump is above ground so def higher than the pool which is inground

All 3 inputs look to have a shutoff valve. I believe they are the skimmer, pool drain and spa drain. it looks like there might be a check valve on the pool drain inlet.

When I fill the pump basket with water and turn it on, it immediately empties the basket and no water runs thru the pump so I'm unsure of exactly how to get this going again.

Pump is old and the label is all faded. I'm not sure how to work that skimmer valve the creepy crawly has been semi working, so I believe it to be on. I plug in the hose to the creepy crawly into the hole in the skimmer basket area.

 

[Jimrahbe]

H,

Just to be clear.. The pump works off of suction.. this means the pump will never work if the pump lid is off. Also, the pump will never work if there is any type of air leak around the pump lid or in the lines going back to the pool.

The connection between the input side of the pump and the Jandy valve looks compromised to me.

Looking at the valve in your pic, I would assume the single pipe is from your spa and the other two pipes are skimmer and main drain. If that is correct, then in the pic, the valve is set to suck water from the spa only. (I could be wrong, but your valve options don't make sense to me, right now.)

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[heckofagator]

I'll fill it back up, screw the lid on tight and see what happens.

The pool/pump has been flowing fine for the last 2 months we've been in the house and I did not move any valves today so everything should be ok, I would think.

The valve for the spa suction is def closed as the water spills over into the pool in this configuration. I think its only pulling from the skimmer and the drain if the inlet pipes are what I think they are.

 

[heckofagator]

That was it, thanks! Makes sense but I didn't realize that pump has to be totally closed. I was putting the lid back on but not tightening it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

H,

Glad you got it working...

I still can't understand your plumbing.

Spa's generally only have one pipe on the suction side. If we assume the valve in your pic is set to the pool mode what are the two pipes that are shut off in your pic?

Show us pics of your return plumbing.. You should have a valve after the heater that either sends water back to the pool or to the spa.

Thanks,

Jim R.