VSP won’t pull water

[Sar138]

Hi all! I got a new Pentair VSP 2 years ago. Last year on startup it was fried and they replaced. Wouldn’t pull water. This year it’s running, but no water is pulling through. I’m afraid I will damage it leaving it running.

I poured water in the basket, lid on tight. No plugs in skimmers. Running at 2300 RPM. How long should it take for pressure to build and water to pull? I had a new pool company open it up for me this year. The water is cold (I’m in the northeast), but not sure if that would impact it?

Just trying to get it running to I can get to cleaning it and circulating the shock and stuff.

Any thoughts? I hate opening the pump ever, even to empty the basket, because it always takes a long time to start pulling. It is up at a slightly higher elevation than the pool.

 

[generessler]

I'm no expert, but if a Pentaire pump lasted a year, something is definitely very wrong. Failure to prime is most often a suction side leak or blockage, but can also result from a pressure side blockage (like a plugged filter).

I'm sure the real experts will ask for pictures of your equipment and info on how often you clean the filter.

One note is that 2300 is afaik pretty low for priming speed with a pad above pool. Max for your pump is 3450. You might get a much faster prime by increasing this. Also, you're right that running the pump with no prime for a long time will overheat the seal and cause big problem. (I have an intelliflo pump 2' above pool. My priming RPM is 3100. It takes about 40 seconds when the system has been completely drained.)

 

[Sar138]

Thanks so much for this. I’m going to check the O-ring and ensure seal is tight tomorrow, and run at a higher speed for a minute. I think I fried it last year when trying to prime it to be honest. So will try to make sure I don’t do the same this year!!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sar,

An IntelliFlo pump will suck paint off a wall, so something is wrong..

Is the weir door in the skimmer stuck up?

Get a friend and have them look down into the skimmer when you turn the pump on and tell us what they see.

The pump should go through a Prime Cycle, which is normally 3000 RPM or above,

And yes.. Show us SEVERAL pics of your equipment pad so we can look for any obvious issues.

Keep in mind that the water not only has to come in from the skimmer, but it has to have a place to go when it come out of the pump.

When you shut off the pump, if the water in the basket drains back into the pool then you have an air leak somewhere. The water in the pump basket should stay in the basket when the pump is off.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Sar138]

Will report back tomorrow with pictures if I can’t get it working after trying at 3000 rpm and checking O-ring!

 

[KJB1]

Good question, how long is too long? I hate opening the pump to empty the basket too. It's impossible to fill before starting because it's above water level and probably 30' from the pool. Mine only takes maybe 10-20seconds to refill but I feel bad for it.

 

[duraleigh]

any pump should prime in a minute or so. If the pump does not prime within 2-3 minutes, shut it down for sure.

Suction side air leaks are the most common cause for a pump not to prime. There is an article in pool school that will help you understand them.

 

[Sar138]

Check o-ring this morning, used mallet to tighten lid. Let run for 1 minute at 3200 RPM. No go. They did a bunch of checks for leaks a year or two ago when looking for a water leak. Pipes were fine. Will get pictures later. In meantime calling company that opened.

 

[duraleigh]

Please don't use the mallet to tighten your lid. Hand tight is good enough........suction from the pump will pull the lid tight.

 

[Sar138]

Ok figured it out (talked to a tech at a local store). Did a few things.
1) lubricated the O-ring on pump
2) ran pump in priming mode (I had been adjusting the speed when turning on, which apparently messes with ir)
2) opened the valve on the filter to let air out

Took about 3 minutes but got it going!

Phew!

Thanks for the input all!

 

[KJB1]

any pump should prime in a minute or so. If the pump does not prime within 2-3 minutes, shut it down for sure.

Suction side air leaks are the most common cause for a pump not to prime. There is an article in pool school that will help you understand them.

2-3min!? would be sweating for sure at 2min. Guess I am overthinking it

 

[duraleigh]

I based that on my former irrigation pump that could (because of a suction leak) run for 4+ minutes BUT slowly prime. Worried me to death but the pump stayed touchable (from the heat) the entire priming period. Still, I would rather hear them start to prime in 20 seconds or less!