Why is my pool cleaner pump running dry?

Dec 16, 2013
113
Sacramento, CA
I've got a Polaris PB4-60 pump, dedicated to run my Polaris pool cleaner (see attached picture). I've had the pump for about 2 years now and noticed that a couple of days this last week, it was running dry!

---I don't think it was doing this in the winter months (pool is open and pumps run all winter as I live in Northern CA).
---The pool's primary pump, a Sta-Rite Intellipro, ramps up RPM to 2250 every day from 12-3pm. The Polaris pump triggers to kick on at 1230pm and run to 230pm.
---When I pinched the two white Polaris hoses, no water is flowing through.
---When running dry, it doesn't sound any different, but I can see some light steam coming from the pump head.
---While the pump is running dry, when I unscrew the pump head drain valve, water will lightly spray out for about 10-15 seconds then something happens and all of a sudden it pulls the water it needs and water goes shooting out of the pump head drain valve at full strength. I then turn it off, put the drain valve back, turn it back on and it will run fine.
---I do have a roof mounted solar system so I wonder if the solar is running, when the Polaris pumps wants to turn on, the Polaris isn't getting enough pressure to get the water it needs?

On a side note, pretty impressive durability from that Polaris pump, having running probably a total of ~10 days, absolutely dry, for 2 hours each of those days.
 

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On a side note, pretty impressive durability from that Polaris pump, having running probably a total of ~10 days, absolutely dry, for 2 hours each of those days.
I suspect you've been very fortunate thus far. I don't have solar so I can't expand on that theory. Are you still having that problem?
 
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