Pool Pump not Working, Part 1- Pump not Priming

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Clogged Impeller, pool pump not priming Part 4: You are watching it now.

NOTES:
1ST MAKE SURE THE FILTER IS CLEAN AND ISN'T READING HIGH ON THE GAUGE (30PSI+). A DIRTY FILTER CAN CAUSE THE PUMP CAVITATION (AIR IN PUMP) AS IT STRUGGLES TO PULL WATER.

I show you how to properly clean the pump basket, how to diagnose a suction leak, tell if you have a bad pump o-ring, how to clear the impeller and other tips to keep your pump running great.

Notes: remember that your pump and motor are two separate parts that are bolted together. The pump problems I have listed here all are before the motor connections. The pool motor is a simpler part to diagnose.

Motor problems: If your motor starts to make a loud whining are grinding noise chances are good the bearings are going out. Call a pool professional, or pull it off yourself and have the bearings rebuilt before it burns out. I charge $120-$140. A new motor will run you $400. This will extend the motor life by 2 or 3 years. A great money saving tip for you.

If your house circuit breaker is tripped when you turn the motor on, chances are it is burned out and needs to be replaced (bummer).

If you turn on the pool timer and the motor struggles to start, but then starts after a few seconds to a few minutes, the starter capacitor is going out. Get it replaced and the motor will run fine.

Last, if you see water leaking from the middle of the motor, behind the bolts or clap that hold it to the pump (usually a pretty sizable leak, not a drip leak) the pump seal has failed. It's a $5.00 part and easy to replace. If it goes unfixed it will rust out the motor and burn it out. Remove your motor and take it in if you are not handy, or call a respected pool pro to change out the pump seal for you.

IMPELLER JAM: SOMETIMES A TWIG OR ROCK WILL JAM THE IMPELLER. THE MOTOR WILL COME ON, THEN BUZZ AND SHUT OFF. CHECK THE IMPELLER TO SEE IF IT SPINS FREELY, IF NOT REACH IN CAREFULLY (WITH EQUIPMENT TOTALLY OFF AT THE BREAKER) AND REMOVE DEBRIS.

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[kimberjaz]

I don't know what I would do without your pool videos.. They are the best instructional videos I have found and are the only reason I know anything about my pool.. I just found that the lid to my basket is both cracked and broken and my o ring needs to be replaced because of this video in particular. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and please keep posting!!!

[KellyHunk]

God bless you Mr. First timer pool owner here and I had no idea when I moved to our new house 10 months ago. Everything I know I owed it to you. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. God bless

[taritavirtue]

wow! i wish i knew about ALL OF THIS STUFF 10+ yrs ago when i bought my home!  your knowledge and fast paced speed of methodically going thru all of the specific possible problem areas is BRILLIANT!!  thank you VERY MUCH!!! 

[HappinessinYourLife]

OMG THANK YOU!!! Easter weekend and I noticed my pool pump was half full while running. I know nothing about pool pumps. I watched a couple of other videos and just about gave up until I got to yours and saw the impeller thing. I checked mine and it was super full of leaves! Did the screwdriver thing and pulled the leaves out by hand. My pool pump is now back in action full up!!! Thank you SO much.

[Taniataslima]

Dude, you are a lifesaver (or I should say money saver). I forgot to put the basket back in after removing the debris. Turned the pump on and after about couple of days, pump would not prime and move water properly. I realized my mistake but didnt know what to do. Your video talked about the impeller and I realized right away that what happened to my pump. Spinned the impeller with a screwdriver and now all working well. Thanks buddy.

[getnfitst]

Thank You so very much for making this video! We saved alot of money by trouble shooting the areas you mentioned in this video and we were able to fix our problem ourselves. We would not have been able to without watching this first. Your clear instructions on possible problems and how to fix them worked perfectly.Your tips were spot on and we cannot thank you enough. If you hadn't made this tutorial we would be calling the pros to come out tomorrow! Thanks again :)

[chismestrong]

Summer in AZ. Pool suction stopped. Pool hasn't worked for a week. I watch you video and followed the pressure thing and BAM!! It worked! Thank you!!

[toddabbott]

Fantastic advice - I was about to call my pool company and instead found this video. Sure enough, the “impaler” and a super easy fix. You rock!

[TheManFreakshow]

You got me out of another jam. Your video was very informative, especially on the 5:05 minute mark. Saved me lots of $$$$. You rock, man, really.

[dweezler]

Thank you so much for this video! I had done everything to try to get it to work except the screwdriver in the impeller and that fixed it! Saved me a lot of money! Thanks again!

[annyreed]

Thanks so much. This video showed me how to get my pump working again after a long weekend when it didn't move any water, I was really concerned I'd have to get the plumber and buy a new pump which I can't afford. Thank you, I'm subscribing.

[coleman]

Thank you so much. You can tell I'm brand new to pools. We will address it next week after we have all our trees around our pool removed. We probably need to replace the sand in the filter too. We just bought the house, and the pool was badly neglected for years. We just got it re-plastered. Thanks a lot.

[jonathanbaxter]

I love your channel. bought a house 5 years ago with a pool. amazing learning experience thanks to you sir

[rjc]

The screwdriver cleared the blockage, pool is working fine.  Thanks so much for posting this.  Took just a few minutes to fix, and you probably saved me a decent amount of money.

[therealkers]

You just saved me a lot of hassle on a early Saturday morning. Thank you kind sir and have a great day!

[markey-sports]

I'm going out to the pool now to try this but even if it doesn't work, this video was great! You've been around the block and thanks for the help!

[therealbadmojo]

Thank you for making this video. New pool owner and I couldn't get my pentair intelliflo to prime. Your trick with turning off the pump, taking the cover off and turning the pressure valve did the trick. Pump is working great now.

[tracytrowe]

Thank you so much for this step-by-step video. I'm a new pool owner and was afraid my issue was going to major. Thankfully, after watching this video, I was able to prime the pump and get everything back in working order. BIG THUMBS UP!

[magagalaxy]

Just wanted to say thanks for the video. I had absolutely no pressure from my pump and it would not prime. I ended up fishing out some string and debris from the impeller in the pump. Everything is working great and saved a lot of money. Thanks.

[ginacervi]

I learned a lot. Saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you