How To Troubleshoot a Pool Pump That Is Not Fully Priming

In this Pool Care Basics video, we troubleshoot a pump that is not full of water. A pump that is not fully primed can eventually run dry and cause damage or complete pump failure.

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[BrianBruffey]

Lubing the pump O-Ring did the trick. Wish I saw this 7 hours earlier, but overall, great learning process. Thank You, Great Job!

[jesusfreak]

Thank you! You just saved me from paying someone $120. It was the seal. May God bless you and your family always.

[daphnepearce]

It was the O ring! Thank you! Simple things I didn't think of. I've recently fired my pool company after discovering how fraudulent they were and have been assuming pool care on my own. It's really not that difficult, kinda therapeutic in fact, but sometimes I get thrown for a loop. Thanks!

[dowaynebreedt]

Thanks for this video, You mention using plastic wrap to create a vaccum, this didn't work for me, but it created a pool of water, and highlighted a crack that was basically invisible. I patched up the crack with a mixture of paper towel and superglue to create a plastic, and the pump is now fully primed. We almost spent a bunch of cash because the pool company told us iit was the filter, and wanted to charge us an arm and a leg. All we need to do now is buy a replacement elbow joint.

[oanagaris]

The lubbing of the lid o-ring and priming the pump fixed my issue! Thank you and you earned a like and subsribe from me! Cheers and God Bless You

[nickcharocopos]

Thank you, my issue was the pump lid o-ring - this was a great help to me thanks again!

[sabrinachilds]

Thanks for this. I had already cleaned the impeller and wasn’t sure what else it could have been. It was the O-ring. A little lubricant and off we go!!

[SiggyMe]

Troubleshooting worked like a charm went from this is bad problem to maintenance. Thanks!

[lukeclark]

The pump must have water to it to prime. If you turn on the valve with the lid loose so that the filter is fills full of water, then tighten. It will prime. If the o ring is in need of attention it will be leaking with the pump off unless the pump is higher than the level of water in the pool. Above ground pool. In this case valves off, fill with water, put lid back and tight, valves on and start. You run the risk of damaging the pump by letting it run dry trying to prime.

[NancyTigress]

ohhh... trying to find a video about the valve leaking and now I think it means, my valve must have a o-ring 🤔 which means if its leaking somewhere near the handle. must need to change. I've been looking at a store's stuff to find valves or whatever can help me figure out the problem and websites and videos, left and right. Think I may know now! Thank you so much! Going to make the test with a hose and or bag, and possibly open that thing up.😄

[davidgovan]

Thanks for your help. Turns out a pine cone got below the skimmer basket (maybe when I was cleaning the basket?) and it was reducing the flow. That was a fast and inexpensive fix. Whew!!!

[quietcornertrailcam]

Will a leak at the SP715 valve drain the pump well overnight? I rebuilt the valve with a GO Kit 39, but the non-metallic/plastic gasket/bearing hole was too small to go over the shaft, so I opened it up with a Dremel tool, figuring the O-rings on the shaft provided the seal. There's a small amount of water around the bearing all the time, and the pump well drains down to the top of the basket.

[jixxxxer]

wow thanks great video my skimmer door was stuck up from over the winter, Peace !

[slowski]

Great video my skimmer plate wasn’t opened i called professionals they couldn’t figured out easy fix thanks a lot

[cwc]

Hey Rob, I have an inground pool with a Hayward Super Pump and I’m having air bubbles in my return lines and in my pool pump….so I took the water hose trick and put the hose at the front of my pump where the lid is and the bubbles went away and once I took the hose away they came back….so is my problem the O ring? I l took out the O ring and looked it over pretty good it doesn’t look bad at all just has Magic Lube on it

[ceciliaoconnor]

i have a salt water pool and a water fall, 13000 gallon pool .i have a 2hp pump i wanted to go to a variable but have told NO because the water fall will need to extra power to run the pool and the water fall "when it is on"( rarely used.) What do you think? ..the variable would save me a lot of money but i dont want to sacrifice the full use of the water fall for that. Suggestions???

[moves]

Hey Rob I noticed that your pump lid is not on properly look at a picture of a Hayward TriStar pump that's new and you'll see how the lid is tightened have it backwards

[tulio]

Hi there if the o ring is bad and sucking air, would you see bubbles in the pool? Thank you

[luissantiago]

Great video!! Solved my problem right away.thank you so much

[xbigdog]

I have hayward 700 super pump just stopped priming. This is only 2nd year will the o ring wear down that quickly?