Common Reasons a Swimming Pool Pump Will Not Prime

The pool pump is the engine of your swimming pool and when running efficiently it should always produce excellent water flow through the pool filter and back to the pool. Without the good circulation produced by an efficient pool pump, it will be very difficult to get the pool water to sparkle. One important checkpoint of good weekly pool maintenance is to turn on the pump and make sure it primes up with water properly. This can be done by looking through the clear lid on the pump strainer when the pump is on to make sure the strainer is completely filling with water.

The ideal situation is a pump strainer basket that completely fills with water with no visible air. Although, a little bit of visible air in the pump strainer is acceptable and very common. The important thing is sufficient water flowing through the filter and to the pool. But if you notice that the pump will not prime or only prime part way and there is a lot of air in the pump strainer, it is important to find the reason before other pool problems start to show up. Listed below are some common reasons why your swimming pool pump will not prime properly.

Water Level - if the water level in the pool is too low, the pump won't have enough water to prime. If a low water level is a constant problem with your pool, consider installing in a pool auto fill to automatically fill your pool any time it gets too low.

Skimmer Weir Stuck - check the skimmer weir door to make sure it is working properly. Sometimes the weir door will get stuck in the open position and prevent a sufficient amount of water to get to the pump.

Dirty Filter - if the main pool filter is dirty, the pump may only partially prime. When this is the case, the filter pressure gauge will have a high-pressure reading. Clean the filter and retest the pump.

Pump Lid O-Ring - make sure the pump lid o-ring didn't fall off and isn't worn or damaged resulting in an suction side air leak.

Pump Impeller Clogged - if everything else looks good and it seems like the pump is running fine but just not priming up all the way, it is very possible that the impeller is clogged with debris. Inspect the pump basket for cracks or damage that will allow debris to pass through to the pump impeller. Even small debris that bypasses the pool pump basket can get clogged up in the impeller and obstruct the impeller from moving the water efficiently. With ALL EQUIPMENT OFF including the circuit breaker, flush out the impeller with water from the garden hose to loosen or remove any debris. Again, making sure the equipment is OFF, you may be able to reach your fingers or a screwdriver back to the impeller to feel for and remove debris. If you see debris coming back into the pump strainer from the impeller but can't seem to clean it all out, it may be necessary to take the pump apart in order to clean the impeller.



When a swimming pool pump isn't priming up all the way and the pump strainer is only getting partially filled with water, it means there is a problem that needs attention. Without fixing the problem, the pool will never look as good as it should and will always be more susceptible to algae and other pool problems,

 

 

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