Came home from a trip and of course the pool was a disaster. My wife poured in way too much phosphate remover (I use the highly concentrated Orenda PR10000) which turns the water milky and coats the filter with a whitesh residue.
The pump was getting only a little water through it, but after I cleaned the cartridges it won't prime at all. If I put water in the pump basket from a hose the pump sucks it in and pumps it out through the pool outlets. If I put my hand up against the inlet inside the pump basket I feel powerful suction.
I was worried that the line between the skimmer and pump was clogged but I forced water through it using a submersible pump and the pool hose and the water goes through the pipe just fine.
I noticed that the gasket for the pump basket lid was missing. I suspect that this was a recent event. I temporarily fashioned a replacement but it made no difference. I need to go buy one today, but only one store has it and it's a long way away.
So my thoughts are:
- The pump is faulty even though it will suck up any water that is put into the basket and I feel the suction. Maybe it's just not enough suction to suck the water up through the skimmer.
- I need the proper gasket for the basket lid even though I didn't see any air leak.
Any other ideas?
I have a spare pump that I've been meaning to put in (a two speed) but I was putting it off as long as possible.