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Pump Runs, But Does Not Circulate Water Until I Turn The Blower On


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What is a fairly new pump (< 1 year old) has out of the blue stopped circulating the water unless I turn on the blower for a second to "get it going". The pump is primed and full of water. There are no air bubbles in the pump basket. Here is what happens:

1. I turn the pump on, small bubbles come out 1 or 2 jets only.

2. The pump continues to run, still only small bubbles from 1 or 2 jets.

3. I turn the blower on for a half a second and then off.

4. Now the pump is working to it's full potential circulating the water from all the jets.

This is an inground spa. The PSI on my filter is right at where it has always been. I do not suspect an air leak from the filter or pump. What is causing this?

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You are losing prime because the pump is above the water level and you have a leak, air or water, somewhere in the system. Check the easy stuff first. Look around the pump and filter for signs of moisture. Repair any leaks. If none are found, prime the system, remove the air blower and cap the air line air tight. If the pump now holds prime, the air check valve has gone bad and is leaking air. This is a common problem when an air blower is tied into the air induction system of the jets.

John

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John,

Thanks for the reply. Can you instruct me on how to cap the air line? I don't see any moisture/leaks around the pump.

What's odd is that the pump skimmer is full of water and no air bubbles are present. Wouldn't this imply the pump is already primed?

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Your pump video seemed to show the water level was down in the pump skimmer basket which means it is losing prime. In a properly constructed and tight system, when the pump is shut down, water remains full in the pump skimmer even though the pump is above the physical water level.

John

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I guess it was hard to make out in the video, but the water level in the pump skimmer is full and remains full when the pump is off. I re-primed the pump and still the same problem, however I did check my jets and water is indeed coming out just not enough to really bubble the water like it used to.

I do believe you're right that it is the blower check valve. The blower makes a "burping" sound when the pump is running which may be the bad valve? When I re-positioned the blower top it appeared the problem was fixed.

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