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Your pump is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your pool. Without it, your water wouldn’t circulate through your filter system, and your pool would be disgusting and stagnant.
But how does a pump actually work? And what do you do when your pump’s NOT working? Here’s everything you need to know about pool pumps and how to troubleshoot them. Let’s dive in.
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Your pump is the heart of your pool, pumping water through your plumbing and filter system. So when your pump is running, your water is actively getting filtered, and it helps circulate and disperse any chemicals in your water.
Here’s how the water flows:
If you look at the plumbing lines that lead to your pump, you might see one or more valves. These control the water flowing into the pump. You might use these valves to temporarily stop the flow of water if you need to work on your pump or filter system. It might be a simple shut-off valve or a three-way valve that controls the flow of water from the skimmers or the main drain.
Knowing each piece is really helpful for troubleshooting pump problems.
Your pump needs to be powerful enough to pull in and filter ALL the water in your pool at least once a day. This is called the turnover rate. It usually means running your pump for at least 8 hours a day to filter all of your water. But if you want an exact number, here’s how to calculate your turnover rate:
For example, if your pool is 15,000 gallons and you have a pump with a flow rate of 40 GPM (or gallons per minute), you’ll have a turnover rate of 375 minutes. That means it takes a little over 6 hours to filter all the water in your pool. Making sure your pump is running enough can help prevent some water issues.
Here’s what to check on to make sure your pool pump is working properly. This is especially important if your pump has been turned off for a while.
Any debris not caught in your skimmer basket can make its way to your pump basket. Check and empty your pump basket, and only remove it when the pump is off.
2. Check Your Pump Lid Seal
If your pump lid isn’t sealed properly, air can get into your system. Check the lid’s O-ring for cracks and damage. Use a lubricant specifically made for O-rings or replace the O-ring if it’s completely worn out.
Any weak connections can introduce air into the system. So, inspect the unions and connection points between the pump and plumbing lines. You may want to consider adding plumber’s tape to loser connection points to prevent air leaks.
If it dips too low, your pump can start sucking in air. And worse, your pump can start to run dry and overheat.
If water isn’t flowing through the skimmer or the filter properly, your pump will struggle. So empty your skimmer basket once a week and backwash or clean your filter when the pressure starts to creep up.
Sometimes, a pair of goggles or a hair scrunchie can get caught in the skimmer line, blocking the flow of water to your pump. If you think your skimmer line is clogged, check out our other video on unclogging your skimmer.
Matt is the founder of Swim University. He's been in the pool industry since 1993. His mission is to make pool care easy for everyone. Each year, he continues to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting.
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