# Forum Home Renovation Pools, Spa & Water Features  Sand Pump not sucking

## Allen James

Hi there.   I have only owned a small pool for a short time, since I bought this last house.  Up until now the hammerhead pool cleaner and the sand pump worked fine, but in the last few days they stopped sucking water.   I cleaned the filters in the pool and the pump, but something seems to be blocking the flow. I tried backwashing, rinsing etc., and still the flow wasn’t there. Meantime the pool is turning green…    I rang the pool shop and the guy said I should undo some bolts on a thingamyjig, and have a look at the something or other. I think he mentioned an impellor or propeller, and the electric motor.   After unplugging the sand pump I wasn’t sure which part he was describing. I tried one part, and then another, and have illustrated this in the images linked below - with text and arrows. <O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:   I couldn’t see anything wrong in those parts. Did I open up the wrong ones? Should I try a different section?<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:    The pump makes a lot of noise but no water goes through. The outlets in the pool have no water coming out either. There is no suction from the hammerhead.   The worst part is that tenants just moved in, so this is kind of embarrassing.<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:    I’d sure appreciate any advice you may have.   http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/a...nd-pump-01.jpg 
<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:   http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/a...nd-pump-02.jpg 
</O :Tongue:   http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/a...nd-pump-03.jpg

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## Gaza

at my old house the filter sand filled up with crap over the years and the volume of water it would filter ended up at nearly zero, i first thought the pump had gone but i could see that the pump was still pushing water when i changed the setting to pump out, the pump was OK. 
all i did was pull the filter apart and change the sand, they have pumps to get the sand out at the pool shop but we just turned ours over and hosed it out. 
put in new sand put it back together and it was all good, the guys at the pool shop thought i was mad for doing it my self it took maybe hrs and the only cost was the filter sand.

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## 2x4

Happens to mine once in a while as well. Disconnect the vertical pipe from the pump in the first photo.Undo the 6 odd bolts that are to the left of the pipe in phto 1. Inside that housing you will find the impella. once you open it up all will become clear. Use a wire/ coathanger to clear the impeller of the muck that gets past your filters.
Once you put it all back together you may have to prime it with a bucket full of water.(pour it into the filter) 
NB: None of the above gets you into the motor. Dont go that far.   
.

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## Geoff2005

1. Check that "filter" is selected on rotoray valve.
2. Disconnect pool cleaner so the filter pump draws water from skimmer box.
3. Remove lid from pump leaf basket (the clear plastic one).
4. Fill leaf basket with water using hose.
5. Keep water running into leaf basket and switch on pump (keeping safe seperation between wet stuff and electricity).
6. If pump doesn't empty water from leaf basket then there is problem with pump or blockage after pump. If pump empties basket then switch off pump, fill basket with water and replace lid and switch on pump, if this works then pump just needed priming.

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## bpj1968

As with Geoff's suggestion, it just may need priming. 
If that doesn't solve teh problem, repeat steps 1-6, and before step 5 remove the vertical pipe from the pump and before the filter.  Then step 5 and 6.  If water goes every where the fault is at the filter.  I assume you tried the backwash setting (reverses flow) Rinse (normal flow through sand to drain) and waste (bypasses sand to waste) 
If not then try 2x4 version
The waste setting should work okay even with clogged sand

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## Allen James

Thanks very much Gaza, 2x4, Geoff2005, bpj1968 for your great advice.    I will print out all this wisdom and approach the beast soon, and report back  my findings.  Much obliged to you all.  Cheers, <O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:    Allen   :2thumbsup:    <O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:

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## Wombat2

Air leakage can cause havoc as well - when you have the top off the view pane on top of the pump it pays to use some silicone grease (or vaseline in a pinch) to lubricate the O ring and the thread of the pump housing. If you have had other parts of the water path apart I'd be using a bit of grease on those surfaces as well.

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## Allen James

> Air leakage can cause havoc as well - when you have the top off the view pane on top of the pump it pays to use some silicone grease (or vaseline in a pinch) to lubricate the O ring and the thread of the pump housing. If you have had other parts of the water path apart I'd be using a bit of grease on those surfaces as well.

   Thanks Wombat  I will remember that. Might go over the connections tomorrow.   I figured I would start with Geoffs suggestion because it was the easiest, and then go on to bpj1968s, 2x4s and Gazas, in order of difficulty.   After filling the leaf basket with water using the hose, and turning on the filter, it emptied the basket, so I turned off the filter, filled the basket, replaced lid, turned on filter, and KAB-BLAM! Not only is the pump working, but its twice as powerful as it was before! The hammerhead is moving twice as fast, and the suction is very strong.  :2thumbsup:    Ive kept all these very useful notes in case I have to clean the machine further in the future, so thanks very much guys.
<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:   I do have just one more problem  its probably one youve heard a few times, and it is to do with the hammerhead cleaner sticking in one particular position in the pool. I go away and come back a few hours later to find it stuck in that one spot.<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:    Im going to draw up a diagram and put up another post about this.   
<O :Tongue: </O :Tongue:

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## Wombat2

Sticking in one spot can be too much suction. There should be some way to regulate the flow through the hammerhead - I have two pools and one has a Kreepy and it has a sliding valve and a pressure relief device on the plate in the skimmer box and the other is a Barracuta and it has an adjustable device on the hose just before the plate in the skimmer box.

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## Allen James

> Sticking in one spot can be too much suction. There should be some way to regulate the flow through the hammerhead - I have two pools and one has a Kreepy and it has a sliding valve and a pressure relief device on the plate in the skimmer box and the other is a Barracuta and it has an adjustable device on the hose just before the plate in the skimmer box.

    Thanks Wombat  thats one thing I didnt try. Ill get the manual out and learn how to use that pressure regulator that is on the valve.

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## Allen James

Just an update – I did look at the adjustable device that controls the amount of suction, and it was on the lowest level. Any lower and the handle would come off.     Yet the hammerhead continues to stop in that spot.  :Doh:     http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/a...gets-stuck.jpg     I’m just wondering - is it possible that turning the pressure *up* might help? Or maybe I just need to dynamite this particular curve on the pool wall . . .

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## Wombat2

Try directing the jet that is above the point it sticks and send it more along the wall where the hose is - that should push the hose out and turn the head

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## Allen James

> Try directing the jet that is above the point it sticks and send it more along the wall where the hose is - that should push the hose out and turn the head

  Thanks Wombat2 - will try.   :Wink:

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## Allen James

> Try directing the jet that is above the point it sticks and send it more along the wall where the hose is - that should push the hose out and turn the head

  Just to let you know David - it's been working all the time since I tried your suggestion (almost a day and a half now), so it worked. Thanks!  :2thumbsup:

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