HELP!!! I can't figure out how to prime my external return pump

[New&no clue]

I switched up my plumbing in the sump, and now my external pump doesn't seem to be pulling water. The pump was external before and worked fine, but now it doesn't. I believe I have to prime it, maybe? The video I watched on Youtube says to pour water down the return line, which I did, and still nothing? Am I missing something? My poor fish are sad.

 

[Red_Beard]

Usually to prime them you just have to get the air bubble in the pump out so that the impeller is covered in water. Pouring water down the return should do the trick unless that bubble gets trapped in there. Could you close one a valve or two on the discharge line and fill the line above it completely, then open one valve? That should also flush it out. Also, is the impeller in good shape and installed properly? I have seen some mag drive pumps where the impeller shaft snapped and it would act like it needed primed but would never pump.

 

[Red_Beard]

Also looking at that pic, is the water level in the sump higher than the pump body?

 

[New&no clue]

Usually to prime them you just have to get the air bubble in the pump out so that the impeller is covered in water. Pouring water down the return should do the trick unless that bubble gets trapped in there. Could you close one a valve or two on the discharge line and fill the line above it completely, then open one valve? That should also flush it out. Also, is the impeller in good shape and installed properly? I have seen some mag drive pumps where the impeller shaft snapped and it would act like it needed primed but would never pump.

I poured water in until it was full and it still won’t catch. It was working fine this morning.

 

[Red_Beard]

That stinks. If that is the case, I would isolate it and check the housing/impeller and make sure there wasnt something stuck in there. Then drain the return line so there is no inital head pressure at all (if the water level in the sump is above the pump body it will self prime) open it all up for a few seconds then try turning the pump on again. Hopefully it is just air locked or there is some macro or something binding it, something easy to fix!

 

[Red_Beard]

Did you get it going? What was the issue?

 

[New&no clue]

Did you get it going? What was the issue?

I drained the line, from the union above the pump. Then I poured water directly into the pump to hopefully push any air out. I turned it on and it worked. I'm not sure if it was the water draining or the water in the pump, but either way it started up again.