Running Dry

I never leave the cistern to tinaco pump on automatic for fear the pump freezes and needs a kick, pump looses it's prime or the cistern just runs dry. For some reason it was on Auto yesterday, I heard it, and realizing we hadn't had street water in awhile I checked the cistern and tinaco. 1/4 tank in tinaco and cistern basically empty. That is the driest I've been in almost 3 years.

We used a lot of water during construction and street water supply was even flakier back then so we sunk a well.  A submersible pump worked best here but after construction it just sat there unused while my neighbors kept running out.  They had a well but no pump so the pump has been theirs for the last 2 1/2 years.

I've been close to bringing the pump back before but this time it was necessary. Changing wells didn't make the pump real happy so it was stuck at first.  Finally moving it around and starting it in a bucket of water it fired up. Running into the yard for 20 minutes was all it needed to be super clear.  Filled the pool which is about the size of a tinaco (1100 liters), the cistern (11,000 liters) and ran the secondary pump to top off the tinacos (2). Packed up 12 meters of support rope and electrical cable and 20 meters of hose in the wheelbarrow and took them back to my neighbor.

Filling the pool

Opening to cistern

The hose, electrical, support rope and pump

Pool pump loses prime

I'm house sitting for awhile and altho I have a "pool guy" I still have to stay on top of what's up. We've got the cleanup an PH under control but this pump seems to lose prime every day. I have to pour about 4 pitchers of water in it before it gets going.  I did grease the O-ring on the pump basket for a better seal.   Reading about air in the system an "air relief valve" is mentioned but I don't find one.

I'm thinking of taking it off automatic for fear of ruining the pump and only running it when I'm here.   It's either that or drain the pool so it's no longer my responsibility.

It's an above ground pump and 'pool guy' says better if it's at pool water level .... but many pumps around here are above ground.

Another possibly related issue is the pool looses about 2" of water each day. I'm going to turn off the pump and filter tomorrow and see if it's loosing water just sitting or is it only during circulation.