Location of pump

[morganpaige]

Are pool contractor place the pool pump about 20 feet above pool level and we have been having problems. We are telling him he needs to move it, but they seem to think it will work with check valves and vacuum breaker. It also takes 20 minutes to prime it when it is shut down. What is the maximum height a pump should be above pool level?

[Expert Pool & Spa]

Theoretically (sp?) a pump will not work above 33.9 feet above the water level, but realisticaly anything about 16 feet is simply asking for trouble. A vacuum breaker is not required on the suction side of the pump and is only needed on a fresh water fill line. A check valve will probably leak down at that level and not be effective and is also very restrictive to water flow. We would highly suggest putting the pump as close to the water level as possible or even in a pit or room below the water level for peak efficiency and ease of use.

Keep in mind that when trying to prime the pump as it is now you should close down the main valve on the suction side of the pump so it is barely open to make priming the pump easier. Think of it like this:

If you drink from a straw out of a glass it is much harder to drink from a straw that is 1" inside diameter than it is to drink from a cocktail straw. The smaller the straw the easier it is to begin flowing but the less volume will be available. Same thing with the pool pump, but we can actually "change the size of the straw" by adnjusting the valve accordingly and when the pump is moving the max amount of water at a given valve opening, we can then open the valve more to allow more flow...

Hope this helps!