Pump not pulling any water

[rqbanerjee]

Hi All,
Need some help restarting my parents pool. They are out of the country for 2 more weeks, and I wanted to surprise my dad by opening the pool for him. He loves to swim.

Anyhow, it has not been opened for several years. Their are two major problems, but i need to deal with the first one.

Specs: 16'x32' Inground, Vinyl liner. Pump is a "Richardson Industries" 3/4 HP pump with a diatomaceous earth (sp?) filter barrel.

The pump is not pulling any water through. I have primed the pump by filling the pump's hopper to the brim with water, screwing the top back on, and starting it quickly. However it barely gets out a squirt of water (on waste mode). I've tried shoving my garden hose down the hopper and forcing water through the line, but that doesn't work either and water comes back up at me.

Could there be a blockage or puncture in the line? How to tell? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Raj