Pump not holding a prime

[ChuckD]

(just back in from repairing some snow fencing that got blown down. Needed some Pool talk to boost my spirits.)
I was going to answer this too with the observation that that's a mighty powerful pump for that pool. I have a 22K inground and a 3/4 Superpump does fine. I was wondering if, as Al mentioned, there might be leaks, but also if the draw from that pump isn't exacerbating it.

I think that even if you had a perfectly sealed system, you'd still be running on the verge of cavitation (assuming the lines were 1-3/4" and not able to supply the pump's demand).

Is it a two speed pump? Maybe running it at a lower speed would help.

Chuck

[waste]

Saw this earlier and started to respond, but Mrs. waste wants a "clean house for a clean year", so I had to do some housekeeping

As we nor you know how long the pump ran without a prime, I suspect that, as Al said, some cavitation could have occured while the pump ran w/o a prime (what caused it in the first place, I'm not sure- sounds like it's the return valve you're talking about, and that wouldn't cause a suction side air leak). If the pump did indeed cavitate for a prolonged period, some of the seals (pump housing lid gasket, seal assembly or housing body gasket) may be leaking, though only the lid gasket will allow air into the pump to kill the prime, however, the pump inlet fitting may have warped and is now drawing air

You can tell if you have a suction side leak by looking to see if you have air bubbles in the pump housing. If you do, you can try to isolate the problem by slowly pouring water over any suspect area and watching to see if the bubbles go away.