It was Monday. Water looked still. Too still.
The homeowner said everything was “on,” but nothing was moving. Chlorine wasn’t mixing. The pool looked flat. Like it had given up.
So I stepped in.
Chapter One: The Clues
The pump was silent. Not humming. Not gurgling. Just quiet.
I opened the lid. Bone dry. Tried priming. Still nothing. I followed the plumbing and noticed a tiny crack on the suction line.
Air leak. Classic.
Chapter Two: The Skimmer Trap
I pulled the skimmer lid and found the culprit. A plastic toy wedged in the throat, blocking almost all suction. The pump couldn’t prime because it couldn’t pull.
Pulled it out. Re-primed. The pump finally roared back to life. The pressure gauge jumped. Water moved.
Chapter Three: The Warning Signs
Still not convinced? This Quora thread on silent pool pumps explains what causes the “dead pump” scenario.
If your pool’s just sitting there looking pretty but doing nothing, you’ve got a pump problem. And if you’ve got a pump problem, you’ve got a circulation problem.
And that means trouble.
Get more case files and fixes in our pool equipment tips archive. It’s where most mysteries get solved.
