How to Prime and Start Your Pool Pump After Winter
📅 April 27, 2026 · ⏱ 5 min read · ✍️ Dolphin Pool & Spa Team
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Your pump is the heart of your pool. Without it circulating water through the filter and back through the returns, nothing else works — not your chemicals, not your sanitizer, not your heater. So when spring rolls around and it's time to fire everything back up, getting your pump primed and running correctly is one of the most important steps in the whole opening process.
The good news is that priming a pool pump isn't complicated — but there are a few things that can go wrong if you rush it or skip steps. Here's exactly how to do it right after a Minnesota winter.
1 Do a Visual Inspection Before You Touch Anything
Before you flip a single switch, take a few minutes to look everything over. A Minnesota winter is tough on pool equipment and a quick visual inspection can save you from burning out your pump motor or flooding your equipment pad.
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⚠️ Heads Up: Never start your pump without reinstalling all drain plugs first. It sounds obvious, but it's one of the most common spring mistakes — and the result is water spraying everywhere the moment the pump kicks on.
2 Lubricate the Pump Lid O-Ring
This small step makes a big difference. The pump lid O-ring seals the strainer basket housing and keeps air from being sucked into the system. After sitting all winter it can become dry, brittle, or slightly misshapen — any of which will cause air leaks that make priming a nightmare.
Remove the O-ring, wipe it clean, and apply a thin coat of pool-grade silicone lubricant — never petroleum-based products like Vaseline, which will degrade the rubber over time. Reseat it carefully in the groove and make sure it's seated evenly all the way around before reinstalling the lid.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep a spare pump lid O-ring on hand — they're inexpensive and if yours is cracked or has lost its shape, replacing it right now will save you a lot of frustration during priming. We carry them in our Plymouth store.
3 Fill the Pump Basket with Water
Pool pumps are not self-priming from a completely dry state — they need water in the housing to create the suction that draws more water in from the pool. This is what "priming" actually means: manually filling the pump so it has something to work with when it starts.
Here's how to do it:
4 Watch and Listen After Startup
Once the pump is running, stay with it for the first few minutes. A healthy pump startup after priming should follow a predictable pattern — and knowing what normal looks and sounds like helps you catch problems early before they become expensive repairs.
⚠️ Heads Up: If your pump won't prime after two or three attempts, turn it off and leave it off. Running a pump dry — even for a few minutes — can destroy the shaft seal and burn out the motor. Call us and we'll help you troubleshoot before any damage is done.
5 Troubleshooting a Pump That Won't Prime
If your pump starts but won't pull water, there are a handful of common culprits. Work through this list before calling for service — the fix is often something simple:
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💡 Quick Fix: One of the most overlooked causes of priming failure is low water level. If your pool lost water over the winter, the skimmer may be pulling in air instead of water. Top up your pool to the middle of the skimmer opening before trying again — it makes a big difference.
6 Check Your Filter Pressure Once the Pump Is Running
Once your pump is primed and running steadily, take a reading of your filter pressure gauge. This is your baseline for the season — write it down. A clean filter at startup typically reads between 8–15 PSI depending on your system. As the season goes on, when pressure climbs 8–10 PSI above that baseline, it's time to backwash or clean your filter.
If your pressure gauge reads zero with the pump running, the gauge itself may be faulty — or your filter multiport valve may not be fully in the "Filter" position. If pressure is extremely high right at startup, your filter media may need attention before you run the system further.
💡 Pro Tip: Spring is the perfect time to consider upgrading your sand filter media to Micron1 — a premium glass filtration media that filters down to 1 micron compared to 20–40 microns with standard sand. Ask our team about it when you stop in. Your pump will thank you.
Getting your pump primed and running correctly at the start of the season is one of those jobs that pays dividends all summer long. A pump that's starting up clean, sealed tight, and running at the right pressure means better water circulation, more effective chemical distribution, and a lot fewer headaches down the road. Take the extra 15 minutes to do it right — your pool will be better for it all season.
And if you run into trouble — whether it's a pump that won't prime, a pressure gauge that's reading funny, or a motor that sounds like it's had better days — bring it to us. We've been troubleshooting Minnesota pool pumps since 1988 and there's not much we haven't seen.
Pump Problems? We Can Help.
Whether you need a new pump, a replacement O-ring, or just some advice on getting things running smoothly — stop in or give us a call. We carry parts, pumps, and 37 years of experience.
Call Us Now — 763-542-90003405 Hwy 169 N, Plymouth MN 55441 · Mon–Thurs 8–5 · Fri 8–6 · Sat 8–4
Your Happy Dolphin Pool & Spa Team
3405 Hwy 169 N, Plymouth MN · 763-542-9000 · dolphinpool-spa.com