A method and apparatus are provided for determining a priming status of a pumping
system. The pumping
system includes a water pump and a variable speed motor. The method includes the steps of determining a reference
power consumption of the motor, determining an actual
power consumption of the motor, comparing the reference and actual power consumptions, and determining a priming status of the pumping
system based upon the comparison. In addition or alternatively, the method includes operating the motor at a
motor speed and altering control of the motor based upon the priming status. In addition or alternatively, the pumping system includes means for determining a reference
power consumption of the motor, means for determining an actual power consumption of the motor, means for determining a priming status of the pumping system, and means for altering control of the motor based upon the priming status.