vinator set up

So SWMBO moved in and some things started to change, mostly for the good. One of those being a big ol' bottle tree showed up, and this morning my vinator arrived. And I"m a little embarrassed, but what am I missing here:

1. Spring goes up inside the part you press down on.
2. That piece goes up inside its little housing.
3. Entire things screws onto base. (maybe this is my problem, spring is crooked and may be sliding off?)
4. Base gets the little filter thing on the bottom.
5. Base snaps into dish. (maybe problem is here, not all three tabs snap in, only two seem to)
6. Fill with solution, depress bottle, nothing.

Everything you described sound like mine. It takes mine many pumps before liquid comes shooting through - until it's primed, I guess. Once it starts, it's fine. I've never counted how many pumps it takes to get started, but I'd say about a dozen or maybe more.

Hope this helps!

You have to keep the fluid above the bottom of the lower white piece, and also have to give it several initial pumps to "prime" it.

Be careful storing them also, mine had a catastrophic failure and split just above the threads on the lower white part. I found the white portion and spring half way across the garage.

Thanks. I'm now the happiest about to bottle brewer in the world.

And impatient. Thank god for 6 primaries.