Pool Pump Strainer Lid O-ring: A single gasket seals the pump strainer lid, which, once it loses pliability, can provide a direct route to foul your prime. Typical signs of wear are cracking in the rubber, warping or stretching, and the obvious missing bits.
Check the rubber gasket for cracks, pinching it into a smaller loop. Cracks will look like striations across the length of the gasket.
Warped or stretched gaskets are evident when the o-ring sits in the groove o-ring, spilling over. The warping of an o-ring can lead to it being pinched, creating a gap through which air can enter the plumbing.
If necessary, replace with the new gasket after cleaning the O-ring’s groove of gunk and leftover lube. Apply a new coat of lube, as well.
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matt Posted: 2/7/2014
i have an air leak in my system. i have three lines leading to my pump. a main drain, a vac and skimmer. when i turn on the main drain, the air leak goes away but i loose suction on my vac line (kreepy krawler weak and doesnt move). when i turn main drain off, i have air in returns with both skimmer and vac open....any thoughts.....thanks mattReply
colin Posted: 2/3/2014
just started seeing air bubbles coming from only one jet in the pool. from the one closest to the pump. pool is not losing water. any easy way to tell if it is sucking air from the skimmer suction line that runs underground? pump lid has always a a little bit of air in the top, has no removable fittings and have not had the lid off prior to the problem starting...any ideas?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 1/21/2014
Jim P - Assuming that your jets were working and stopped - for some reason water from the pump is not getting to the jets. Do you have an automated diverter valve that controls the flow to the jets? If so, check to see if actuator on top of the valve is stuck closed and is not responding to the open signal.Reply
Jim P Posted: 1/18/2014
I have an in-ground spa/pool combo, Jandy RS6 controller for automatic controls. My spa has 6-jets, five of which blow air - one that is sucking air. I replace the whole motor assembly that generates the whirlpool action in the spa to no avail. So why is it that the 5-jets blow (and not very hard) and one-jet sucks? Please help.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 12/16/2013
Significant Air Leak – I don't know what your diverter valve set up is but look at this one to see if it’s close to what you have: “Typical Diverter Valve Setup for Pool system with a Spa”. The overview picture shows all the diverter valves for the Suction side [before the pump] and the Return side [after the pump]. Air leaks are on the Suction Side so we don't have to look at the Return valves. If you have no leaks when in Spa mode, your leak is not coming from the Spa drain line. Also the leak cannot be in the pump or pump line or you would have air being sucked in when in Spa mode. To isolate your leak open up each of the other suction lines one at a time. Review this diverter valve guide for setting instructions if necessary. First open just the vacuum liner; then just the pool drain; then just the skimmer. You may have to leave the Spa drain open with each of these tests to get enough water flow. This should isolate the problem to one of the three pool suction lines.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 12/16/2013
derek – It sounds like you may have a leak in your vacuum hose. Take the last section of your hose closest to the vacuum port [or skimmer if you are using the skimmer port] and separate it from the rest of the hose. Keep it connected to the port and hold that section of the hose completely under water. If the bubbles stop, you have a leak in the hose sections that lay on top of the water. Check each of the hose joints in the part of the hose that lays on the surface.Reply
Significant Air Leak Posted: 12/15/2013
The filtration system for our in-ground pool has a significant air leak. However, when the valves are turned for spa use, there is no air leak. I have:1. Checked the jandy intake valve - no damage
2. Checked the skimmer/diverter valve for occlusion - clear
3. Checked for water leaks/spirts on glued connections, pump motor, lint pot lid/gasket, - none present
4. Checked with the magic 8 ball - nothing definitive
I guess I could have a breach in the intake system underground somewhere.
Brian
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derek Posted: 12/14/2013
I have a issue with air bubbles in my pump but only when I hook up my pool vac. When I do not use my pool vac, the system is air free. Help!Reply
Anonymous Posted: 11/8/2013
We were having bubbles every time the pump would kick on. We have an in floor cleaner and the bubbles would last for about a cycle of the pop-up heads. There was no bubbles in the pump basket but a small leak around the motor housing. We installed a new variable speed pump and but it is still popping when it kicks on. Not sure where the air is coming from. Any suggestions?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 9/30/2013
Exasperated - I would need more information on your filter to give you more specific answers. In general, first eliminate the possible effect of the cleaner by disconnecting it and running your pump without it. Then, if your filter pressure increases, you know it's not a cleaner issue. Recheck all the joints and O-rings in the pipes to the pump. When you shut off the pump and the filter has back pressure, you may see water briefly squirting out and suction pipe leaks. Correct these leaks. Then, as you pointed out, some filters have a breather tube going up the center of the filter to bleed off air collecting at the top of the filter. See if the top of that tube is clogged.Reply
Exasperated Posted: 9/26/2013
After 10 min my kreepy stops working with air in the pump strainer basket. I replaced all the Kreepy pipes, bypassed the weir-pump pipe, replaced the Kreepy, replaced the sand in the filter. It seems as though there is an increase in air pressure in the filter. Is it possible that it is the mechanism in the filter that returns air to the pool that is not functioning? How does it work and how do you check/repair it?Thank you for your help.
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 8/25/2013
SBMini - Generally when your water level falls below the skimmer, your system sucks in air causing the pump to lose prime and run dry. When that happens, the shaft seal on the motor burns up. If you fill the pool up and restart the motor at that point the shaft seal will leak, spray water on to the motor and eventually short out the motor. If you are not seeing water dripping or flowing out of the bottom of the motor, you must still have a good shaft seal. If your pump and filter are dry, I would guess that your leak started before you got home and was what lowered your pool water level to below the skimmer. Turn your pump off and try placing drops of food coloring around the bottom of the skimmer and the main drain to see if it is sucked into a leak. If you have a leak in an underground pipe, you may have to call in a professional to repair it.Reply
SBMini Posted: 8/24/2013
Our pool level got below the skimmer when we were out of town a last week. Upon returning, there is air in the system and the pressure of the filter is too high. We're going to check/replace the o-rings and the motor seal if necessary this weekend.However, since returning we've also noticed that we're losing a lot of water. We're adding water ever day to keep it at the appropriate level. Everything around the filter and pump is dry. We aren't sure where we are losing water, but I have to think it is related to the air in the system.
It hasn't been any hotter here than normal that would explain increased evaporation either.
Any thoughts?
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JeffS Posted: 8/11/2013
InyopoolThanks for the helpful webpage. Just installed a new pump after my 3 year old Hayward Superjunk died. Was getting a lot of air and the solution was in your posts here. When I shut the pump off I was getting a little squirt of water from one of the drain plugs. Reseated the plug and the leak stopped. Thanks again!
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 8/11/2013
Simon - A burst of bubbles out the return port on startup is normal. The pump is clearing out any air that's in the system when the pump is off. If you have algae clogging the DE surface, I would recommend backwashing your filter more frequently.Reply
Simon Posted: 8/10/2013
Upon starting pump, a strong burst of air bubbles show at the only one return port of my pool. But bubbles clear out in 10-15seconds and don't come back as long as pump is running. Does it mean I have a leaking filter tank? I suspected it because recently I had to clean the filter and replace DE every other month. Until recently I only needed clean twice a year! When cleaning filter, I notice green algae has clogged the DE surface. Is it also because air leaks into the tank when pump is idle? Thanks for any advice.Reply
Long Time Pool Owner Posted: 8/6/2013
I had tons of bubbles coming out of my jets. Nowhere on the internet did I find the solution. The problem turned out to be that my chlorinator needed a new o-ring in the cover. I wouldn't have known this except I went to add more chlorine tablets and found the old ones hadn't disintegrated much at all. I put in the new o-ring and no more bubbles!Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/27/2013
TinyBubbles - This sounds very acceptable and nothing that you have to worry about. Most pumps have some air showing at the top of the strainer bucket. This only becomes an issue when your pump is pulling in so much air that it cannot maintain prime.Reply
TinyBubbles Posted: 7/25/2013
What quantity or amount of air in the return water is acceptable and at what point does it become a problem that must be fixed?I definitely have a small air leak on the suction side that I cannot find. I have a two speed pump and on low speed you can actually see the tiny bubbles enter the strainer from the suction side. On high speed, bubbles swirl around the top in a small quantity but are ejected into the pool in tiny amounts as fast as they enter so air does not accumulate. The bubbles that enter the pool are very small; smaller than a BB. When the pump switches to slow speed the turbulence lessens and the bubbles in the pool stop, but the the air pocket at the top of the strainer slowly grows until tiny bubbles start to occur in the pool again and then the air level seems to remain at that point for extended periods of time as the small amount of air ingested is ejected into the pressure side.
Is this something that is acceptable for now and can be monitored to see if gets worse? Or is this a problem that needs to be addressed to prevent excessive wear on the pool pump/impeller?
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/21/2013
Gonecrazyoverpool - The issue will be on the suction side of the pump. If you can, try closing down all but one or two of your input pipes at a time to isolate which pipe the suction leak is in. If you get prime with one or two pipes, your leak is in one of the others. Also, once you have prime, you can generally see water squirting out at the leak when you turn off the pump and get temporary backpressure. There is no device available to a homeowner that I know of to isolate underground pipe leaks. You may have to go to a professional for that.Reply
Gonecrazyoverpool Posted: 7/20/2013
Help. We r going crazy. We bought our house 3 years ago. First spring it started up ok. Second year not so much, we had the pump rebuilt. We had to run the garden hose over one of the ports on the filter until the pressure built up and then it would maintain pressure. This summer we tried sealing the unions with marine caulk as suggested. Didn't do anything. So we replaced the sand filter still wouldn't maintain pressure so we replaced the pump. We cannot get it to prime. No pressure in the system. We replaced all PVC above ground because it was dry and brittle. Still no luck. Now we r digging up the lines to see if we can see anything obvious like a bad union or hole in the lines. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong. Is there any devise we could rent to help determine where a leak is. It appears to be on the suction side because it doesn't draw water in from the pool. Help!!!!Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/18/2013
pnc1luv - Sounds like you have two problems. Losing water when the pump is circulation water probably means you have a leak in one of your return lines and if you're getting water under the liner, it may be under your pool. The other issue is bubble in the return line. Bubbles in the returns are usually due to air being sucked in on the suction side of the pump which may mean you also have a leak in the suction side. Suction leaks do not cause water loss during operation, only bubbles in the returns. Conversely, pressure leak on the return side do not cause air bubbles - they are only squirting out water,Reply
pnc1luv Posted: 7/16/2013
Question. I'm fairly certain I have a return/pressure side leak in my plumbing of my pool. I've done this test 2x now - I leave all equipment off, for 1-2 days the water lever hardly changes. When I turn the pump on for filtration/circulation, the water level drops at a rate of about 1/4" per hour! It then also looks like water pools behind the shallow end of the pool and causes the liner to float. I have 3 return outlets in the pool, and 2 outlets on the stairs. The 3 main ones look fine, with minimum bubbles. The 2 on the stairs sounds have a LOT of bubbles coming out. Does this mean I have a leak in one of the pipes that lead to them?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/16/2013
jimmy - No. Bubbles in the return lines are caused by suction leaks on the suction side of the pump - water coming into the pump.Reply
jimmy Posted: 7/15/2013
Can a pressure side leak cause bubbles in the return pipe to the pool? I found 2 small leaks on the pressure side pipe to the filter right after the pump. All baskets are clean. thanksReply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 7/1/2013
Dominic - I had a couple of other thoughts and corrections on your problem. I misread your comment - you are using the skimmer port for your suction hose not a separate suction port. Make sure that the vacuum plate and hose connection are completely under water when you operate the cleaner and be sure to fill the hose with water before you attach it to the plate. Some systems will lose prime on just the initial air in the hose.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/30/2013
Dominic - If I understand you correctly, you only lose prime when the suction cleaner hose is attached to the suction port. Try two things: If you take the hose out and hold open the suction port cover, do you lose prime? If so, your leak is in the suction line. If you don't lose prime, your leak is in the hose. Try holding the entire hose under water and see if you lose prime. If not then you have a leak in the hose line that floats on the top of the water.Reply
Dominic Posted: 6/29/2013
Pool pump is fed through value with inputs from pool drain and skimmer. Prime can be maintained with valve in any position, all drain or all skimmer or anything bEtween. When vacuum hose is placed in skimmer prime is lost even with valve in mid position. New hose and vacuum plate did not solve problem. Recently had skimmer line blown as it was blocked with pine needles. This corrected flow without hose. But somehow air gets into system even though new hose.Stumped.
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InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/21/2013
Suibing - Had to check with the manufacturers on this one. The consensus is that you have a suction leak before or at the pump that is pushing air into the top of the filter and causing back pressure. When you change the valve setting and return back to filter, you release much of this pressure and as you return to filter, this pressure starts top build up again. Another cause of back pressure is a dirty filter, but that would not have been corrected by resetting the valve. Check any connections you recently made when you changed to new equipment. Your leak is probably in one of those connections.Reply
Suibing Posted: 6/18/2013
All settings on my above ground pool filter work great except for the filter setting. At first it works great and I have great pressure coming out of the jet but then, within a few hours, it slows to a trickle coming out of the jet. If I change the setting and then go back to filter, same thimg, great pressure coming out of the jet which then slows to a trickle. New sand, new filter and new pump. Anu ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Reply
wendy Posted: 6/17/2013
My pool pump was working fine until I had backwashed it now it is sucking air and I don't know how to fix it. wendyReply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/5/2013
elaine - Fix a leak - I talked to the manufacturer on this one. He said that most people will not have the equipment to reverse the flow correctly and that you may have to have a professional do a suction leak fix.Reply
Nanette Posted: 6/3/2013
After my pump/filter run for about 1/2 hour I start to loose my prime and the pressure on the filter increases. When I then turn them off, the water goes out of the pump, back towards the pool. I have replaced the o-ring and sealed all the connectors. Any suggestions?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/3/2013
Garciaviegas - Your pump is sucking in air somewhere between the pool and the pump. Look at any fitting or other system parts on the suction side that you removed recently, and make sure they are tight and that any O-rings are set correctly. Check the Gasket under the strainer lid. They sometimes buckle. Lastly, since you did blow out the pipe you may have to fill the strainer basket longer and leave the pump on 3-4 minutes to reach prime.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 6/3/2013
elaine - Generally you can run your system with the skimmer off, but you will still have the air problem any time you try to use the skimmer. Check for a leak around the skimmer valve,Reply
Garciaviegas Posted: 6/2/2013
Hi I'm hoping someone can help! Our pump is not fulling priming the water in the skimmer basket doesn't get full and it's causing air bubbles in the pool. We've replaced the filter cartridge, we've also used a drain jet to make sure there is no clog. I looked at the o rings they seem fine any other ideas?Reply
elaine Posted: 6/2/2013
Reading the instructions for using "fix a leak" on suction side leaks it states to reverse the flow. How is that done without backwashing the material out of the pool?Reply
elaine Posted: 6/2/2013
I too have the issue with air rushing in as soon as I open my skimmer valve to the pump. If I can't find any leaks in connections etc, would it be a problem to just run when I filter with skimmers valved out and just pull from main drain? Then I would put skimmers back in as needed or just skim it myself?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Dennis R. Posted: 5/29/2013
Scott - Sounds like you have a suction leak on the input side of your pump. Check all the fittings you added or took apart on that side of the pump. If you have any O-rings make sure they are in correctly.Reply
Scott Posted: 5/27/2013
just replaced sand filter/ pump and plumping around it/ pump loses water when shut down/hayward vac suction is so low it doesn't move where am I losing pressure?thanks
Scott
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