pump not moving water when air bleeder is closed?

[bensmail]

Today I noticed the timer turned on the pump and the water started flowing and it makes a lot of gurgling noises at the pool for a few seconds then stops (this is normal as air bubbles out of the line, etc..) but today it did it again after a few minutes.... so I went out to the pump to check it out and the pressure gauge was at 0. I turned it off and took out the filter. It needed a good cleaning! Then I put it back, opened the air bleeder valve at the top, turned on the pump and as usual heard the air hissing out. When water starts squirting out I close the bleeder valve and normally the pressure valve goes to 10... this time it was climbing as the air ran out and up to about 10 when water squirted out but when I close the air bleeder the pressure dropped to 0 and I could see water wasn't moving through very much. I shut it off and tried making sure everything was OK but no matter what I do the same thing happens. I tried switching it to waste and that pumped water out as usual.... but going back to the filter as soon as I close that air bleeder it seems to stop water flow and pressure. Makes no sense to me.

What should I be looking for?

 

[bensmail]

I've been trying different things. I pulled the filter out completely and tried it that way but the same thing happened. Needle starts going up to 10 as the filter unit fills with water then it drops back down to 0.

I just got it working the last time I tried WITH the filter cartridge installed. It seemed to take a lot longer than usual to bleed the air and get up to pressure however. The needle climbed really slow but it is staying at 10 now.

Is the pump going bad? It's a self priming pump for an inground pool 20K gal.

 

[jblizzle]

It is not normal for the lines to be full of air (unless you are running solar which should be full of air).

It is not possible for the pump to be running and water entering the filter and the pressure to drop to 0. If something was blocking the water from moving, then the pressure in the filter would read very high. Wondering if your gauge is bad.

Are any valves out of place?

Have you verified that the impeller is not clogged with debris?

Please add your location (City, State or City, Country) to your profile and pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.

 

[Richard320]

Check the water level in the skimmer and ensure that the weir swings freely.

Many times in the past we've had people complain of surging. The pump starts, primes, starts to really move some water, and sucks the skimmer dry. When that happens it loses prime and stops pumping. After it's been off for a bit, the skimmer refills and the pump will prime again and the cycle repeats.

 

[bensmail]

Thanks for the info. I think it might have been the flapper for the skimmer. I went out with a flashlight last night and manually pushed it a few times. There seemed to be a little resistance and felt like something might have been jammed in there. It freed up and moved easier. I turned the pump off around 9:30pm. This morning the pump pressure was still at 10 and everything kicked on right away when I turned it on. I'll keep a close eye on it the next few days and see if anything changes.