Lots of Air in pump

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Dbustamante00

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Jul 31, 2015
49
Windham, NH
I tried looking up a previous post on how to prime a pump and get the air out of filter and pump. I keep finding posts regarding the issue, but no answers to my issue. I see that some people are able to release air from the filter with an air valve....how would I do this? I don't know where the valve is. I inherited the equipment with the house we purchased so no manuals.
The other issue is we have water flowing through the skimmer and through the return, but the pump basket just has water pouring in, not filling with with water and creating a good amount of suction.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
AG pools seldom have priming issues because the pump basket is gravity fed in most cases. Unless your pump is elevated above ground, this is the case for yours.

If the basket won't fill, it's simply a case of the pump moving water out faster than the skimmer can supply water to the pump. Common causes are a stuck skimmer weir, low water level, clogged hose from skimmer to pump, or an old hose collapsing when the pump is on.
 
There are usually two reasons why a pump will not fully prime. Either there is an air leak on the suction side of the pump or the impeller is clogged with debris.

First check the impeller inlet for debris. It is the hole under the pump basket.

If that is clear, then check the pump lid gasket for cracks. Use pool lube or silicon plumber grease to lube the lid gasket and drain plug gaskets.

See if that fixes the issue.

The air relief valve is a tiny black thumb screw on the top of the filter. Every one is different so to your manual to find it.
 
I'm adding more water now to see if this is the issue. The water line to the skimmer is about an inch from the bottom the skimmer opening. We're topping it off from our well so it's been slow getting enough water into the pool and I was running the filter prior to having water half way across the skimmer. I didn't think the water level was playing a part but since you suggested this as possible the problem we'll try this first.

Thanks
 
Did you lubericate the pump cover O ring with majic jacks or other silicone O ring lube from pool store. Also if turn off the pump and just slightly turn the cover the basket will fill (be prepared to get soaked if you take it compleatly off). Also sometimes you can clear the air out by running on backwash first.
 
The filter pressure gauge is very high. I emptied the basket and did a backwash, and it's at 50psi. Last year we ran the pool with hoses as the connections for plumbing. This year I hard plumbed the pool with PVC and Flexpipe. Do you think that has anything to do with it? I also added liquid stabilizer yesterday and it said to pour it into the skimmer and as I was doing it I realized how thick the stuff is and it kinda overwhelmed my filter, made it jump to a high PSI, but then it went back down to the 20 range, now it's holding steady at 50psi since the pump has primed.
 
Dbustamante00 said:
The filter pressure gauge is very high. I emptied the basket and did a backwash, and it's at 50psi. Last year we ran the pool with hoses as the connections for plumbing. This year I hard plumbed the pool with PVC and Flexpipe. Do you think that has anything to do with it? I also added liquid stabilizer yesterday and it said to pour it into the skimmer and as I was doing it I realized how thick the stuff is and it kinda overwhelmed my filter, made it jump to a high PSI, but then it went back down to the 20 range, now it's holding steady at 50psi since the pump has primed.
Click to expand...

Odds are slim your pump can generate that kind of pressure. Shut it off and see if the gauge goes back to zero.
 

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