Pump losing prime

[cameradude]

Hey all,

I was out of town for 3 weeks and at some point while I was gone my pump began to struggle to stay primed. The clear top of the basket in front of the pump usually only has one or two small bubbles in it but now it has a pocket of churning air. I can hear the air going through the plumbing and also when the bubbly water returns into the pool (see pic below).

In the past when this has happened I have re-lubed the O-ring on the clear top pictured and that solved it but I have done 3 re-lubes in the past 4 days (you can see the extra lube around the edge!) and it has not helped.

The water level of the pool is the same as always and the skimmer has a normal flow into it as well.

What else might be going on?

Thanks!
Todd

 

[VikingPoolMan]

Double check that no air is getting in through the skimmer (no vortex or anything lodge blocking flow)... If lube is not helping, then the O-ring itself may need to be replaced. If you see air in your pump, I suggest using a water hose to find where air is getting in then simply seal it... I did a video that shows this water hose technique here: How to Fix Air Bubbles In Swimming Pool - YouTube

 

[cameradude]

Double check that no air is getting in through the skimmer (no vortex or anything lodge blocking flow)... If lube is not helping, then the O-ring itself may need to be replaced. If you see air in your pump, I suggest using a water hose to find where air is getting in then simply seal it... I did a video that shows this water hose technique here: How to Fix Air Bubbles In Swimming Pool - YouTube

That video is fantastic!

It looks like the leak is in the pipe fitting that goes into the strainer pot. But the union looks odd, it seems like it was threaded at one time:


I am hoping to avoid cutting and putting in a proper union, is there something I could use to repair this?

 

[VikingPoolMan]

That video is fantastic!

It looks like the leak is in the pipe fitting that goes into the strainer pot. But the union looks odd, it seems like it was threaded at one time:

I am hoping to avoid cutting and putting in a proper union, is there something I could use to repair this?

Great! That is a common place for air leaks. If you really don't want to cut, you can try a band-aid repair (silicon) or plumber tape and wrap right there.... However, the better fix would be to replace the actual fitting. It's probably a 1.5 or 2 inch male fitting. Simply cut the pipe, unscrew the old fitting. Then, get a new male fitting (or a union) and wrap it with Teflon (or, even better, mat it up with a joint stick), then screw it in all the way and glue it back to pipe.