What to do about my filter and air in return jets?

[Undertow]

Hello all,

I just purchased this home and it looks like some filter maintenance is going to have to take place soon.

I have a Hayward Micro-Clear DE2400 filter that is leaking a small bit of water from the filter head/clamp area. I hired a pool company to come out and clean it and check it out since I'm new to the whole thing and got a better look at everything. Unfortunately the grids had a few small holes so I opted to get new ones. Of course, they did not have them in stock and would have to order them. Since the grids were cleaned but no new DE has been added yet I went ahead and picked up some new ones locally (but I might be returning them). When it was apart I noticed that the d-ring could use replacing as well as the outlet elbow o-ring, but it appears that the D ring has been discontinued and now I'm stuck. On top of this, there are air bubbles coming out of the return jets - I dont know if the two are related, but it seems plausible.

I'm not sure where to go next other than maybe a new filter. Is there anywhere else I should be checking for air leaks?

Thanks,
Jake

 

[Richard320]

The pump strainer lid. The big O-ring in there can get tiny cracks. It can also get deformed and stiff. It's also real easy to get particles of stuff caught when emptying the strainer basket.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Bubbles coming out of the return is caused from air getting into the suction side of the pump. Your filter has nothing to do with that. If the cost of repairs reaches about 50% of the cost new one you're usually better buying new.

Richard gave you good advice about the pump strainer basket. It's the most common place to find and air leak. Remove clean and inspect it. Then get some pool lube and apply to the o-ring and put it back together.

Other places to check:

The skimmer. Make sure the water level is high enough and it's not creating a vortex sucking in air.
The skimmer weir. Make sure it works freely and doesn't hang up at all.
The pump drain plug(s). Make sure they're not leaking even a little. A very small water leak is a very large air leak.

 

[Undertow]

Thanks for the advice! I checked the skimmer this morning and there was not a vortex; if I'm not mistaken, I don't think my skimmer has a weir. I'll inspect the pump more closely when I get home, I picked up a new o-ring for the strainer lid just in case. I'm going to install the new grids and make sure everything is cleaned and lubed on the filter side... wish me luck!

 

[Undertow]

Well, I think I may have got the filter squared away, but it will have to wait till morning for a closer leak inspection.

I still have not been able to locate the air leak. I cleaned the surfaces and replaced/lubed the o-ring on the pump basket, the old o-ring didn't look too bad but now I feel like it is pretty solid. I did not see any indication of water or leaks at the pump drain plug. There has been a few times where I've started the pump and it will fill completely for a few minutes before the air hits, but then it never recovers. Any suggestions on where to look next? Here is a photo of my plumbing - I'll can get better pics and a video tomorrow if it would be helpful.

 

[Undertow]

Here is a quick video. when I turned on the pump this morning it stayed full for about 15 mins before starting to suck air.

[youtube:1vy3dhu1]8tFxgHGkB1M[/youtube:1vy3dhu1]