Air in the pump

Jump to latest Follow Reply
T

TomAtlanta

Well-known member
Sep 10, 2011
392
Atlanta Ga
Does it do any damage if you have air in the pump?

I have two things going on. One is that when I vacuum it seems like I always get some air in the pump. Is this a problem?

Also, when the leak detector guys came, they said there was a very small leak in the pipe from the skimmer to the pump. They said that probably no water would leak out of this, but it would suck a little air into the system, and that it might get worse over time. How big of a problem is this?
 
A little air is no problem. A lot of air can cause the pump to lose prime, and if that happens and the pump is left running without water flowing the pump could eventually be damaged. If this is only an issue when vacuuming, you should notice and be able to re-primte the pump long before there could be a problem.
 
duraleigh said:
... I think it is important that you find that leak and fix it.
Click to expand...
+1 :goodjob:
I saw that Jason said, "A little air is no problem," but I found it to be an aggravating problem last year. I had a small suction-side leak and it caused my water to look cloudy most of last season. When I finally fixed the leak, the water cleared up like magic. Seems my water wasn't cloudy from the normal reasons (algae or insufficient filtration), just extremely well aerated, with lots of tiny bubbles.

May not really be a problem, but I think you'll be happier if you fix it.

Good luck!
 
Double check that the swivel side of your vacuum hose is attached to the vacuum head, not the skimmer adapter. (if that's what you're using) I learned that the hard way... Lots of bubbles in the pump while trying to vacuum. Just a couple bubbles now.

If it's just a tiny hole on your pipe, I'd just take two part epoxy putty and seal it up.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Double check that the swivel side of your vacuum hose is attached to the vacuum head, not the skimmer adapter.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll check that tomorrow.

If it's just a tiny hole on your pipe, I'd just take two part epoxy putty and seal it up.
Click to expand...

Problem is that it is underground. The leak guys found it with their high tech equipment, but I would have to dig it up to fix it.
 
Now the bubbles are gone and the pressure is back to 13, so I guess some air got into the system when vacuuming and it took several hours for it to blow out.

I checked and the swivel side of vacuum hose is attached to the vacuum head, not the skimmer adapter, so that is not the problem. I would guess there is some little air leak where the hose goes into the fitting. I'll put glue around that and see if it fixes it. If not, I don't think a few hours of lower pressure and air bubbles after I vacuum is a big problem.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Do you have an air vent on the top of your filter? Although I guess the filters with the valve on the top do not have this release valve.

If you do, you could just purge it after vacuuming to remove the air from the filter more quickly.
 
Backwashing does remove some air but if there's air getting into the system some is going to be in there after you stop backwashing.

My top mounted multiport has an air vent. It's a small knob on the side of the valve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply