New Pool Owner...Seems to be air in the lines

[zmiller5858]

I just purchased a new home with a pool. Roughly 10-12 years old, but had it inspected at time of purchase by reputable company and even hired a company to come out and walk me through all the equipment.

It has a DE filter and the psi was starting to get a little high so tonight I took it apart, cleaned all the filters, put everything back together, primed the pump with water, lubed the gaskets and fired it back up.

The psi is back down around 15 right where they told me it should be, but now periodically the pressure drops way down and it sounds as though there is air in the line. I also noticed that when this occurs the skimmers almost drains itself for a short period then the suction backs off.

I opened the air valve on the filter until water came out as I was also told but it just seems like there is air in the lines and I don't know if this is common after taking apart the filter like that and it may work itself out or if this is a symptom of a larger problem. I never had any other issues with it until I cleaned the filter.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated from a newbie pool owner.

Thanks

Zach

 

[marty]

Welcome.
Drains itself? is water level good? clean filter? nothing stuck in impellar, hair, acorn bits etc.
Do you have solar or a attached spa? try bypassing one and see if helps, if it does then check jandy valves for leaks, worse case would be leak underground.

 

[duraleigh]

You are sucking in air somewhere on the suction side of your system.

I also noticed that when this occurs the skimmers almost drains itself for a short period

That could be the source. If the pool level is too low, air gets sucked in through the skimmer and the system will not function properly. Water level should be about 1/2 way up on the skimmer opening. The weir door on the skimmer may be sticking not allowing water from the pool to enter the skimmer fast enough.

 

[zmiller5858]

I'll check those items. The water level seems fine, I filled it back up after I was done messing with the filter. I do agree that it seems like it is sucking the air in at the skimmer when it does that but I am not sure why. The filter was really dirty and clogged so maybe my point of reference is off as the skimmer was never pulling the kind of suction it is now.

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully I can figure this out. If not, I'll bite the bullet and have a professional look at it. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Zach

 

[Bama Rambler]

What type of pool is it?
I like to keep the water level about 3/4ths the way up the skimmer face. You may want to try that if the weir is working correctly and the basket is the correct one.

 

[techguy]

I agree with the peanut gallery,sounds like if you raised the water level an inch or two you could see if your problems go away.