Pump sometimes have, sometimes no have water in the sight glass

[Glacier000]

Hi all

How come my pump have no water flow up in the sight glass when it is turned on? And after about 2 minutes the water just flowed up a little. And after that there is no water again. That cycle is repeated when i turn on the pump. And the pressure meter on the filter show 0 when running the pump. I just open the sight glass to clean the basket. Is that affect the machine?

Thanks all !!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I am unclear what you are calling the "sight glass". Usually that refers to a small bulb on the side of a multi-valve on a filter to watch the color of the water while you are backwashing.

Are you talking about the lid on the pump that you take off to clean out the pump strainer basket?

Please add your pool details to your signature as described HERE as it will help us help you.

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, Glacier000

Assuming by sight glass you mean the cover to the leaf basket...most likely it is the seal of the cover that is allowing air into the pump when turned on. Have you lubricated the o-ring lately? Use a silicone or Teflon lubrication.

 

[Richard320]

Low water level in the pool can also do that. You've sucked air into the filter, and it gets compressed, but when the pump goes off, it expands and pushes all the water out. So it takes a bit to get the pump to prime, and then it starts going but it draws the water in faster than it can flow into the skimmer and you suck air again and lose prime. Repeat indefinitely. Make sure the water is halfway up the skimmer opening in the pool. Then bleed out any air in the filter. Also check that the flapper ( we call it a weir) inside the skimmer isn't stuck.

 

[Glacier000]

That is the lid of the pump. I search on internet, and they call that one is sight glass. I think Richard was right. When i clean the bottom of the pool by plugging hose to the skimmer, i have moved the hose out from water. I think the air was come in the filter. Now the thing i should do is prime. I try to search how to prime. But i still not get it. My pool system is different the one they show on internet. I dont know how to control the valve. I have took a picture of my pool system. Can u show me step by step how to prime?
Thanks all !

 

[jblizzle]

How far above the pool is the pump? Usually there is nothing required to prime the pump, the pump does it by itself. But, if you have some sort of suction side air leak, then the prime will not happen. It should not matter what the orientation of that valve is, but you could try running it on one side or the other and see if the problem is the same either way.