Pump Problems - noisy

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Catherineb

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May 22, 2013
127
Hello,
My pump is sounding noisy, I can see bubbles in the pump gasket. I replaced the pump basket as it had a tear in it, I lubed the o-ring but it still has visible bubbles. The dial on top of my filter reads 0 and won't move to give a reading. I turned the dial to let out any air. The Hayward Navigator runs when I have the valve turned to the off position. If it would be a blockage somewhere then I am at a loss as to how I would fix it. The water line seems a little low so I will go fill it now. I have no idea about return lines etc. What should I start by checking?

Thanks
Cathy
 
Start with some simple things. Is the water level in the pool high enough to prevent any air from being drawn down into the skimmer?

The next thing to try is to run water from a garden hose over the pump strainer basket lid, watching to see if the air vanishes from inside when you do so.

If neither of those work, see the article in Pool School on finding suction side leaks for additional suggestions.
 
Thanks Jason. Since posting this I have since read the article you mention in Pool School and will start the trace of the leak tomorrow.

The water level is where it should be.

So with the pump running, and with the lid on, just pour water over the lid? If the bubbles vanish, what does this mean?

Would this problem cause my pressure gauge to read 0? I've been reading tons of threads and have learned that tracing a leak can be hard but I will give it a go.

What about the problem with my navigator running when I have turned it off? are these all separate problems or do you think they are all related?

I will also check them impeller is not clogged.

Thanks very much.
 
The running water over the lid "trick" works because the leak (assuming there is a leak) starts drawing in the water, instead of air. Assuming the air vanishes, it means you did not completely fix the problem with the pump strainer basket lid seal.

The pressure is zero because the pump never completely primes. It can't properly prime because of all the air in the basket.

The navigator issue might be unrelated. Everything else is related. And even the navigator issue could be related. The main problem appears to be that a lot of air is getting drawn into the pump, which isn't good at pumping air. You need to find where the air is coming from and seal it. A clogged impeller could fake these symptoms, though that is fairly unlikely.
 
It's not the impeller. I just went out with a screwdriver and managed to get some leaves out, but the noise is still quite loud and the big bubbles remain. I think I will replace the O ring just in case and do the testing for the leak. Some water did seem to burst out of the lid a couple of times when turning on the pump but then the next couple of times it did not. I nearly froze my hand off sticking it down into the basket LOL.

I do have a dripping chlorinator which is turned off, could that be the leak? also the pressure gauge is making a hissing/squeaking noise, like air escaping. Do you think that could be the culprit.
 
Due to the cracked pump basket, a clogged impeller is a possibility. The only way to tell for sure is to disassemble the pump and actually get to the impeller.

The pressure gauge might be bad or clogged. If you have had a hard freeze recently, then this is more likely.

The suction line might be clogged.

Or, it might be a suction side air leak.

Is there any water movement in the skimmers, or out of the returns?

If you could post a video of the pump problem, that might help us diagnose the problem.
 
James and Jason,
I was just reading old posts on this very same subject on your site dated 2007 LOL. The member tried everything to solve the air in the pump problem and then it was suggested that there may have been a hole in the vacuum hose. I remembered seeing a slight crack on my hose where the hose connects to the vacuum so I ran to my garage to get a spare hose and immediately the bubbles stopped, the gauge started working again and the pump is much quieter although still doesn't sound quite right. The problem now is when I turn on my 2 way jandy valve on to my vacuum, the loud noise comes back to the pump and the vacuum still runs when I turn the valve to off (strange) I think it is the jandy valve to the vacuum which is broken. When I turn the valve half way or onto high the noise stops but when I turn it on low the noise comes back an air bubbles come back to the pump.

Tomorrow is going to be a lovely warm day. I will do more trouble shooting and more research here on your site. If you can shed any light as to what this could be, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
 
Could the inside of the jandy valve to the vacuum be broken? if so, would it cause the vacuum to stay on when set to the off position? the vacuum is crawling a long slowly. Only one setting out of three works for the vacuum.

There are 2 or 3 leaks to the chlorinator. Doubt it's the washers....think it's the seals. I have no way to repair them. Guess I'll have to call out the professionals to fix the leaks. Could I fix the jandy valve myself? are they easy to unscrew?

Thanks
Cathy
 
It sounds like it might be a clogged suction pipe going to the Navigator or in the Navigator itself.

Also, the valve might not be closing all of the way. You can open the valve and check. You can get new parts if necessary. The screws are self-tapping, so you should be careful when reinstalling them to prevent cross threading
 

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