I've been noticing that I have air in the pump basket over the past few weeks. I didn't think too much of it as I haven't replaced the lid o-rings for 3 years now. Being the off season and the pool always covered with the blanket, my suction valve is set to full main-drain. I don't run the skimmer when the cover is on for extended periods. Anyhow, today I pulled the cover off so the kids could swim and I rotated the suction valve to 100% skimmer. Almost immediately the pump went dry. It will not pull water from the skimmer at all. So I flipped it back to the main drain and started pulling water, so I tried doing a 90main/10skimmer mix (approximate obviously) As soon as I begin to turn the valve and it starts pulling from the skimmer the pump almost immediately loses prime. So I think I have a BIG suction leak somewhere on that skimmer line. I was hoping it may be at the valve or on the 90 elbow that is above ground, so I took a hose and poured water over the connections. No change. I then grabbed some dish soap and made lots of bubbles, put it around the connections and no bubbles were sucked into the connections.
So this stinks. I guess maybe it's possible that the line is clogged with something, but the skimmer basket and net is ALWAYS installed for the 5 years the pool has been built, so I find that theory doubtful.
I think i'm going to be looking for a good pool diagnostic plumber in Tucson, so any leads would be helpful. I would also appreciate some input on what I may be able to check in addition to what I've already done.
Thanks All,
-J
So this stinks. I guess maybe it's possible that the line is clogged with something, but the skimmer basket and net is ALWAYS installed for the 5 years the pool has been built, so I find that theory doubtful.
I think i'm going to be looking for a good pool diagnostic plumber in Tucson, so any leads would be helpful. I would also appreciate some input on what I may be able to check in addition to what I've already done.
Thanks All,
-J