Pump Basket

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FLPoolDIY

FLPoolDIY

0
Aug 29, 2016
104
Rose Hill, KS
I have two issues to discuss.
The water level in the pump basket drops to the top of the strainer basket when I connect my floor suction cleaner and run the pump at 2200 RPM or any RPM. 2200 works the best for me.

Second issue:
Recently I have also been experiencing loss of pressure overnight when the pump turns off.
When I turn the pump off I can hear bubbles or air at the filter.
There are no visible leaks at the filter and the o-ring was lubed recently with silicone o-ring lub.
When the pump is running some of the times there is no air in the basket and sometimes there is. I inspected the O-ring on the pump basket and also applied lub, no visible signs of damage (pump is less than 1 year old). I applied some plumbers putty around the joints temporarily to see if I had a leak at those points, no change.

Any other ideas?
 
#1 Likely a suction side air leak. The suction cleaner has much head loss than the standard suction lines so it can reveal a suction leak.

#2 Likely a filter leak. Note that you can have an air leak while the pump is off but no leak when the pump is on. But with a cartridge filter, about the only place you could have a leak (besides the tank o-ring) is at the unions or air purge valve.

Have you checked all pump/filter unions for o-ring cracks and made sure they were tight?
 
This is what I now know about my issue:
There are no leaks in my suction side plumbing. There is something causing a blockage that I can't get out. When I use the drain opener balloon and create back pressure at the skimmer the object moves but not to the point where I can see it.
The reason I believe it is a blockage:
After I do this there are no air bubbles in the pump basket. Also, when the pump is running at a higher speed there are no bubbles. When the pump runs at low speed the air bubbles come back.
What can I do to get this out? I tried the shop vac method using the exhaust side to push air from the pump to the skimmer.
I believe I have four 90 degree elbows in my system.
 
21 psi would not indicate a blockage.....if you are blocked on the suction side, 0-4 psi would be likely.

Ok, let's track this down. Chose your names carefully.....you are misnaming a couple of things, I think, making it a little difficult to understand.

Pump running, you get 21 psi on the gauge. What does the water pressure and flow feel like coming out of the returns in your pool? Does it feel normal or GREATLY diminished?
 
OK, if the flow is normal, you don't have a blockage.

Back to your questions. As mas985 says, the increased load of the cleaner reveals a suction side leak. That leak stops when the cleaner is removed and returns when the cleaner is reattached. Normally, the fit of the O-ring on top of the pump strainer basket causes this.

That O-ring does NOT have to be tight!! It should seat nice and even into the grove on the pump basket and absolutely no more than hand tight. The suction from the pump turning on will cause it to seal.

The air you hear bubbling into the filter can be from several sources but again is normally a suction side air leak. If your system had a pressure side leak (anywhere after the pump) you should find water leaking out.

I am not sure why you believe there is a blockage.......nothing in your answers would appear that to be the case.
 
Fl,

Those pressures look pretty much like my system. Having a few bubbles under the pump lid, when running at 2000 RPM or below, is pretty normal. All the VS pumps I have seen have bubbles at low speeds..

Seems to me that if you can hear bubbles or air at the filter, with the pump off, then you must have an air leak somewhere. I would suspect at the air relief valve or in that area..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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New O-rings and lube solved the issues when the pump is turned off. The pump basket no longer empties when the system is off.

I believe there is a small blockage because after pressurizing the suction line from the pump to the skimmer there are no bubbles present in the basket when the system is restarted. After a few days bubbles appear and the water level in the basket drops about 1/4 inch when the pump is running.
This all happens without connecting the cleaner.
 
The pressures look normal to me too.

After I do this there are no air bubbles in the pump basket. Also, when the pump is running at a higher speed there are no bubbles. When the pump runs at low speed the air bubbles come back.
Click to expand...
Exactly what do you mean by air bubbles? Are they very tiny bubbles swirling around the pump basket or is it a bubble that forms at the top of the pump basket.

When running on low speed, many people see air pockets forming very slowly over the course of a few days. This appears to be from out gassing of dissolved air (N2, O2, CO2) within the water. But it could also be due to very tiny air leaks.

Does your pump schedule only run on lower speeds?
 
I don't recall having this issue when I first put the pump in. The day I noticed it, I had ran the floor cleaner for 2 hrs, cleaned the filter and emptied the pump basket.

When the pump is running there are small bubbles. Looking at the pump now there is about a 4 inch diameter air pocket. Usually after a few days that air pocket will increase to the full diameter of the pump lid. The lowest I've seen it is about even with the removable basket rim.

This is my current schedule:
8-9 2200 RPM
9-12 1500 RPM
12-4 1800 RPM
4-5 2200 RPM

It might be time to call a professional to do a leak check with the fancy equipment. I was able to hold 20 psi water pressure in the line for approximately 4 hours without any noticeable drop in pressure.
 
I finally figured out where the air leak was at... the water test over the fitting going into the pump did not provide results for me initially. I cupped my hand on the lower side of the fitting going into the pump and ran water over the fitting filling my hand with water... air bubbles disappeared. The fitting was about 1/8 of a turn loose. I honestly didn't even think to tighten the fitting since the pump was installed about 7 months ago.
 
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