Stop skimmer from emptying when pump stops?

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M

Maurino17

0
Nov 24, 2016
96
Bergen county nj
Hi all,
How do you prevent the debris in skimmer basket from emptying back into pool when pump shuts off?
I do have the weir door in place.
I was emptying the basket first with the pump running but it is under a lot of suction and the handle broke.
Any suggestions would keep me sane from this annoying issue!
 
Can you scoop out the bulk of it by hand first while the water is still running ? Or skimmer socks that would just pull out ? When mine are full they are pretty hard to pull out at 1400 rpms. I could only imagine at full speed like yours.
 
Don't pull it out by the handle, grab the rim of the basket. Use a glove if you have to. Don't let it get so full. Redirect most suction to the main drain if you have that capability.
 
Some leaves floating is normal. It sounds to me like stuff gets expelled. And that could be a suction side air leak. You'll develop an air bubble in the tank that gets compressed by the pump pressure. When the pump goes off, the bubble expands and forces water out the skimmer rather vigorously. So crack the bleeder on top of the filter while its running and see if any air escapes and if that helps with the problem.
 
Richard320 said:
Some leaves floating is normal. It sounds to me like stuff gets expelled. And that could be a suction side air leak. You'll develop an air bubble in the tank that gets compressed by the pump pressure. When the pump goes off, the bubble expands and forces water out the skimmer rather vigorously. So crack the bleeder on top of the filter while its running and see if any air escapes and if that helps with the problem.
Click to expand...
Thanks Richard!
 
Maurino17 said:
Thanks Richard!
Click to expand...
Hi Richard, I’ve checked and don’t have seem to have and suction side air leaks. I’ve been bleeding the filter regularly and that seems to have helped.
I was watching some videos and thing I could use a check Valve before my pump because it’s far from the pool and slightly higher so pump doesn’t prime too easily.
will that helpkeep water from forcing back to skimmer and expelling debris?
 
Maurino17 said:
Hi Richard, I’ve checked and don’t have seem to have and suction side air leaks. I’ve been bleeding the filter regularly and that seems to have helped.
I was watching some videos and thing I could use a check Valve before my pump because it’s far from the pool and slightly higher so pump doesn’t prime too easily.
will that helpkeep water from forcing back to skimmer and expelling debris?
Click to expand...
If you keep finding air in the tank when you open the bleeder, you have a suction side leak somewhere. Air doesn't just mysteriously appear.

Check valve placement is beyond my pay grade. Let's see what @JamesW or @jimmythegreek have to say
 

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It's generally helpful to have a check valve between the pump and filter to prevent blow-back from the filter.

A suction side air leak will cause air to accumulate in the filter and the compressed air can cause a big blow-back. The check valve will prevent the blowback, but the air leak should be addressed.

Keeping the filter clean helps quite a bit.

I would add the check valve, clean the filter and address the suction side air leak if there is one.
 
JamesW said:
It's generally helpful to have a check valve between the pump and filter to prevent blow-back from the filter.

A suction side air leak will cause air to accumulate in the filter and the compressed air can cause a big blow-back. The check valve will prevent the blowback, but the air leak should be addressed.

Keeping the filter clean helps quite a bit.

I would add the check valve, clean the filter and address the suction side air leak if there is one.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I will continue to check for air leaks but hopeful the check valve will prevent the blowback.

Can I put Check valve before pump or Does it have to be between pump and filter?
 
@JamesW @jimmythegreek @Richard320
Hi guys, I read your responses again carefully and went back to the pump, used the water hose trick I learned on youtube and did identify the drain plug was letting in air as you all suspected. I removed and added teflon tape and pool lube to oring and tightened back up. I had not realized how clear the water should be in the pump basket!

This resolved the issue of my filter blowing back when the pump stops. However, I think I still have an issue as the pump takes a while to prime back up and when it does I then have bubbles again! My pump is 35 ft from pool and higher than water line.

I made these short videos and if you have a chance to watch them I would love your help. Thanks in advance!

pump-vid-1
Pump running great no bubbles, I shut it off and water stays in pump basket.

pump-vid-2
I restart pump and quickly all the water in pump basket disappears.

pump-vid-3
Pump cycles for about 30 seconds still not flowing properly.

pump-vid-4
Around 45 seconds appears like going to work then water empties again.

pump-vid-5
Around 1 minute into cycling after being restarted pump is running with a lot of air bubbles

pump-vid-6
I cracked bleeder on filter which lets out new air and pump basket is now clear of air bubbles.

Is this cycling normal and why do I have new air bubbles? Is this related now to my pump elevation and distance?
 
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