Intelliflo VSP air at low speeds

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

Bvill16

Well-known member
Mar 15, 2019
120
New York
Pool Size
33000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
All,

Any suggestions what to do about air building up when running on low speeds. See below

3100rpms - tiny bubble pea size
2500rpms - quarter size bubble
2000rpms- two quarter size bubbles in the lid pockets
1500rpms - major air, almost to the point where I get nervous there won’t be enough water

I can take some pics of the plumbing tomorrow if that will help.

I should also note that at 3100 and even 2500, there is practically no air in the filter (immediate water when opening pressure release valve)

I’m at a serious loss here. I don’t want to not be able to use my variable speed pump at variable speeds. Very upset…
 
B,

I would not worry about it unless it drops down below the top of the basket.

I have found that as my filter gets dirty, the bubbles get a little bigger.

In my case, I also have my pump scheduled to ramp up in speed for half an hour once a day to flush the air out.

I have three IntelliFlo pumps that all run at about 1200 RPM, they all have bubbles under the pump lid. I just don't see it as an issue, for me anyway..

When you shut the pump off, does the water stay in the pump basket overnight, or not. It should not drain back into the pool. If it does, then you have an air leak somewhere.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
B,

I would not worry about it unless it drops down below the top of the basket.

I have found that as my filter gets dirty, the bubbles get a little bigger.

In my case, I also have my pump scheduled to ramp up in speed for half an hour once a day to flush the air out.

I have three IntelliFlo pumps that all run at about 1200 RPM, they all have bubbles under the pump lid. I just don't see it as an issue, for me anyway..

When you shut the pump off, does the water stay in the pump basket overnight, or not. It should not drain back into the pool. If it does, then you have an air leak somewhere.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Hey Jim, thank you for replying. I’ve followed a ton of your info in the past and always appreciate your comments.

I will check the next few days if there is water jn the bucket in the morning. I should also mention my pad is about 60ft away from the pool and elevated many feet above (8 or so).

I always think worst case, so when you say suction side leak could it be in the underground plumbing or local on the pad? I can’t imagine how one would fix an underground issue and don’t want to start thinking about it lol
 
Some air under the lidd is normal at low speeds. List your pump in your sig. Clean and lube the o-ring on your pump basket lid next time get access and do the same for each of the drain plugs low on the pump housing. Schedule in higher speeds at the end of each run, or in between to remove the air. I assume you have the priming speed activated at startup right? Do you lose any water in the pump basket when the pump is off?
 
Oly said:
Some air under the lidd is normal at low speeds. List your pump in your sig. Clean and lube the o-ring on your pump basket lid next time get access and do the same for each of the drain plugs low on the pump housing. Schedule in higher speeds at the end of each run, or in between to remove the air. I assume you have the priming speed activated at startup right? Do you lose any water in the pump basket when the pump is off?
Click to expand...
I actually just installed the pump last week(totally forgot to update sig). It’s an Intelliflo VSP 011028.

I hope the PB lubed the O ring when he installed it last week. I will check the plugs to be sure also.

I do have priming active at 3100rpms.

Will check for water loss in the morning but wouldn’t my check valve prevent that?
 
With that pump you have the option to schedule one of two short runs at higher rpm to purge the air and then return to lower rpm without worry.
Yes a working check valve should stop any backflow when the pump is off. Having your pump 8' higher than your water line is increasing your head pressure but your pump can handle it.
 
Bvill16 said:
Will check for water loss in the morning but wouldn’t my check valve prevent that?
Click to expand...
B,

How would we know you have a check valve in front of the pump? :mrgreen:

Actually, if you have a check valve in front of the pump, it might be part of the "non-problem".

Check valves work better with higher flow rates. I am not saying your check valve is actually causing the issue, but it would not surprise me.

As a test, you can take the flapper out of the check valve and see what happens. Your pump should hold water without a check valve. The downside, is that if the water does drain back into the pool, it will take longer to prime.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
How would we know you have a check valve in front of the pump? :mrgreen:
Click to expand...
Lol you wouldn’t have…oops

The check valve is brand new as an fyi so I’m sure it’s holding. I will do your test this week at a point.

I should add that at 1500pms, the flapper is barely lifted. So I wonder if you’re right.

Oly said:
With that pump you have the option to schedule one of two short runs at higher rpm to purge the air and then return to lower rpm without worry.
Click to expand...
I actually have to run it higher during the day when my polaris runs anyway so maybe it will be fine. I need to see how long the 1500revs will last with the water not going below the basket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oly

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
PS,

I have no idea. My guess is that when running at higher RPMs, there is a lot of suction holding the pump lid down to the pump body. When running at lower RPMs, the suction is a lot less, allowing tiny bubbles of air into the pump basket.

I watched the pump on my pool, looking through the lid with a bright light. I could see tiny bubbles moving up from the seal toward the top of the lid. But because the bottom side of the lid is braced, it was impossible for me to know for sure.

I even bought a new lid and locking ring. Made absolutely zero difference.

I was hoping to come up with a fix for this issue, but failed miserably.. :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Since this last reply I’ve been reading a ton and I’m clearly not the only one with this issue at lower rpms. Like I said, my biggest worry is the low speed create enough air that the water level drops significantly in the pump. I’m going to test the next time I have a few hours to spare and watch. Otherwise I like the idea of revving up a few times a day to avoid this.
 
Jimrahbe said:
B,

How would we know you have a check valve in front of the pump? :mrgreen:

Actually, if you have a check valve in front of the pump, it might be part of the "non-problem".

Check valves work better with higher flow rates. I am not saying your check valve is actually causing the issue, but it would not surprise me.

As a test, you can take the flapper out of the check valve and see what happens. Your pump should hold water without a check valve. The downside, is that if the water does drain back into the pool, it will take longer to prime.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
-update-

Checked my pump this morning before it started and definitely water loss in the basket. Probably half way. Check valve as well. Still primed in seconds. Pics attached.
 

Attachments

  • B6D6E36E-8225-4846-A522-924CB3504130.jpeg
    B6D6E36E-8225-4846-A522-924CB3504130.jpeg
    425.3 KB · Views: 30
  • 6570459C-5096-4D4F-97EB-66214A732528.jpeg
    6570459C-5096-4D4F-97EB-66214A732528.jpeg
    685 KB · Views: 31
  • CFF3D011-25A9-4C85-A4BC-95B56092A0BA.jpeg
    CFF3D011-25A9-4C85-A4BC-95B56092A0BA.jpeg
    561.6 KB · Views: 31
B,

What is that I see under the handle of the main drain valve? Is it glue?

Have you ever rebuilt the two valves in front of your pump?

Have you ever tried to run using just one input at a time to see what the bubble look like? Just skimmer #1, then just skimmer #2, then just the Main Drain.

If this were my pool I would run the main drain only open about 5 or 10% or not at all.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
What is that I see under the handle of the main drain valve? Is it glue?
Click to expand...
looks/feels like silcone...i think the PB did it when installing the pump last week. What a mess.
Jimrahbe said:
Have you ever rebuilt the two valves in front of your pump?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't even know how to rebuild valves. I guess I have to youtube this.
Jimrahbe said:
Have you ever tried to run using just one input at a time to see what the bubble look like? Just skimmer #1, then just skimmer #2, then just the Main Drain.
Click to expand...
no, but I will try...sorry I am such a noob at this...slowly learning over the past 3 years
Jimrahbe said:
If this were my pool I would run the main drain only open about 5 or 10% or not at all.
Click to expand...
is there enough suction with that? or is that trial and error
 
B,

Most pools do not even need a main drain. I'd run it open about 5 or 10%. You just have to guess at it. The whole point is to make the skimmers work better with more flow going through them. But the reason that I asked you to try and run them one at a time is just to see if we can find a leaking valve. As an example: If you get few bubbles when running on skimmer #1, but a lot more bubbles on skimmer #2, that would point to some issue with skimmer #2, or the valve that controls skimmer #2 or the pipe that goes to skimmer #2.

I can't think of why there would be silicon under the handle unless there was a leak.. :scratch:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
This is helpful. I will ask why he put the silicone there as well.

Do those three way valves need to be the same brand, or is there a replacement I can use?
Jimrahbe said:
B,

Most pools do not even need a main drain. I'd run it open about 5 or 10%. You just have to guess at it. The whole point is to make the skimmers work better with more flow going through them. But the reason that I asked you to try and run them one at a time is just to see if we can find a leaking valve. As an example: If you get few bubbles when running on skimmer #1, but a lot more bubbles on skimmer #2, that would point to some issue with skimmer #2, or the valve that controls skimmer #2 or the pipe that goes to skimmer #2.

I can't think of why there would be silicon under the handle unless there was a leak.. :scratch:

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply