Pump basket air gap

[jaguar]

Hey TFP,

I'm a pool newbie this year and have greatly benefited from the wealth of information on this site so far. I'm currently experiencing a issue with a air gap in my pool pump basket and have exhausted all potential solutions that I know of.

Things I have tried:

-Checked skimmers, they are good and clear
-Water level is great
-I have removed pump basket lid, checked oring and lubed it with magic lube
-I have done the water hose test on everything on the suction side, including valves and pump lid

I didnt have this gap in the beginning, just would have a occasional bubble or two, or none at all. It was inconsistent. In the past month it is no longer bubbles as the air gap has increased and is now below the top of the pump basket.

I am stumped and now desperate. I will appreciate and help given.

Note: I have a VSP Hayward Pump

Bryan

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! VSPs commonly allow a bit more in over time at low rpms, so owners bump them up once or twice a day to purge the air. Is that your experience or is the pump pot always low regardless of rpm? Your equipment looks fairly new, when was it installed?

 

[jaguar]

THanks for the reply!

Our pool was just finished this past winter and the equipment was installed in March this year.

I have not really seen correlation with speeds, it stills has the same gap when I run it at 3100 rpms.

 

[markayash]

It’s probably nothing to worry about. Like Pat said a lot of VS pumps has an air gap. I run my pump at 1700 and my basket looks 2/3 full but stays the same day after day.
Is it new or was it there from day 1?

 

[Texas Splash]

it stills has the same gap when I run it at 3100 rpms.

In that case I would just stay patient and vigilant about inspecting without letting it drive you absolutely crazy. It sounds like you "might" have a small suction side air leak, but as long as the pump doesn't run too low or dry you should be okay. But even though the water test didn't result in any finds, you might have to try again. I suspect your pool is still under warranty so the builder may be able to do a test or two as well.

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[jaguar]

It’s probably nothing to worry about. Like Pat said a lot of VS pumps has an air gap. I run my pump at 1700 and my basket looks 2/3 full but stays the same day after day.
Is it new or was it there from day 1?

Not from day 1, it was full in the beginning. It just has slowly gone down it seems.

 

[jaguar]

I just wanted to follow up on this in case anyone else has a similar issue as mine.

The past week, the air gap had worsened and my SWG was requiring more flow to generate chlorine. The pump started doing a lurching sound and sounded bad. I assumed it might be a suction side block. I tried doing the garden hose with a hand towel trick but had no luck. My PSI was high on my filter and out of desperateness I tried backwashing. The act of backwashing and the change of pressure was enough to clear this clog of mortar and tile that had been presumably stuck at my 3 way valve. Once that clog cleared all symptoms disappered and my pump baskets air gap disappeared.

 

[willygee]

Hey TFP,

I'm a pool newbie this year and have greatly benefited from the wealth of information on this site so far. I'm currently experiencing a issue with a air gap in my pool pump basket and have exhausted all potential solutions that I know of.

Things I have tried:

-Checked skimmers, they are good and clear
-Water level is great
-I have removed pump basket lid, checked oring and lubed it with magic lube
-I have done the water hose test on everything on the suction side, including valves and pump lid

I didnt have this gap in the beginning, just would have a occasional bubble or two, or none at all. It was inconsistent. In the past month it is no longer bubbles as the air gap has increased and is now below the top of the pump basket.

I am stumped and now desperate. I will appreciate and help given.

Note: I have a VSP Hayward Pump

Bryan

When my two speed Hayward TriStar is on low I will pick up as much as an inch of air above the basket but everything still working normal. Throw the switch on high speed for a minute and air is bled out. Pump has never lost its prime. You still need to check the obvious... cover to the pump basket .plugs at the bottom etc.

 

[Texas Splash]

The act of backwashing and the change of pressure was enough to clear this clog of mortar and tile that had been presumably stuck at my 3 way valve. Once that clog cleared all symptoms disappered and my pump baskets air gap disappeared.

Great to hear!

 

[Katygreys]

I have a Hayward 2 speed. I noticed that I started getting air in the pump basket. Inspected and lubed O-ring, reinstalled. No change. Eventually I ordered a new O-ring, lubed it and replaced the old one. For about one week the behavior was about the same. I would go out there and, with the pump off, remove the lid and put it back on. I noticed that over the course of about a week and a half, I was able to get several more degrees of turn on the lid While tightening. Eventually the air went away. I think what was happening is that the old O-ring lost its compressibility, and the new O-ring needed A week or so to deform enough to make a nice tight seal. I would try replacing the O-ring with a brand new one, give it a good lube, and snug it up daily for a week or so and see if the problem persists.