A couple years ago our dual speed pump failed and we had it replaced by a variable speed pump. Ever since, we’ve been having suction issues while vacuuming.
So to start, my process for vacuuming is as follows:
1) set the pump to pull ~50% from the main drain
2) put the vacuum plate & hose into the skimmer but just under the surface- not enough to get sucked down over the filter basket
3) other end of the hose goes over a return jet until all bubbling stops. The goal is to get as much air out of the vac hose as possible
4) once I’m fairly confident as much air is out as possible, I attach the vacuum head and pole entirely underwater, then hook the other end of the handle to a nearby hook so it remains out of the water but with the vac head submerged
5) return to the skimmer, and push the plate down such that it gets suctioned against the filter basket
6) slowly turn the valve to 100% skimmer
As I do step 6, I begin seeing more and more bubbles entering the filter basket of the pump until eventually the pump loses its prime and the rpm’s wind up as it tries to restore suction. At this point it essentially just goes in and out of this state. I’m able to vacuum slowly like this, but I can tell that the suction strengthens and weakens as the pump hits pockets of air, and bubbles come out in “clumps” from the jets.
I’ve tried getting a new vac hose (used) but that didn’t solve the issue. I currently have a brand new one on the way, so fingers crossed that’s it- but I’m not confident. Last season I tried running the hose direct to the hole in the bottom of the skimmer, through the skimmer opening (and therefore keeping the hose fully submerged) and still ran into the same issue.
The only thing I can think of is that the pump is not able to get enough water through the vac hose to meet its intake requirement and that it’s causing its own cavitation - but I find it hard to believe my little 1.5 HP pump has that much force. I guess the way to test that would be a short/wider diameter hose. Idk
Open to any ideas or experiences others might have. Maybe this is normal?
So to start, my process for vacuuming is as follows:
1) set the pump to pull ~50% from the main drain
2) put the vacuum plate & hose into the skimmer but just under the surface- not enough to get sucked down over the filter basket
3) other end of the hose goes over a return jet until all bubbling stops. The goal is to get as much air out of the vac hose as possible
4) once I’m fairly confident as much air is out as possible, I attach the vacuum head and pole entirely underwater, then hook the other end of the handle to a nearby hook so it remains out of the water but with the vac head submerged
5) return to the skimmer, and push the plate down such that it gets suctioned against the filter basket
6) slowly turn the valve to 100% skimmer
As I do step 6, I begin seeing more and more bubbles entering the filter basket of the pump until eventually the pump loses its prime and the rpm’s wind up as it tries to restore suction. At this point it essentially just goes in and out of this state. I’m able to vacuum slowly like this, but I can tell that the suction strengthens and weakens as the pump hits pockets of air, and bubbles come out in “clumps” from the jets.
I’ve tried getting a new vac hose (used) but that didn’t solve the issue. I currently have a brand new one on the way, so fingers crossed that’s it- but I’m not confident. Last season I tried running the hose direct to the hole in the bottom of the skimmer, through the skimmer opening (and therefore keeping the hose fully submerged) and still ran into the same issue.
The only thing I can think of is that the pump is not able to get enough water through the vac hose to meet its intake requirement and that it’s causing its own cavitation - but I find it hard to believe my little 1.5 HP pump has that much force. I guess the way to test that would be a short/wider diameter hose. Idk
Open to any ideas or experiences others might have. Maybe this is normal?
