Pump basket air and no water out one return

Carito

New member
Aug 18, 2019
3
Gulf Coast
Pool Size
20000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Trying to understand something. I’ve read through quite a few posts about air in the basket and I get that normally it happens on the suction side of the pump. I’m trying to understand why mine is now doing what it’s doing before I perhaps call someone out.

20K gallon pool with Pentair superflow. I will try and add some pics and videos. The pool is 5 years old. Last year it started where whenever the pump would shut off my filter unit would drain down until I guess that first pipe. You could hear it gurgling and in the house. I opened and replaced the filters etc.

Then what started happening is over the course of the day, when it powered on in the morning and then switched over to low speed for the next 12 hours, the filter basket would slowly drain down about an inch or so, then on speed 3 it would fill back up. So I replaced all the gaskets on the pump. Bottom two, front intake, lid, and the outflow. This cleared up that issue and I had no air in the basket, and it wasn’t draining.

Fast forward to now. I go outside last week or so and it sounds a little louder. I walk over (have not changed anything) and the pump filter basket is pushing water as fast as it’s coming in. Water level is pretty much at the bottom. So, I hit the quick clean button and it ramps up, fills back up until there is no air and dammit if that has not happened again. I changed the #2 button on the pump to run at 1600rpms. Prior was 1450.

So now what is happening is I get a little air bubble under the lid. It never expands beyond the diameter of a baseball. When it first comes on it runs great. I have water pulling in both skimmers and out all four returns. Once it hits low speed and runs a couple hours, I get NO water coming out one of the returns. Nothing cant feel a thing. 2 other returns I feel about the same amount of water coming out and the 3rd about half. If I go to the pump and hit quick clean, the return that has nothing coming out will blow out large amounts of air for at least 30 minutes.

I don’t understand one why does the air bubble in the pump basket not get worse like I have seen in some videos, and secondly why does water stop coming out of at least one of my returns. Never had these issues before. Also had a skimmer not pulling in water until I increased speed way higher than I should. And whether it’s normal or now, my filter housing still empties probably half way down when pump powers off. I have already tried running a water hose over this entire thing and fittings and that air bubble never goes away unless I ramp up pump speed. I have no leaks anywhere or water loss. I realize those are some cheap 2 inch valves (all plumbing is 2") and need to be upgraded.

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Last edited:
Welcome to TFP.

Everything in your story screams that you have a suction side air leak.

Check the pump lid O-ring and the two drains on the side of the pump and put a good coat of Pool Lube - Further Reading on the O rings.

There are YouTube videos showing various techniques for trying to find the leak using shaving cream or a water hose.

 
Welcome to TFP.

Everything in your story screams that you have a suction side air leak.

Check the pump lid O-ring and the two drains on the side of the pump and put a good coat of Pool Lube - Further Reading on the O rings.

There are YouTube videos showing various techniques for trying to find the leak using shaving cream or a water hose.

Thanks. That's what I was thinking also. So a normal suction side leak can cause a return to not have any water flow? It's like a giant air bubble trapped down in the pipe that prevents the water from coming out? That would also cause my filter tank to start emptying when the pump is off also?
 
So a normal suction side leak can cause a return to not have any water flow?

A leak from the suction side draws air in when the pump is running and water leaks out when the pump is off.

A leak from the pressure side spews water when the pump is running and draws air in when the pump is off.

Air can only get into the pump basket from a su8ction side air leak.

It's like a giant air bubble trapped down in the pipe that prevents the water from coming out?

You can have air accumulate in an elbow of a return and not have enough flow pressure to force it out.

That would also cause my filter tank to start emptying when the pump is off also?

A leak anywhere in your system causes air to be sucked in and water pushed out when the pump is off.

A pool system with no leaks will hold pressure when the pump is off and not drain.
 
Thanks for the input. I will recheck all the o-rings and lube them and see what happens. I may get someone to come out and replace those two cheap pvc valves. I don't know if they are an issue or prone to pulling in air or not but I haven't read any good things about them being used other than they are no good and installers use them to cheap out.
 
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