Suction side problem...

[proavia]

Linky no worky?

Go to Amazon and type "jandy valve rebuild kit" into the search bar.
Lots of options.

 

[PoolStored]

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-NeverLube-Pentair-51016200-R0487100/dp/B07VVDZVKL

 

[Magnew]

Ok. I rebuilt the valves, which means I have now rebuilt everything on the suction side, including the pump itself, seals, o-rings, the whole nine yards. Still I have this constant stream of little bubbles. My question is...could it be anything on the pressure side? The diverter valve for my solar heater hisses when everything is off and is bleeding down. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks, Mike

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mike,

Shut off your SWCG and see if the bubbles go away.. They should.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Magnew]

Negative. Still more tiny bubbles. And, when off, I still see bubbles going into the inlet tube portion of the generator.

 

[Magnew]

Anybody have any other ideas I can try? Please?

 

[Lake Placid]

Just be clear did you replace the o-rings in the union after the Jandy valves and verified the union is sealing?

 

[Magnew]

Yes I did that but not sure how to verify?

 

[Lake Placid]

Yes I did that but not sure how to verify?

Wrap multiple layers of Saran wrap around the union sealing the unit from the outside. See if anything changes/bubbles stop. If not, the union is sealed. If the bubbles stop you know the union is leaking.

 

[Magnew]

OK, wrapped union many, many times with Saran wrap. Secured tightly with both electrical tape and rubber bands. No effect at all on the bubbles, unfortunately.

Anything else I can try to do? This is severely driving me nuts!

Thank you to all helpful people,
Mike

 

[proavia]

You can try shaving cream. Apply to all joints, starting at the suction inlet on the pump and working backwards until the pipes disappear into the ground. Don't forget the pump lid. If there is a suction leak, the shaving cream should be sucked into the joint.

 

[Magnew]

Shaving cream. Man, I'm trying. Nothing observed yet.

 

[Magnew]

PS: Can the grease caps on the old-style Jandy valves leak?

 

[wireform]

Take the handles off the valves and spray well on and around the valve stems. There's 2 gaskets to each valve stem that do cause issues. They wear when the valves are moved.

 

[Magnew]

I replaced those gaskets (o-rings-2 per stem) when I replaced all the other seals on the Jandy valves. Are we talking about the same thing?

 

[wireform]

Just to rule out the 2 gaskets per stem take the garden hose have a slow steady stream of water flow right on top of the stem encapsulating the complete circle where the stem comes out through the cover and see if that changes anything that may do it even though you put new gaskets maybe they did the seat right or something.

 

[Magnew]

OK, I just took the handles off and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. The, just for grins, I carefully sprayed each and every joint with water for about a minute. No joy. There's still a suction leak somewhere.

I even took off the hose on my pool cleaner, thinking that I might have a leaky hose. Same result, still bubbles.

I'm willing to try anything, and appreciate all suggestions short of napalm.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[proavia]

Remove the plastic wrap on the union and anywhere else. With the pump running, use shaving cream on those joints as well.

 

[wireform]

DELETE, wrong thread

 

[Magnew]

Update! Ok, I removed all the Saran Wrap from the union. Used shaving cream on all the joints associated with the union and connecting pipes. While I can not see where the shaving cream is being sucked in anywhere, the tiny bubbles in the pool have been greatly reduced. And the large bubble of accumulated air in the strainer basket is substantially reduced, though not eliminated. So, maybe we're on to something here? Like maybe I need to rebuild this entire union section?