Hi everyone. I have been asked by my future mother-in-law if I could help her. For the past 2 years she has had nothing but trouble with her pool. The pool is inground. It has 2 skimmers and 2 return lines. From what an unknown to me pool company told her, the skimmers are connected in-line. Since I have known her the pool has had horrible flow. She told me that years ago their handyman replaced their pump. It currently has a Hayward superpump 3/4 HP. After not being able to get their pool clean, the same unknown to me pool company said her sand filter was bad and needed a new valve. They ended up installing a new Hayward S244T2 sand filter. This whole time pool has continued to have bad flow. The skimmer farther away has near to no suction. When that skimmer is plugged off the other skimmer has slightly better suction. There is continually air bubbles coming back through the return. Now this again unknown to me pool company is telling her she probably has a broken pipe in that part of the suction line from that skimmer and they need to demo the concrete to investigate. I told her to get a 2nd opinion and that I would check it out however inground pools are new to me. I've lived with about ground pool all my life. I was reading the one FAQ and it said bubbles could be from a clogged line. Is there anyway I could further investigate this before they demo her yard? I can get photos tomorrow. I can get an areal photos of the layout but I have no clue as to how the lines are run. Any advice would be appreciated.
Poor flow and air in lines.
- Thread starter Trey99ek
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 48,655
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Welcome to TFP! 
We may have more questions about her equipment, but I can say that when there are a significant amount of air bubbles in the return jet(s), it typically means there is an air leak - usually on the suction side. More info on our Suction Side Air Leaks - Trouble Free Pool page.
Could an air leak on the suction side, possibly from a broken pipe from the skimmer(s) to the pump, contribute to this problem? Yes it could. Think of trying to drink from a broken straw. Doesn't work too well. Now I will say that broken pipes underground do happen, but they are not as common as some might think. Before letting anyone break ground, make sure to rule-out any/all suction possibilities "above" ground first. Things like:
- Pump basket lid O-ring not damaged and lubed with pool silicone
- Pump basket drain plug O-rings - same
- Any 3-way valves before the pump if applicable for air leaks (o-rings)
- Connections
- Poolside skimmer weir door/flap operating properly
Take time to rule-out these areas before assuming the worse underground. The filter and anything past the filter should not an issue since the filter PSI gauge would show a high pressure if there was a restriction of flow. It sounds more like s suction side "pull" problem. But I'd start there and let us know what you find.
We may have more questions about her equipment, but I can say that when there are a significant amount of air bubbles in the return jet(s), it typically means there is an air leak - usually on the suction side. More info on our Suction Side Air Leaks - Trouble Free Pool page.Could an air leak on the suction side, possibly from a broken pipe from the skimmer(s) to the pump, contribute to this problem? Yes it could. Think of trying to drink from a broken straw. Doesn't work too well. Now I will say that broken pipes underground do happen, but they are not as common as some might think. Before letting anyone break ground, make sure to rule-out any/all suction possibilities "above" ground first. Things like:
- Pump basket lid O-ring not damaged and lubed with pool silicone
- Pump basket drain plug O-rings - same
- Any 3-way valves before the pump if applicable for air leaks (o-rings)
- Connections
- Poolside skimmer weir door/flap operating properly
Take time to rule-out these areas before assuming the worse underground. The filter and anything past the filter should not an issue since the filter PSI gauge would show a high pressure if there was a restriction of flow. It sounds more like s suction side "pull" problem. But I'd start there and let us know what you find.
So I checked out the pool today. First off here was the water results. If that means anything. I didn't see it until today and the water is very cloudy.
Hardness 500
Chlorine 3.0 total 0 free
Ph 7.6 to 7.8
ALK 150
Stabilizer 0
I plan to add stabilizer tomorrow. Should I do anything about the alkalinity?
Now to the pool, both returns are blowing buddles. The far skimmer had no suction at all. If I plug the near skimmer there is no flow through the pump. I didn't have time today but what are the changes it's blocked and not broken? I was debating hooking up my air compressor but didn't have time tonight. I'll do it tomorrow if anyone thinks it could be of help. I took some photos of the pool and equipment.
Hardness 500
Chlorine 3.0 total 0 free
Ph 7.6 to 7.8
ALK 150
Stabilizer 0
I plan to add stabilizer tomorrow. Should I do anything about the alkalinity?
Now to the pool, both returns are blowing buddles. The far skimmer had no suction at all. If I plug the near skimmer there is no flow through the pump. I didn't have time today but what are the changes it's blocked and not broken? I was debating hooking up my air compressor but didn't have time tonight. I'll do it tomorrow if anyone thinks it could be of help. I took some photos of the pool and equipment.
