Hayward VS950 Omni Pump - o-ring

tank47 · Apr 28, 2020

New pool owner, I'm noticing some bubbles on one of my returns and saw another post recommending to check the pump o-ring. Is there supposed to be an o-ring on top of the strainer basket? I have one recessed in the pump lid, but looking at the pump manual it looks like I should have another one that just rests on top of the pump basket. Before I go out and buy another o-ring I figured I would ask here first to confirm.

tstex · Apr 28, 2020

looks to me you need 2 o-rings: one in top and one on strainer top. if not, time to purchase one...I'd also ck the quality of the one you do have and make sure its integrity is still good. Either way, buy a quality silicone grease and make sure you apply to spec before replacing o-rings

tank47 · Apr 28, 2020

tstex said:
looks to me you need 2 o-rings: one in top and one on strainer top. if not, time to purchase one...I'd also ck the quality of the one you do have and make sure its integrity is still good. Either way, buy a quality silicone grease and make sure you apply to spec before replacing o-rings

Thanks - I'm waiting on some magic lube as we speak and put the order in for the o-ring. You always hear about people that order a piece of furniture and give it 1 star review b/c they were missing pieces for assembly and it drove them nuts. I guess I drew that card on this one...happily place that order vs any of the alternatives.

rcerf · Apr 28, 2020

There’s only one o-ring and it is recessed in the lid. There is not a separate o-ring for the strainer basket. My fingers are to fat to get in there to apply pool lube to the actual o-ring , so l just apply it the surface of the strainer housing where the o-ring contacts it. Never had a leak doing it this way.

tank47 · Apr 29, 2020

rcerf said:
There’s only one o-ring and it is recessed in the lid. There is not a separate o-ring for the strainer basket. My fingers are to fat to get in there to apply pool lube to the actual o-ring , so l just apply it the surface of the strainer housing where the o-ring contacts it. Never had a leak doing it this way.

uh oh - if that's the case then it sounds like I have a leak. The confusing part in the manual is that diagram shows an o-ring sitting on top of the basket (part #2). I have one on order and will get it here to see if it fits on or not. The strange part about these bubbles is I've been running the pump for roughly a month and only started seeing these recently. And when I turn it to spa mode I don't see them. I am really dreading that I might have a plumbing leak, any other thoughts from the experts out here?

tank47 · May 15, 2020

Update - yes @rcerf you are correct you only need one o-ring. Here's a real newb question - should there be any air in the pump? It primes itself at startup and usually fills up to about the top of the pump basket with water, maybe a little more, but it's not filled 100% with water in the pump, there is some air. I notice after the pump has been running for a few hours that water level drops in the pump to about the top of the suction line. That normal or do I have a leak?

rcerf · May 15, 2020

At startup my pump will fill completely with water. A couple of minutes after startup it lowers to 1700 rpm and a few hours later there will be an air bubble a little smaller than the size of the clear lid. In the afternoon the spillover kicks on and runs for an hour at a higher rpm and the pump fills back up full . When the spillover shuts off the rpm goes back to 1700 and a few hours later the bubble is back. When the pump is running at the lower rpm you can look in the lid of the pump and see bubbles forming on the strainer basket , and they slowly rise to the top. When I’ve run my pump continuesly I’ve never seen it get below the top of the strainer basket.