Pump line - air and now dirt

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SharkinHawaii

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Apr 15, 2009
24
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hello all. I'm a bit ignorant as to what is going on, so allow me to describe.

When my pump kicks on in the morning, I get quite a bit of air blowing through the line into the pool. I assumed this was normal since the filter and pump are above the waterline. But, it seems worse now as my pump basket it draining while off overnight. I did some checking around this morning and found that when I turn the pump off, I can hear air bubbling at the multiport valve. I don't know if it is entering at that point, but could it be? I have a new pump (less than 6 months old) with a good gasket on the basket. And I have a new top on my Sand filter, with a new O ring and pressure guage (again less than 6 months old). I reseated the basket lid on the pump and made sure my filter top is tight just now.

What brought all this to my attention is that starting yesterday, when the pump kicks on, I get the initial bursts of air into the pool (which is somewhat normal for me) but I'm getting some cloudyness into the pool as well. Not a ton of it, and there seems to be no or little sediment with it. Is this caused by the excessive air burping through the filter?

I appreciate any help. Thanks for your time. Sorry for the long narrative.
 
It sounds like you have an air leak that is allowing the water to flow out of the system when the pump is off. If it is anywhere near the multi-port I would expect it to leak water when the pump is on. See if you can further narrow down the area where it is leaking at all by ear,
 
There is standing water around the ball valve (handle) of the multi-port assembly. The whole thing is in a well-ventilated shed, so the water couldn't have come from rain or elsewhere. Since that is where I hear the gurgling when the pump is turn off it's probably my culprit. Do I have to replace the whole multi-port valve? I've never down any pvc pipe work, but I know a place I can buy a valve.
 

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Welcome to TFP!!

If the top of the multi has water puddling around the handle, the place to look is not at the spider gasket (a/k/a wagon wheel) but, rather, the o-rings on the shaft where the valve stem goes through the lid. You've got a Triton filter which was made by Pac- Fab (which is now part of Pentair) Popping the handle off isn't too hard but compressing the spring to get it back on after you switch out the o-rings can get a little difficult and you have to have it oriented correctly!.

If you think it'll be easier to just replace the multiport and want some tips on 'playing' with pvc pipe, let me know (most everything you need to know about applying the primer and glue are on the cans).

I hope you can get this issue resolved soon, we'll be here to help :-D
 
Thanks. I took it apart today to inspect things and agree that taking apart the handle, etc would be a tough re-assemble. So I have a local pool supply place that can get me the entire top portion of the multi-port valve. This is nice as I won't need to do any pipe work. I'll also replace the spider gasket while I'm in there because the old one looks pretty tired.

Funny thing is after cleaning it up and putting it together, no more leak...no more gurgles when the pump is turned off. Maybe that will last me until Monday when I get the parts.

I'm just hoping this explains the burst of cloudy stuff that spews into the pool when the pump first kicks on. I guess I'll know for sure soon enough.

Cheers!
 
I've seen this hundreds of times - it's almost like the parts just want a little attention (being broken down and looked at) and then they work like new :? :)

As long as your system works fine, save the new parts until you need to replace them :wink: :)
 
Yep, it was pretty gunky in there and I didn't even really clean it out well. I'll tell you it was pretty nice to see my pump kick on this morning and not a single bubble came through the line. I didn't even know that was possible, I know that sounds ridiculous, but I'd never seen it before.
 
Well it was still leaking a bit, so I replaced the entire top half of the sp710 and the spider gasket. Wouldn't you know it, when it pump is off, I hear some gurgling. It is very slight, so I'll see if it amounts to much air in the system in the morning. I didn't lube anything though. Could I ask for some specific advice on what to lube and with what? I'm thinking silicone based lube? Does it go on top and bottom of the spider gasket? Should I try to lube the o-ring at the top of the shaft near the handle, I'm not sure I can get to that one, but I'd like to.
 
You don't want to lubricate the spider gasket. The shaft o-ring would be very difficult to do, but as long as no water is pooling up from under the handle there's no reason. The only one you want to lubricate is the cover/lid o-ring around the edge where it screws down.
 

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Hey, got your PM (for some reason, we seem to be 5 or so hours off schedule from each other :? :wink: )

Spishex always gives good advice and ought be listened to! However, another possibility could be that the channels that the spider gasket (a/k/a wagon wheel) seat in are cracked or warped, in which case the body of the multiport would have to be replaced :x

Please continue to trust your new friends at TFP and respond to what we say, we WILL get you to a trouble free pool 8)
 
Waste, must have had my time set wrong on my computer. 8) BTW, a long career in the Navy and I never knew anyone with the nickname waste. I thought I had heard them all.

Thanks to you and Spishex, I really appreciate the advice. Got it taken care of. I got back in there and cleaned up a bit more thoroughly with a few rags, I think this was the problem. Then I put some silicone lubricant on the pump basket cover O-ring as well as the MPV O-ring. I put some on the Spider gasket as well as this was a spray silicone that was supposed to add to water-tightness. Before placing the top back on the valve, I also sprayed a little onto the O-ring at the top of the shaft at the handle.

After a day of running the pump, it appears to be tight. Pump just shut off for the night and I went out and put my ear on the MultiPortValve and heard no gurgling, which was my clear problem before. Time will tell of course.

TFP rocks. :rockon:
 
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