We have a Doughboy 21 ft round above ground pool. I bought the Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump for above ground pools, 2800GPHPump Flow Rate and the first two times I vacuumed it worked just fine but then I started losing water in the secondary filter basket ONLY when vacuuming after a few seconds. I contacted local pool companies and they said was likely a air leak in hose cause by pinhole so bought a new hose-Nope-still does it. IF I take the hose out of the hole connecting under the skimmer basket but hold the flap down to let water continue to flow with the skimmer lid down for vacuum function-the secondary basket does not lose water so it has to somehow be related to the hose and the water flow rate but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.
Vacuuming ONLY causes loss of water in Secondary filter- filter, pump, hose are new
- Thread starter Moochymom55
- Start date
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
Welcome to TFP 
Could you show a picture, I am not sure what you mean by secondary filter..
Could you show a picture, I am not sure what you mean by secondary filter..
Are you completely filling the hose with water (and keeping it that way) before you attach it? I have the same pump/filter. If there is any air in the hose it will do that.
Yes, I take the hose over the the return and let it push water through the hose to get rid of all the air in the hose and then keep the hose under the water so other then a hole in the hose..no way I see to get air in it and I bought a new vacuum hose just in case.
Welcome to TFP
Could you show a picture, I am not sure what you mean by secondary filter..
The small filter basket with the clear lid.
What you are calling the secondary filter is the pump pot strainer. Its purpose is to catch large debris and prevent it from getting caught in the impeller. If the pump pot strainer is collecting air when you vacuum and the hose is completely under water, then it is sucking air through the skimmer. How high is the water level in the skimmer? It should be between 1/2 and 2/3 the way up the skimmer opening. Do you see a swirl of water in the skimmer basket while you vacuum? That indicates a low water level and the vortex is pulling air into your pump.
Yep-figured it out--figured air had to be getting in somewhere around the through wall skimmer so started looking closely at things and noticed a screw was missing where the through wall skimmer attaches to the wall and it was creating just enough of an air leak to cause the problem! $75 later and it is a penny solution!