Baffled!

[judurant]

We have a 10,000 gallon, inground pool.

Whenever I switch suction to main drain only, the basket at the pump immediately fills up with air. Not completely, but enough to cause a lot of air to come out of the return jets and lower the pressure on the filter.

The same thing happens if I close off the main drain & attach my pool cleaner or even the old-fashioned hand vacuum in the skimmer basket. I can't use my cleaner any more, and vacuuming has become a nightmare. The pressure goes up & down between 0 and 5 (our normal is 10), and it takes FOREVER to vacuum this way.

We have a Hayward Super Pump, a brand new Hayward Star Clear Cartridge Filter, and our cleaner is a Hayward Navigator (which has been completely overhauled).

I'm so disgusted, I've only used the pool twice so far this season.

Any ideas?

Thank you, in advance!!

~Judy

 

[spishex]

Closing the skimmer or attaching your cleaner adds pressure to the suction side of your system, which will cause a small suction leak to get worse. Check your pump's strainer lid o-ring, suction side drain plug, and the plumbing connection to the suction side. All three are common spots to pull air.

 

[judurant]

Okay. I used a wet towel. I wrapped it around every place on the suction side of the pump that could possibly have a leak--all plumbing, every place that has anything at all sticking out of the pump---and I soaked it with water while it was wrapped in place. It made no difference.

I did notice when I turn the valve to close the main drain, I can actually hear the air in the water at the skimmer basket.

What does it mean???????

 

[JohnT]

Have you been able to operate on drain or skimmer alone before? On my pool, it wants a little more water than either the drain or skimmer will supply, so I have to close valves slowly to avoid losing prime. I vacuum with my drain about halfway closed.

 

[judurant]

Yes, I have been able to operate it on full drain or skimmer in the past. As a matter of fact, the only way my Navigator pool cleaner would work was if it was on full skimmer. It operated great, with no air bubbles. Last year it started acting up & got worse as the summer went on.

This summer, the problem has rendered my Navigator useless. (& I love my Navigator!) I'll hook it up, and it starts sucking strong. But the basket by the pump immediately starts to fill up with air, the hose starts jerking around in the water, and the pressure goes from zero to five to zero to five, & on & on.

I've tried playing with the valve while the cleaner is hooked up to reduce the pressure, but if I open up the main drain even a little bit, the cleaner starts floating away.

Two different pool companies have looked at it, and they both want to blame my hose, or my cleaner. But I know they're not the problem. Especially since I can't run it on full main drain any more. That doesn't have anything to do with the hose or the cleaner.

Thanks for reading.

Have you been able to operate on drain or skimmer alone before? On my pool, it wants a little more water than either the drain or skimmer will supply, so I have to close valves slowly to avoid losing prime. I vacuum with my drain about halfway closed.

 

[JohnT]

a brand new Hayward Star Clear Cartridge Filter

Did the problem start before the new filter?

 

[judurant]

Yes, it started before the new filter. We only got the filter this past week.