What could be causing the skimmer basket to become a geyser when the pump shuts off. Seems the pump basket empties completely of water and the lid to the skimmer is blown skyward along with a serious amount of water. Pump also takes a rather long time to prime. I'm getting nickel and dimed to death by pool companies. One replaced the O-ring on the pump lid ($60). Old Faithful still going off. Today, a different guy said it was the union. He replaced the union($190) but still, the geyser keeps going. One company said everything needs to be replaced, another one says "just need to fix the small leaks" and on and on. Also, the fiberglass sand filter is sweating. Has anyone ever had this problem?
Geyser from the skimmer basket...
- Thread starter pinzpilot
- Start date
Welcome to TFP.
You have air leaking into the suction side of the pump, which goes into the filter where the water pressure compresses it. All is fine until the pump shuts off and the compressed air expands again. That pushes the water out, causing your skimmer problem.
Check any valves, unions, the pump basket or any joints for small drips when the pump shuts off. That indicates an air leak.
Also verify that your skimmer has enough water in it that it's not making any slurping noises, and that the weir swings freely up and down.
You have air leaking into the suction side of the pump, which goes into the filter where the water pressure compresses it. All is fine until the pump shuts off and the compressed air expands again. That pushes the water out, causing your skimmer problem.
Check any valves, unions, the pump basket or any joints for small drips when the pump shuts off. That indicates an air leak.
Also verify that your skimmer has enough water in it that it's not making any slurping noises, and that the weir swings freely up and down.
Thanks. The plumbing does have numerous very small leaks (like 1 drop per minute). The guy who replaced the union said the sand looked in excellent shape and that the filter does not need to be replaced. However, the fiberglass sand filter does sweat (mainly at the top). Could this be causing a problem?
The sweating is irrelevant. YOu need to find and stop the air leaks that are letting air get sucked into your filter.
Those leaks are occurring between the skimmer and the pump. Once you fix those, your geyser will stop.
Those leaks are occurring between the skimmer and the pump. Once you fix those, your geyser will stop.
I'm having the same problem and it has been driving me up the wall trying to figure out what the problem is. Thank you both!
:-D
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