With my old Hayward pump, when I would open up the leaf trap I wouldn't lose much water from the pump basket area - maybe an inch or two. With the Pentair VS3050, every time I've opened it to clean out the basket all of the water siphons out? Should I be opening the filter air relief on the filter to try to offset the suction? I've been lucky and the pump has reprimed a few times, but this morning I had to pull out the hose and fill the pump which I never had to do with the old pump :grrrr:
Cleaning pump basket - what am I doing wrong?
- Thread starter carlscan26
- Start date
No, just the opposite. Air is already getting in to the system through a leak on the pressure side. This leak lets air in so the water can drain back to the pool. Find where that air is leaking in (perhaps during installation of the new pump ) and the basket will stay full.
Can you find any wet spots where water is leaking with the pump on? Seal those up
I'd bet on a little suction side leak that only leaks under vacuum. How often can you purge air from your filter when the pump is running?
I forgot to mention that the pad is a few feet above the top of the pool - maybe 2 at the most. So that makes sense for why the suction side drains down; but it shouldn't go lower than the bottom of the suction inlet pipe opening right?
Other than an air leak on the pressure side, what could cause the pressure side to be siphoning?
Other than an air leak on the pressure side, what could cause the pressure side to be siphoning?
- May 3, 2007
- 16,842
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Same thing happens with my system and I would consider it to be normal. When the pump basket lid is removed, water will naturally flow away from the pump in both directions as long as a siphon is maintained and the pump is above water level. A check valve in the suction line can prevent this from happening on the suction side but as long as the pump is not too high, it really isn't necessary.
Why your old pump did not do this, I cannot say but it might be due to excess air in the system.
Why your old pump did not do this, I cannot say but it might be due to excess air in the system.
I was w-a-a-y to quick to post. Please disregard my explanation. I am accustomed to shutting off both pressure side and suction side valves and then the water stays in the strainer basket....assuming you don't have a leak.
I'm sorry for my incorrect post.
I'm sorry for my incorrect post.
I don't have to bleed air very often from the filter. I have a slide valve 
So I guess this is normal then.
Thanks everyone!
So I guess this is normal then.
Thanks everyone!
Mine does the exact same thing....I thought it was normal. Its done it since day one. In fact mine empties out and starts gurgling.
Shane1 said:
Sometimes the water doesn't just go out the suction, but siphons out the discharge side as well.
This is a normal. I wonder why you didn't see it before.
If the pump is significantly above the pool level, you should install a ball valve in the suction line, or a high quality swing check like the pentair 26-3042.
Yeah it's only because it didn't happen before that I thought to ask. The pump sits at most two feet higher than the pool surface. When the new pump went in we laid down a new pre made pad on top of the old one as the last owners had re-landscaped around the pad and it was now at or below the surrounding grade. Maybe that extra two inches was enough to make the difference?
It was more likely a slight change in the plumbing. Changing things even slightly will sometimes change the hydraulic profile in a plumbing system.
carlscan26 said:
The straw has to eventually break the camels back, but I doubt 2" will do it.
Can you take a picture of the plumbing???
We did change to all 2" plumbing at the pad and to the solar. The suction and return lines are 1.5" and the old setup was all 1.5" so maybe that's it too. I'll try to snap some pics of it tomorrow.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,842
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
carlscan26 said:
If you had a check valve or other shut valves before and now don't, that would explain the difference. A pipe size change nor a small change in height shouldn't effect a siphon.
Mine does the same thing too. Every time I open the lid, the water level drops. As soon as I seal it back up and kick on the pump, pressure builds right back up and water fills the chamber.
mas985 said:
Same setup check valve wise...
Based on the posts above I'm going to stop worrying about it. Thanks for all the advice everyone!