Leak (with video)

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Rubygrrl

Rubygrrl

0
Jun 25, 2009
148
Wichita Falls, Texas
Hello everyone! :wave:

I am back once again!

My cloudy water issue is gone, and the pool is crystal clear! Thanks to everyone here who helped me get through that 3 week ordeal! :)

Now, I have another issue I must address.

We have air bubbles blowing out of both return lines. There is air in our pump basket and the MPV is making a horrible gurgling type of noise.

My husband bought some PVC cement at Lowe's and went over all of the spaces/cracks with it to seal everything up. He also used silicon spray and sprayed the o-ring inside the pump basket lid and ensured it was in good shape. We also teflon taped the drain plug in the skimmer basket and made sure it was on tight.

Therefore, we are out of options, and are not sure what to do next.

Any help or advice you can give would be great.

I am going to include a short video that will show my equipment pad/air bubbles/etc.

I have a StarRite sand filter, 2 return lines, 1 skimmer (2 holes inside/1 hole IS plugged), the propeller is 1 horse power, and the motor is 1.25 horsepower.

We are not sure what the RED BALL VALVE is, and that could be our problem.

Here is the video:
[youtube:1t2ynwld]N6gEbOtPdX8[/youtube:1t2ynwld]
 
Great questions.

First, yes the water level is high enough. There is an arrow on the skimmer "box" that shows where the water level should be, and the water level is at that arrow. I can add more water just to make sure though.

How can I tell if the skimmer weirs are stuck? What are the symptoms of that (sorry if that is a dumb question, but I have no clue!l) ;)

The 2 way jandy valve goes to our suction port cleaner line (sorry I forgot to mention that)...
 
The weir doors should move freely and float up and down. Have to kick start mine on occassion-------(mostly from putting them in backwards after vacuuming)!
If they stick, it will create a suction whirlpool in the skimmer and suck air.
 
The weir top should break the surface of the water to keep dirt from floating out. If it is just laying under water it is not hurting anything but your skimming ability.

Posted with Tapatalk 2
 
Sounds like they've lost the foam float. It should slip into the weir.
Have you tried turning off the vac valve to see if the bubbles stop?
It'll probably be a hit and miss deal trying to find the answer but we'll stick with you.
 

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I notice that there's a plug beside the 3-way valve. Have you removed and resealed it?

Try running water from a water hose over all the aboveground piping and fittings and watch the basket to see if the bubbles lessen.
 
We have already tried running a water hose over the above ground piping, and it does not change the amount of air in the pump basket.

I don't think we have removed/resealed the plug. I will have my husband check into that as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Any more suggestions?
 
**I think we may have found the problem?***

We tried a test. We decided to open the suction port line for our cleaner, and before we did that we TURNED OFF the main drain and skimmer (this isn't probably the best idea, but we tried it anyway)...when we did, the bucket filled up immediately...no air, it was perfect prime.

Then, we turned the pump off, and opened the main drain, but left the skimmer closed, and there was still perfect prime.

We then turned the pump off again, and opened the skimmer, but left the main drain closed and there was still perfect prime.

Finally, we turned the pump off, closed the cleaner valve, and opened BOTH the main drain and skimmer, and air started to slowly come in to the pump basket.

***My husband noticed that the 3 way black valve has cracks in it (it looks very weathered). Do you this valve could be our problem?***

Hopefully our pool store carries one!!!
 
As I was reading your 4:01 post I was thinking you were on to something, but then the results were unexpected. I am surprised that you would only get air in when both the floor and skimmer were open. If it was really that valve leaking, I would think you would see air coming in with one or both of them open.

Have you tried partially closing the floor or skimmer to see if there is an orientation that results in the air going away? Just leave the pump on and slowly turn it from skimmer fully closed to both open to floor closed (well maybe turn it a little and wait to see if the air goes away ... just use small increments) If you find a place where the air goes away, then the handle could indicate where the leak is on the valve (well the handle would be 180 degrees from the leak).

These valves are re-build-able in that you can get replacement orings and gaskets for free from Pentair; but if the plastic is looking cracked, I am not sure if that is covered under warranty. Worth giving them a call though if you can determine that is the source of the leak.

EDIT: I would do the test above with the cleaner closed. Actually, have you tested just the floor and just the skimmer without the cleaner open?
 
Ok.

We just went outside, turned OFF the cleaner line, and we switched the valve to main drain only - AIR
We then switched it to skimmer only - AIR

So, I guess there is air regardless. Not sure if that helps at all.

My husband thinks it is something in the valve.

I am not sure how much money they are to replace, and I hate to purchase something if it isn't the problem, but do you think our local pool store/Leslie's Pool will have this valve available to order? I hope so!:)

Thanks again for all your help! :)
 
So when, you have air in the basket (either on skimmer or main), open the cleaner valve while leaving the pump on, does the air go away? According to you previous post it should.

Seems like maybe you have to have sufficient suction through that valve to pull in air. When the cleaner is open, there is less suction through that valve and maybe not enough to pull air in.

You can open up the top of the valve to see if any of the seals/o-rings seem bad. Should be able to get free replacements from Pentair I think.

Alternatively, you should be able to find either the Pentair or Jandy valves locally. Online you can find them for $40, but locally they are likely more.
 
If that valve has a crack (even a small one) in it then it will leak enough air to cause the problem you're seeing. I'd try to seal up the crack temporarily and see if that stops the bubbles. If the crack is in the top it can be replaced without replacing the whole valve.
 

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