air bubbles

[bumdaddy]

First summer with a pool, can't wait. Couple of quick questions.....

1) I have a Stealth Pump 2 hp 2 speed and I tried the low speed out for the first time yesterday. I noticed that when it was in low speed air bubbles would shoot out into the pool out of one jet. When I switched it back to high speed, after a big burst of bubbles it didn't do it in high speed but still did it in low. Why would this be, is it something to worry about?

2) Will low speed circulate and filter water enough for summer? I'm assuming I only need High speed for spa or fountain.....correct? And I guess it would save $$ on our bill?

3) We have a polaris sweep, do I still need to vacuum the pool if sweep is on and I brush once a week?

Thanks!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Are you seeing air bubbles in the pump basket on high?

 

[bumdaddy]

No I am not seeing them in the pump basket on high. But I didn't look to see if there were air bubbles in the pump basket on low, I just saw them being shot out of the pool jets when on low.

Thoughts?

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you're seeing a steady stream of bubbles out the returns then you possibly have an air leak somewhere on the suction side. It's common to have bubbles in the pump basket on low but there's shouldn't be a steady stream of them out the returns.

 

[bumdaddy]

Wouldn't the lines be the same for both the high and the low speeds? Why would there be no bubbles on high speed coming out of the jet if there was some sort of air leak.
Maybe I'll clean the pump basket tonight and reseal it and see if it is still there.

 

[Richard320]

Wouldn't the lines be the same for both the high and the low speeds? Why would there be no bubbles on high speed coming out of the jet if there was some sort of air leak.
Maybe I'll clean the pump basket tonight and reseal it and see if it is still there.

It's a peculiarity of some variable speed pumps to have bubbles in the strainer on low. But you shouldn't be seeing air out the returns.

[center:3snrut4t]Round up the usual suspects: low water level, stuck weir in the skimmer, loose drain plugs on the
pump, poor seal on the pump strainer basket, and leaks at the fittings, especially any couplings.
[youtube:3snrut4t]vtSmfws0_To[/youtube:3snrut4t][/center:3snrut4t]

 

[Bama Rambler]

We actually haad a case where the pump basket lid seal was leaking on low speed but the increase in suction head on high speed sealed it off. So you can have a leak on one speed and not the other.

 

[mas985]

SWCGs will generate bubbles but on low speed they tend to be larger and more noticeable. Turn off the SWCG and see if they go away.

If that is not the issue, then it is probably a leak. Sometimes pump lids can seal better at high speed than low speed.

 

[bumdaddy]

Checked the basket lid seal and the the SWCG, still had bubbles out of the jet. The pool is 6 months old, so they should come out.....

Help me here, I noticed when I had it on low speed, my filter gauge barely moves up at all, but when I have it on high speed the gauge reads around 15.
I backwashed the filter last week, but it is probably time to clean the cartridges. Is that normal for there to be no to just a little movement on the gauge in low speed? And could the need to clean the cartridges affect the bubbles on low speed but not high?

 

[mas985]

It is normal to have low pressure on low speed. Head loss/pressure is proportional to the square of the flow rate. Also, most gauges don't read pressure below about 3 PSI.

Also, I don't think the bubbles are caused by a dirty cartridge. But the air travels through the filter. Have you tried to purged the air out of the filter?