Pool pumping problem please help before I contact a pool company

[sulbien]

Hi everyone,

Any help diagnosing my problem before I contact a pool company would be greatly appreciated. Here is the background issue on the problem I am having and what has been done so far. The pool was opened for the first time last year and had problems with the skimmer farthest from the pump. It would receive very minimal / no suction but if we plugged the skimmer closest to the pump the far skimmer would now receive a good suction. The pool company said it should be ok for the season and to ignore the problem but it bothers me and causes floating debris to build up. I tried putting a drain bladder into the pump to blow back out the skimmers and nothing seemed to come out as well as trying to blow from the skimmers back towards the pump. I noticed that the pump had air in the cover so after investigating I found that the o-ring on the union was bad and replaced that but the problem still exists. I also noticed today that the pump chamber was completely empty when I went to turn on the pump this morning so I had to grab a bucket and fill it to get it primed and running. Let me know if I can provide any additional information / pictures. Any help at all is appreciated!

 

[zea3]

Hi, can you post pictures of both skimmers and your equipment pad? A shot looking down into the skimmer may be helpful.

 

[sulbien]

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IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/ief3o0.jpg[/IMG]

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http://tinypic.com/r/2zpkpe0/8

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Sorry about uploading the last two pictures incorrectly. It would not let me through this forum as they went over the maximum file size. Thank you so much for your assistance!

 

[duraleigh]

You need an equalizer placed in the strongest drain. It will allow you to balance the flow so both skimmers take in water equally.

Your second issue (completely unrelated) is that you have a suction side air leak allowing air into your pump. There is an article in Pool School that may help you find that leak.

 

[sulbien]

Thank you very much I appreciate the response. I did notice today when I was out by the pool that there was air bubbles in the return. I will start inspecting each fitting working from the pump backwards until I find it. Would an air leak cause a decrease in suction as well as the pump wouldnt be capable of pumping as hard? Also out of curiosity how can you tell from a picture that there is an air leak? Thank you again for your help I'm learning as I go

 

[sulbien]

Also I noticed when turning the pump off that the water tends to drain towards the dial-a-flo valve and doesnt stop until it is below the inlet. Would this mean that the leak is somewhere further down the line or at a fitting behind that valve?

 

[gtemkin]

Do you have a main drain?

 

[duraleigh]

Also out of curiosity how can you tell from a picture that there is an air leak?

these are the symptoms....nothing to do with a picture.

I noticed that the pump had air in the cover so after investigating I found that the o-ring on the union was bad and replaced that but the problem still exists. I also noticed today that the pump chamber was completely empty when I went to turn on the pump this morning so I had to grab a bucket and fill it to get it primed and running.

 

[sulbien]

Thanks for all the help guys! I found the air leak it was the o-ring on drain plug that was bad. This along with the equalizer completely solved my problem!