Air at the pump

[pb4uswim]

I’m not sure what it’s called but it’s where the small strainer basket is connected to the pump. Mine keeps getting air in it. Is this normal? It only gets air when I run the VSP at a lower speed (I usually run at 50%). If I run faster, the air is pushed out and it looks normal again. Hoping this does not indicate a leak. There is no leaking anywhere above ground on the equipment pad. Not sure if the issues are connected but I’ve also noticed air coming out of one of my jets sporadicly. Not sure if it matters, but it only appears to come out of the last one in the line.

 

[PoolStored]

A small air bubble is normal in a VSP running low speed. We don't know why, but speculate the the lower rpm and lower suction allows air through the strainer cover o-ring.

A dirty filter will cause that air bubble to get larger faster.

Clean your filter. Relube the o-rings (strainer cover and drains) on the pump.

A small bubble is fine. I have mine programmed to clear the silver dollar pancake sized bubble once a day. You don't want that bubble to increase and lose prime.

 

[pb4uswim]

It's hard to tell from the picture but there is no bubble. The water is so low that there's none touching the top. I'll clean the filter and relube the o-rings to see if that helps. If I had to guess, I'd say of the two, it would be the lubrication. I'm not sure I did that well on the day I opened the pool. Also, with all the cleaning of the pool, I wouldn't doubt that the filter needs cleaning, however, there doesn't seem to be any increase in the pressure.

 

[pb4uswim]

Man! Just ordered a new o-ring for the skimmer basket top. Anything related to pools is expensive. Most were going for over $20 - for an o-ring. I ended up buying a non-OEM o ring for just under $8. It had good reviews and I hope it fits well. Worth the risk. I'll keep the old one just in case.

 

[pb4uswim]

Clean your filter. Relube the o-rings (strainer cover and drains) on the pump.

Thanks! Yesterday I cleaned the filter, put in a new o-ring (probably didn’t need it but oh well) and lubed everything. It looks great this morning.