www.troublefreepool.com
Ok something I noticed today. After backwashing and starting back up, no air in pump basket at all. It’s completely full of water, not even a bubble. Does that mean anything?Inspect every single item ahead of that pump. If it's better on a higher speed, it "might" imply it's pulling the pump lid down harder creating a better seal - maybe. But check everything else too. Those ball valves can go bad too. Don't expect to see a water leak. Air can still get in.
Suction Side Air Leaks
If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more
That's good. It means the plumbing lines and equipment are air-tight at the pad. That's a good thing.
So if that’s the case, does that narrow down my air leak possibilities?
Sure. In fact, going back to Post #1, you mentioned that it gets better after a backwash, so that tends to point towards a full filter preventing efficient water flow thereby causing resistance in the pump pot and a sort of churning effect. That happens to me a lot because I have a small single cart filter.
I lubed O ring and both gaskets around pump drain plugs as well. My filter pressure never seems to change. It stays 7 psi. I’ve never seen it above 10 with my new gauge. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve even seen it over 9.
Does it fall to zero when off? Up north it's fairly common for gauges to go bad from the harsh winter. Something to watch for.
lol yes. I just replaced one that didn’t go to zero.Oops, you said it was a new gauge.
This one is getting a bit tricky.
The filter would appear to be ruled out since the pressure remains the same. You could do one final test by running the filter on recirculate for a while to see if the air returns in the pot. But if that makes no difference, then there must still be a suction side air leak somewhere. This is after ruling out the pump lid and drain plug O-rings, the pool water level and a faulty weir door. So that basically leaves the suction line itself or perhaps one of those blue handle ball valves. Remember too that VSPs are known for allowing some air to build in the pot over time. Many owners purge that air once or twice a day during their programming. It may be one of those things you just decide to live with as long at the pump water level doesn't drop drastically to where you could run dry.
