Air Leak In Filter?

[Budfudder]

We just got a new filter installed - a Waterway Crystal Water 525. It seems that there might be a leak somewhere:

• the pressure gauge on the filter never gets off zero.
• when I activate the air bleeder valve, it always has air to bleed - it'll push air for up to several minutes before it starts spewing water. Once it does spew water and I close it...in half an hour it will have air in it to bleed again.
• when I opened it up to clean the filters, they were all filthy (as expected) but only from about half way down. The top half of all of them was almost pristine. It was as if the filter had never been more than half way full, so only the submerged part of the filters had actually been doing any filtering.

I contacted the bloke who installed it for us - and he told me that all of the above was perfectly normal (obviously, he doesn't want to say there's something wrong with anything he did). But he suggested that there could be a leak somewhere in the pipes on the suction (rather than the filter) side.

I would have thought that once it was up and going, the filter would always be full of water - but in our case, at least, that doesn't appear so.

So is this normal? Or is it something I need to address? And if so, how?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Welcome to TFP.

None of that is normal. You have a suction side air leak which, as you suspect, is preventing the filter from properly filling with water.

You should get the bloke to come back and remedy the leak. He knows there's a leak even if he won't admit it. Tell him your expert friends are certain there's a suction-side leak.

 

[HermanTX]

Agree with @Rocket J Squirrel on all parts.
Take a picture of your equipment, especially the suction side pipework and maybe we can give you some ideas to check.

 

[Budfudder]

Agree with @Rocket J Squirrel on all parts.
Take a picture of your equipment, especially the suction side pipework and maybe we can give you some ideas to check.

I've attached some pictures of various angles below. Any help/advice is gratefully received.

Could it possibly be that the band around the middle isn't tightened enough? It says that it should be tightened to 216 inch/pounds. So I went out and bought a torque wrench - but it didn't work. Or, at least, I couldn't get it to work. I tightened the stupid nut a great deal, but the torque wrench never 'clicked'. Mind you, the nut was squeaking so loudly it might be that I simply didn't hear it.

 

[HermanTX]

Could it possibly be that the band around the middle isn't tightened enough? It says that it should be tightened to 216 inch/pounds. So I went out and bought a torque wrench - but it didn't work. Or, at least, I couldn't get it to work. I tightened the stupid nut a great deal, but the torque wrench never 'clicked'. Mind you, the nut was squeaking so loudly it might be that I simply didn't hear it.

This is on the pressure side of the pump. If it was leaking, there would be water dripping down the side of the tank from the seal ring.

The picture only shows 2 pipes on the suction side leading to the pump. There could be a leak in that 3 way valve.
There 2 options to help find the leak if it is at the pad.

One is to take a hose and with pump running, let the water from the hose flow over the various plumbing and 3 way valve. Also let it flow on the drain plugs of the pump (one is usually below the basket and the other under the impeller. Let the water flow on each section for at least 30 seconds or longer. Watch the filter basket and you will be able to see more water flow if water is sucked in vs air. Have the pump at a medium speed of 2500rpm or more.

Second is to take plastic wrap and put it around the pipe and the 3 way valve. The suction will draw in on the plastic and stop the air flow. some times this is harder to do to get the plastic wrap around all the fittings and places where air will be drawn in.

 

[1poolman1]

We just got a new filter installed - a Waterway Crystal Water 525. It seems that there might be a leak somewhere:

• the pressure gauge on the filter never gets off zero.
• when I activate the air bleeder valve, it always has air to bleed - it'll push air for up to several minutes before it starts spewing water. Once it does spew water and I close it...in half an hour it will have air in it to bleed again.
• when I opened it up to clean the filters, they were all filthy (as expected) but only from about half way down. The top half of all of them was almost pristine. It was as if the filter had never been more than half way full, so only the submerged part of the filters had actually been doing any filtering.

I contacted the bloke who installed it for us - and he told me that all of the above was perfectly normal (obviously, he doesn't want to say there's something wrong with anything he did). But he suggested that there could be a leak somewhere in the pipes on the suction (rather than the filter) side.

I would have thought that once it was up and going, the filter would always be full of water - but in our case, at least, that doesn't appear so.

So is this normal? Or is it something I need to address? And if so, how?

Please remember that it is not the filter that has the problem, it is in front of the pump and the filter installer did nothing there. Should he have caught a suction leak? Yes, if he was any good. Should he have informed you? Yes, again, but he may have been accused (as many do) of trying to pad the bill at some time and didn't want to have that happen again
Is he responsible? No. That is a completely different piece of equipment that wasn't worked on. He only cut the outlet plumbing going to the filter and glued to the part left according to the pictures. And that pipe would leak water not air.

Was that pump installed incorrectly? Yes, there should be at least 8" - 10" of straight pipe going into it.
Where is the air coming from? Check the pump-lid O ring for lubrication. Be sure the union at the front of the pump is tight. Be sure that the drain plug on the side of the pump is tight.
Does the shaft seal leak? That could be a source of air. The rust under the pump indicates it might be leaking.
Does the valve in front of the pump leak (allow air into the system when it is running? The easiest thing to do is replace and lubricate the 3 O rings.