Bubbles/air leak

[Nspctr]

New to TFPC. Thanks in advance for the help!!
Details: 10k gal pool - about 8 years old, (but this is the first season I’ve owned it); Jandy 2.7 (VSSHP27AUT); Jandy Cartridge Filter CV460; Fusion Nature2 Chlorinator/Sanitizer; Large Strainer (directly) upstream of the Jandy pump - no label so I do not know the brand, just large with side inlet and bottom discharge.
Issue: bubbles in the suction strainer of the pump (but not in the larger strainer upstream). I’ve replaced the lid, oring, the drain plugs. Right after replacing the lid, I actually got it to go bubble free! I thought I’d finally fixed it!! However, this morning, the bubbles are back.

I thought maybe the union at the entrance to the pump might be the culprit, but since I did get it to go bubble free yesterday, I’m inclined to think this isn’t the issue.

Help please!!

 

[PoolGate]

Did you lube the oring on the lid?

 

[Nspctr]

Did you lube the oring on the lid?

Thanks PoolGate. I have tried with Vaseline and with just water. However now that I think about it, I only lubed the side that seals against the pump. I’ll remove the entire seal, lube and reinstall. I’m out of town and will try Sunday when I get back in town. Thanks again.

 

[Nspctr]

Update: lubed up the entire oring and surface and the bubbles disappeared - for a day.
What is going on !??? If I can [apparently] stop the air leak by lubricating the oring and surface it would tell me that the union/oring on the inlet of the pump is not the culprit, right?
I’ve ordered “LubeTube” in hopes of fixing this once and for all. Also reading a lot on TFPC about pump speed. My speed is way too fast (according to the other posts) and should be reduced. However, with the issue I’m having keeping the air out, I’m afraid of slowing the pump down. I currently run it at 2250rpm. Thanks again and in advance for any input.

 

[PoolGate]

How old is the pump? In my 7th season I bought a new pump lid because the old one had warped enough to allow air in. Perhaps you need an entire new lid? Also the orings can develop cracks that allow air to pass so a new oring might fix it.

 

[wireform]

How's the pressure on the filter compared to clean pressure.

 

[Nspctr]

How old is the pump? In my 7th season I bought a new pump lid because the old one had warped enough to allow air in. Perhaps you need an entire new lid? Also the orings can develop cracks that allow air to pass so a new oring might fix it.

Sorry for my slow reply. The pump, I assume, is the same age as the pool - circa 2016. I’ve replaced the lid - actually have 2 lids; one is a Jandy lid (embossed in the site glass) and the other I bought on Amazon for approximately 1/2 the price. They both seem to perform the same, ie; one has no fewer bubbles than the other. I did go ahead and order a lid for the debris canister directly upstream of the pump - even though there are zero bubbles present in the glass. Also, I did replace the oring on the debris canister just in case.

One strange thing I did observe is that the debris canister has no bubbles, but when I shutdown the pump, you can hear an almost syphoning sound from the debris canister. Seems if this was the source of the leak I’d see bubbles here too when the pump is running, not just down stream at the pump.

Regardless, when I remove either lids from both the pump and or the canister, there is suction holding the lids tightly against the surface.

Oh, one more thing; it appears to really affect the size of the air bubble in the sight glass of the pump as related to the speed of the pump. However, to get it down to about a 2” bubble, I have to keep the pump up at 2500 rpm. Everything I’ve read leads me to believe the pump should be around 1800 or even less. (?)

Thank you again!!
PS: I’ll see if I can figure out why TFPC is not notifying me when I receive a reply. Thanks again!

 

[Nspctr]

How's the pressure on the filter compared to clean pressure.

Thanks, wireform. Sorry, but not exactly sure what you mean. My pressure on the filter appears to be right at 8 psi - depending on whether I’m pushing through the waterfall or just the side jets. Likewise, whether I’m sucking from the strainer or the bottom drain or both seem to nominally affect it.

Greatest impact on filter pressure is just the speed of the pump (obviously). During priming it’s about 12 psi, but drops to 8 psi when running at 2250rpm.
Thanks again!