Can't find air leak on new pump install - need help

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FLDude

Active member
Jul 21, 2022
42
Clearwater,FL
Hi All,

I installed a new black and decker vsp a few days ago and everything has been working except it seems as though I have a suction side air leak.

It's worth noting that before switching out the old pump (single speed Pentair) everything was fine and I had no air leaks at all.

I've been trouble shooting it for the last 4 days and can't seem to find it. I've lubricated all the o rings on the pump and the three way valve I have before the intake, I've tried incense, plastic wrap, a hose, shaving cream and soap suds and still can't find the leak, I've taken the three way valve apart and put it back together again.

This morning i took the pump out and checked the bottom for cracks but couldn't see any. When I take a closer look at the pump basket though it seems to me that the air bubbles are coming from the bottom of the basket and not the intake pipe. I shot a video and have uploaded it to youtube, would you mind taking a look and letting me know what you think? It's kind of hard to see if the bubbles are coming from the intake but you can definitley see something going on beneath the pump basket at the bottom.

Water level and skimmer are all good and I topped the pool up this morning just to be safe.

As a last ditch effort I decided to flood the outside ground around the pump with water to see if maybe a crack in the case might be the issue. The air bubbles seemed to decrease considerably but not entirely, could this be an issue with the case that I cant see?

I appreciate any and all help with this as its driving me nuts.

Here's the video

Thanks!
 
Dude,

Does the bubble stay the same size or does it get bigger and bigger?

Have you use pool lube on the pump lid gasket?

Looks pretty normal to me, assuming that you are running at a low RPM.

What does it look like if you are running at 3K or above?

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
What speed was the pump when you took the video?

A small bubble in a VS pump is normal ewhen not running at maximum speed.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Dude,

Does the bubble stay the same size or does it get bigger and bigger?

Have you use pool lube on the pump lid gasket?

Looks pretty normal to me, assuming that you are running at a low RPM.

What does it look like if you are running at 3K or above?

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
That was at 1500rpm and at that speed the bubble gets bigger and bigger, to the point where if i left it, it would end up having no water in the pump. When i run it at 3450 rpm the bubble shrinks and stays small but doesnt disappear, im guessing because most of the air is getting sucked through the pump at that speed? I can still see smaller bubbles coming from somewhere at that speed though.

Yeah ive used lube on the lid o ring, two valve o rings and the two union o rings going into the pump.
 
ajw22 said:
What speed was the pump when you took the video?

A small bubble in a VS pump is normal ewhen not running at maximum speed.
Click to expand...
I took that at 1500rpm but if left for an hour the air bubble would get to about the size of the lid. At full speed the bubble decreases in size but doesnt disappear and i can still see small bubbles coming from somewhere but the water is too fast to see from where though.
 
FLDude said:
I took that at 1500rpm but if left for an hour the air bubble would get to about the size of the lid. At full speed the bubble decreases in size but doesnt disappear and i can still see small bubbles coming from somewhere but the water is too fast to see from where though.
Click to expand...
That is normal behavior for a VS pump. Unless the bubble gets down to where it exposes the impeller intake you are fine.

You probably need to run the pump around 2400 rpm for a while every day for good skimming and that will shrink the bubble.
 

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I just wanted to post this update for anyone in the future doing research trying to figure out a similar issue. I ended up completely replumbing the suction side of the pool pipes and now have minimal air coming into the pump, what an amazing feeling that was given it was my first time doing it. There's still a little air that i need to figure out where its coming from but for the most part its gone.

All i can put this down to is there being multiple air leaks that i just couldnt detect being that the plumbing is so old.

I hope this helps someone else out in the future!
 
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