Cleaner Booster Pump Loosing Prime? A fix I think? Comments?

[espejo]

For the past couple of days I've noticed my Pentair cleaner has not been moving. I hear the booster pump is on but it is struggling. The suction line to the pump is warm and when I remove it no water at all so my pump is overheating. So far no seal leak. I shut it all down and restart the pool pump only and water will (after about 10 seconds) start to come out of the line. I connect it back to the booster pump and then turn on the cleaner. All then starts to work normally. I noticed my pool pump strainer lid seem to have more air bubbles during operation. I shut it down again and used my fingers to rub off any small leaves, pine needles, nothing much. I put the lid back on and restarted it all an not as many air bubbles. Could my suction side of the cleaner issues be tied to the strainer basket not making perfect contact so it allowed air into the system?

As soon as this dies I will be moving over to a robot cleaner but for now I will be sticking with my current system.

 

[kimkats]

Don't forget to lube the o-ring up as well. That is almost always what I need to do when I see air bubbles in my pump basket.

 

[Jimrahbe]

e,

I am easily confused, so it may just be me...

You say you have a Suction cleaner, but talk about a "booster" pump which usually goes with a Pressure side cleaner. So, help me out by answering a few questions...

1. How many pumps do you have?

2. Does your cleaner have a small hose (about an 1" or so in diameter) or does it have a bigger hose (about 2" in diameter)?

3. Where do you connect the hose?

4. If you connect it to your skimmer, how do you do that?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JamesW]

I think that they're talking about the suction of the booster pump.

Sometimes, the booster will air lock because it is not self priming.

If air gets in the pump, it can air lock.

If the main pump is getting air in the system and the flow is low, you can air lock the pump.

You should address the main pump suction leak to stop air from getting into the system.

If you're running the main pump on low, that makes the issue worse.

 

[espejo]

Sorry folks been out on vacation but JamesW is absolutely correct. I was referring to suction line on the booster pump (1" or so in diameter). I went ahead a rechecked the o-ring on the main pump to ensure there was no debris. I ran the system and the clear basket lid on the pump was clear with no air bubbles. It was user error on my part when emptying the pump basket I did it too quickly and some debris was on the o-ring. It did not take much, it looked like it was a small pin oak leaf (the size of a dime). Once I got that fixed, I pulled the suction line on the booster pump and turned on the main pool pump. No water at first but then it started to flow. Without shutting off the main pool pump, I reattached the booster pump suction line and then started the booster pump. It worked fine and have been checking it most every day since with no issues. Just to be prepared I purchased seal repair kit since the booster pump was running dry I assumed I destroyed the seal. No water drip at the booster pump so it looks like it may be fine. No odd noises and with the booster pump off I'm able to spin the pump freely using the rear access point. I will continue to watch it but I may have caught it before I did any long term damage to my booster pump.

A cautionary tale for those with suction side cleaners to be sure no air is in the system or you could have issues. Most times the cleaner runs when I'm at work so I did not notice it right away but being home for the holidays I was able to notice it not running. I've changed the cleaning schedule to occur early morning on weekends when I'm home to ensure it is working properly.

 

[kimkats]

Great follow up! A learning tool for everyone THANKS!