Help - replaced pump and now losing flow/circulation

[vinniemeatball]

my old intelliflo VF went up and I replaced with a VS. I have a quad DE pump.

I’m running the pump in manual mode and regardless of the speed i choose after a short amount of time I’ll notice little to no flow either coming into the skimmers nor coming back thru the returns. The pump remains in the speed I set it at and works fine for a period of time.

in addition to replacing the pump I also added a Union in front of the pump, could this be an issue ?

the filter is clean, but I did notice the spring compressor is missing, guessing my pool guys lost that. I’m sure that has something to do with the pressure gauge on the filter, but could that be my problem ?

Im at a loss, for the last 12 years with this filter and the old pump I never had this issue.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

How does the pump basket look like through the cover? Do you see lots of air? Little air?
If you added a union, make sure the o-ring or seal that came with it is installed properly and preferable lubed with proper grease.

 

[vinniemeatball]

How does the pump basket look like through the cover? Do you see lots of air? Little air?
If you added a union, make sure the o-ring or seal that came with it is installed properly and preferable lubed with proper grease.

I have noticed that when I look in the basket the water is coming in very slow, almost like at the speed of a hose. I did not lube the Union o-ring and also remembered I did not lube the o-ring on the pump lid. could that be it ?

 

[mknauss]

Always a good idea to put pool lube on the orings.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

Sounds like your pump is losing prime. Definitely check the cover and the union. Lack of lube should not cause such loss of suction and I would be inclined more towards a pinched or damage seal, but who knows?

I actually had my pump replaced yesterday under warranty for bearing noise and the tech forgot to install the intake union seal. The flow started off slowly, like you described, but it did pick up eventually, so the tech left. But I noticed that the pump basket never filled up with water all the way like before and my returns had some bubbles coming out of them. This was at 2700 RPM. Eventually I noticed the seal left by the tech when he removed the old pump lying on the pool pad. I installed it without any grease and the pump primed much faster and the basket filled up with water and no bubbles at all. I will get some lube and apply it to the seals, but the seals should work properly without any lube if they are fresh.

 

[vinniemeatball]

Sounds like your pump is losing prime. Definitely check the cover and the union. Lack of lube should not cause such loss of suction and I would be inclined more towards a pinched or damage seal, but who knows?

I actually had my pump replaced yesterday under warranty for bearing noise and the tech forgot to install the intake union seal. The flow started off slowly, like you described, but it did pick up eventually, so the tech left. But I noticed that the pump basket never filled up with water all the way like before and my returns had some bubbles coming out of them. This was at 2700 RPM. Eventually I noticed the seal left by the tech when he removed the old pump lying on the pool pad. I installed it without any grease and the pump primed much faster and the basket filled up with water and no bubbles at all. I will get some lube and apply it to the seals, but the seals should work properly without any lube if they are fresh.

Thanks I will be checking in the morning, but my issue is just the opposite of yours. It primes with no issues and runs for a bit of time before slowing down to a trickle. Fingers crossed it’s just a stupid o-ring. This money pit is close to becoming a tennis court.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

So your pump basket fills up all the way to the top and there are no bubbles visible though the cover?

 

[vinniemeatball]

So your pump basket fills up all the way to the top and there are no bubbles visible though the cover?

I believe so, but I will check in the morning.

 

[mknauss]

An Intelliflo during prime could be sealing the pump basket lid and then as the rpm reduces it starts to pull air.

Try the lube.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

An Intelliflo during prime could be sealing the pump basket lid and then as the rpm reduces it starts to pull air.

Try the lube.

True, in my case I kept the pump at high speed all the time.
Another way to check is to turn off the pump and see if the water slowly drains from the basket. If everything is sealed properly the level should not drop.

 

[vinniemeatball]

So no luck. I lubed both orings and still doing thing. I also checked the water in the pump when turned off and it does not seem to decrease. Another thing I did was feel the PVC before and after the pump and the pressure seems the same. However the pressure is def not the same coming out of the filter which makes me think this is in the filter. I ordered a replacement compression spring and hopeful that may fix my issue.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

I'm curious how did you feel the pressure through the pipes? I would think that if the compression spring for the filter was at fault, you would have a leak from the filter somewhere.

 

[vinniemeatball]

I'm curious how did you feel the pressure through the pipes? I would think that if the compression spring for the filter was at fault, you would have a leak from the filter somewhere.

What I meant was just putting my hands on the PVC before and after the filter I could feel a noticable difference in the pressure within

 

[PoolNewb2020]

What does the pressure gauge say? You may feel a difference in vibration, but that doesn't mean a difference in pressure.

 

[PoolNewb2020]

Here is a video showing a good prime on the pump. Does you pump basket fill up the way it is in this video or can you see water just pouring out of the inlet?

Here is an example of a pump that is not fully priming.

 

[vinniemeatball]

What does the pressure gauge say? You may feel a difference in vibration, but that doesn't mean a difference in pressure.

Right now the filter is at 23psi and the pump is set at 2760 rpm.

 

[vinniemeatball]

Here is a video showing a good prime on the pump. Does you pump basket fill up the way it is in this video or can you see water just pouring out of the inlet?

Here is an example of a pump that is not fully priming.

So priming I'm good, looks just like the video. However after a short period of time it looks like the other video. I think what I'm going to do next is redo the plumbing in the suction line. When I put in that union it was a bear to get it to even up with the other side. I'm thinking maybe air is getting in there ? I also noticed a very small leak on the top side of the pump. I probably should have replaced the plumbing and not used the old. I also used just thread dope and not Teflon tape which I'm thinking I should have used both ?

 

[PoolNewb2020]

In car repair, it's a good idea to start with the last thing you messed with. Looking at the union again is a good idea. Maybe it's not exactly square.

 

[vinniemeatball]

In car repair, it's a good idea to start with the last thing you messed with. Looking at the union again is a good idea. Maybe it's not exactly square.

Update - i redid the plumbing on the suction side so that the union was def seated properly. I was not happy however on the amount of PVC I was able to fit into the small coupling I had. After starting backup the flow was great, and I thought this fixed the problem. I checked it after a few hours and was still strong, whereas previously it would fall off after 10-15 mins. unfortunately this morning it was back to little flow and the pump was not filled with water. I shut off, started back up and again it was good for only about 10 mins....SO..I’m at a loss, I’m thinking today of completely removing the Union which will also fix that little coupling. But having a hard time understanding why it was fine for hours last night...

 

[PoolNewb2020]

Since you had a hard time fitting it all together, maybe the glue didn't get full coverage and let go. But since your last try did make a difference, I would think it is the area where the leak is and would concentrate there.