Leak from pump lid and air in returns

[JamesW]

Make sure that the pump lid O-ring is clean and lubricated and making a good seal.

Make sure that the union O-ring is clean and lubricated and making a good seal.

 

[Sidemoves]

When it rains it pours…one of the screws on the actuator is stripping when I try to remove. Any advice before I completely ruin it?

 

[JamesW]

Which screw?

 

[Sidemoves]

Which screw?

This screw in pic

 

[JamesW]

It won't come loose?

 

[JamesW]

Remove the other screws and then gently pull up on the actuator while unscrewing the screw.

 

[Sidemoves]

It won't come loose?

It is stripping when I try to unscrew it. It’s on too tight or stuck.

 

[JamesW]

Get a new Phillips head screwdriver.

 

[Sidemoves]

Okay, found the root cause to be faulty valve gaskets. Grabbed a bottle of water and started pouring it on different junctions/fittings/valves etc and found it. Didnt take apart the valve all the way, but when i took off the actuator and poured water on the top -- the air leak stopped. Ordered new gaskets for all the valves and will replace them all at once just in case. (unless any objections)

Do you think there is any damage to the pump given it was running for a good 90min without water flowing?

 

[JamesW]

Do you think there is any damage to the pump given it was running for a good 90min without water flowing?

Hard to tell without taking the pump apart and checking.

Watch for leaks under the pump.

You should order a new seal and plan to replace the seal.

This is likely to leak since PVC shrinks when it gets too hot.

 

[JamesW]

Pump Seals - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JamesW]

Didn't take apart the valve all the way, but when I took off the actuator and poured water on the top -- the air leak stopped.

With 4 screws removed, the lid can leak air, so that might not be a conclusive test.

 

[Sidemoves]

With 4 screws removed, the lid can leak air, so that might not be a conclusive test.

I didn’t remove the valve cover only the actuator and poured water down and into it from the handle screw opening. It sucked in the water and the air leak stopped. But will continue to look for other leaks once I get the gaskets in.

Good advice on the pre order of the seal and thanks for the tip on the PVC shrinking.

Really appreciate all the help from you and everyone today! Will let you know in a couple days how things go.

 

[JamesW]

I didn’t remove the valve cover only the actuator and poured water down and into it from the handle screw opening. It sucked in the water and the air leak stopped.

When you remove the actuator, there are 4 missing screws which can create a leak in the lid.

 

[Sidemoves]

When you remove the actuator, there are 4 missing screws which can create a leak in the lid.

Gotcha! Let’s see if the o-rings fix it. If not, the hunt will continue…

 

[Sidemoves]

Ok @JamesW , got the new o-rings in the faulty 3-way valve and it appears to have fixed the air in the returns when in pool mode. However in spa mode, 1 of the 6 returns in the spa is generating a lot of air bubbles. See pic. The pump and check valve don’t seem to have any air in them (like was the case previously) when in spa mode. Any idea what’s causing it and how to fix this? That spa return doesn’t have air bubbles when in pool mode with spillover

 

[Sidemoves]

Bumping this hoping for some help. Thanks all!

 

[mknauss]

Do you have an air inlet (might be a blower on it) for the spa?

 

[Sidemoves]

Do you have an air inlet (might be a blower on it) for the spa?

I do have a blower but unsure if I specifically have an inlet. Would that be causing only 1 of 6 spa returns to bubble? (This only happens in spa mode, even tho in pool mode the spa returns are active for the small spillover)

 

[mknauss]

When in spa mode, I assume your pump rpm is greater or all the flow is directed to the spa. That will pull air in through the air inlet line, even with the blower turned off. I suspect you could kick the blower on for a minute, turn it off, and all the jets will have air out of them.