Leak? Or something more sinister?

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Giant655

0
May 21, 2017
25
Dayton
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Older DE pool filter, ill say 15 years old. Pentair LNS. 25k gallons.
Working on opening this year and ive had problems with air getting in my filter pot.
I had to replace my multivalve this season and had to rerun piping as well. Used silicone where needed on all of the fittings as well as teflon tape on all of the threads. I systematically went through each fitting and made sure it was sound, no bubbles or air in the filter just to come back an hour later to it having returned. Each junction from the unions to where the valve flows to and from the filter. Do I have a pinhole leak somewhere? Pad is bone dry. I did remove a section of pipe that held an inline chlorine feeder, could that have upped water velocity? Or am I over complicating things and...yeah.
Thoughts?
 
Hey Giant,

It looks like you've done some work in sealing common problem areas. Small leaks can be a challenge to track down.
Giant655 said:
no bubbles or air in the filter just to come back an hour later to it having returned.
Click to expand...
Did this happen while the pump was running?

As a general rule, air in the pump basket while the pump is running usually points to a suction side leak. Pressure side leaks will usually drip/seep water. When the pump is off, water can drain from the plumbing, back to the pool.

One common problem area is the pump lid o-ring/gasket. Make sure it's clean and lubed. Check the pump's drain plug(s) as well. Check in and under the skimmer basket for obstructions/debris, check water level, and make sure the weir door is not sticking in the closed position.
 
Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
Hey Giant,

It looks like you've done some work in sealing common problem areas. Small leaks can be a challenge to track down.

Did this happen while the pump was running?

As a general rule, air in the pump basket while the pump is running usually points to a suction side leak. Pressure side leaks will usually drip/seep water. When the pump is off, water can drain from the plumbing, back to the pool.

One common problem area is the pump lid o-ring/gasket. Make sure it's clean and lubed. Check the pump's drain plug(s) as well. Check in and under the skimmer basket for obstructions/debris, check water level, and make sure the weir door is not sticking in the closed position.
Click to expand...
Yes it happened while the pump is running. Brand new O ring for the pot lid, lubed up and all. The skimmer basket is mostly clean and empty. I can remove the weir door to test but I see it flapping loosely as it should. Im getting tiny bits of bubbles on the surface of the pool above the returns so I figured it was suction side, but all of the connections seem to be spoken for.
 
Is the pump basket filling up with water? When the pump is running, are air bubbles forming inside the pump basket? Do you have a saltwater chlorine generator? SWGs produce hydrogen gas bubbles which exit the returns.

There are a couple different tricks you can try. First, using a hose, run water over all of the joints, pump, drain plugs, and valves, on the suction side. If you are seeing air bubbles forming in the pump basket, they should stop when water finds the leak.

The second strategy involves raiding the kitchen for Saran wrap. Wrap it as tight as you can around the suction side joints and valves to see if the air bubbles stop.
 
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Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
Is the pump basket filling up with water? When the pump is running, are air bubbles forming inside the pump basket? Do you have a saltwater chlorine generator? SWGs produce hydrogen gas bubbles which exit the returns.

There are a couple different tricks you can try. First, using a hose, run water over all of the joints, pump, drain plugs, and valves, on the suction side. If you are seeing air bubbles forming in the pump basket, they should stop when water finds the leak.

The second strategy involves raiding the kitchen for Saran wrap. Wrap it as tight as you can around the suction side joints and valves to see if the air bubbles stop.
Click to expand...
The basket is/was full with minimal bubbles after id go through the fittings. I do NOT have a SWG. I like the hose idea. I was wondering if the "soap and water" trick would apply here. Definitely going to try method 1 out
 
So I ran water over all the fittings and that did jack squat. Check this out though. If I ran the pump on recirc or waste--- no air in pump. Filter, backwash-- air in lines.
Uhhhh..?
 

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Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
I'm not sure how bypassing the filter would eliminate air in the pump basket :scratch:. I'll page @Jimrahbe who may be able to help out.

In the meantime, help us out a bit and fill out your signature:

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Click to expand...
Maybe it might be time to replace the filter grids?
Been reading and scouring like crazy. This will be our 8th season in this pool and ive yet to replace my filter grids. It does a little better immediately after backwashing, but within a couple hours the bubble returns. That would explain why bypassing the filter eliminates the air in the pot, there's no backpressure forcing air into the pot making me think I have an air leak somewhere.
Thoughts?
 
Ha! Went back over my work again with the hose. Sure enough it was suction side leak. Splooged a huge helping of dope all around the fitting and its currently humming along, no bubbles. Thanks for the troubleshooting tip guys, helped me out so much
 
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