Losing Prime

[Uncle Rico's Pool]

Hi everyone. Just opened my pool for the first time post TFP. Pleased to say the water is crystal clear! I’m working on bringing up CYA (not registering on tube test yet) and ran my pump for 24hrs with sock in skimmer. This evening when I shut off the pump, water came rushing backwards in the system. When I took off the pump filter cap air came rushing out. I primed, ran and shut off again and when I opened the cap it shot water out As I loosened it. Seems air must be getting in somewhere and building up in the filter? I haven’t seen bubbles on the return side. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

Have you backwashed the filter yet?

 

[Uncle Rico's Pool]

Yes and the pressure reading is low (15).

 

[duraleigh]

You have a suction side air leak. The pump is pushing the air up into the filter and pressurizing it. When you turn off the pump, the pressurized air in the filter rushes backwards back to the pool.

Find that air leak and that issue will stop. There is an article in pool school that may help.

 

[Uncle Rico's Pool]

This morning I worked the multi port back and forth to different settings, reprimed, backwashed and then fires it back up. Problem seems to be gone. I can shut it off and back on without losing prime. I’m assuming it’s an issue with the multi port.

 

[Uncle Rico's Pool]

Duraleigh, just saw your post. So maybe it’s a slow leak and letting the pressure off the filter made it seem to go away. I will check again tonight. My ph is drifting up which seems to indicate air entering the system as well. I assumed maybe it was the liquid bleach I’m adding causing that but maybe not.

 

[duraleigh]

Bleach does not cause pH to change. There is a natural tendency for most all pools to drift upward so the air leak may be assisting with that but not much.

Read the suction side leak article in Pool School. The most common place for the leak is the lid for the pump basket. Don't overtighten it.....just make sure you get a good seal by hand tightening