Preface: I’m a complete beginner and was basically thrown to the wolves to figure this out and I’m struggling!! Help!
Welcome. It can feel like a lot to figure out all at once, but pool plumbing actually is logical and you'll be comfortable with it very soon.
So about a week ago I found two O-rings in my filter basket. I have no idea where they go?! Ideas? Maybe the return jets?
Photos would help; O-rings come in various sizes, so knowing the size would help in identifying them. If they're in your filter basket, it's possible that they're O-rings from the skimmer or skimmer float valve.
Today my booster pump is making a weird noise when I tried running it..almost whooshing sounds in the filter basket..the filter basket should be filled with water right?
Yes, filter basket should be filled with water. Booster pumps are not self-priming; they need to have a steady supply of water at the inlet, so your main filter pump must be running whenever the booster pump is on. Ideally, the booster pump won't turn on until the filter pump has been running for at least a few minutes (and it will turn off at least a few minutes before the filter pump turns off).
Were you trying to run the booster pump without also running the filter pump (or while running the filter pump at a very low speed)?
When I ran my pressure vacuum from the booster pump line, I noticed water was being sucked hard and fast down through the skimmer baskets of the other two return lines..is that normal?
It's usually called a pressure cleaner, not a pressure vacuum -- because "pressure" and "vacuum" have sorta opposite meanings -- but yeah, the pressure to run it has to come from somewhere, right? That pressure comes from water that's pulled through the skimmers to the filter pump, then pushed by the filter pump through the filter to the booster pump, then pushed by the booster pump to the pressure cleaner port.
Also, "return lines" are the pipes from the filter back to the pool. The pipes from the skimmers to the pump are "suction lines".
Also…Should water be coming out of the booster pump return line when the booster pump is not turned on but the filter pump is on?
It can. If you look at the plumbing, you'll probably see that the booster pump inlet just comes from a tee in the pool return line. When both pumps are on, the filter pump pushes water through the pool return line at relatively low pressure, and the booster pump takes some of the water that's flowing through the pool return line and pushes it through the pressure cleaner port at a much higher pressure.
When only the filter pump is on, the "relatively low pressure" water being pushed through the pool return line is still at a high enough pressure to also be pushed through the tee, through the inactive booster pump, and to the pressure cleaner port. It won't be enough to actually run the cleaner, but water will probably leak out of the cleaner all over your deck if you pull the cleaner out of the pool while it's still attached to the port.
I let out of the gauge but I’m worried about air being in there somewhere and I’m so confused! Any help would be appreciated
If you hear air rushing or rattling through your plumbing, you should be able to clear it by running your filter pump at moderate to high speed for a few minutes. When you no longer hear air in the system, you can crack open the air valve on the filter to let any trapped air escape. When a steady stream of water comes through the valve, all the air has ben purged and you can close the valve.
