how do y
how did you find out about the gap? i'm having similar troubles with air getting in. i've cleaned and lubed and replaced the pump basket o ring. sometimes i can get it to hold with no air on startup but over time it always gets more and more until it's about a half pipe of water coming in. I could live with it but then the water level in my filter gets low so very little filtering is actually happening.My new pump fresh from the factory packaging unknowingly was installed with over a 0.035 gap between the pump housing and the motor adaptor plate with surface to surface contact at the bolt sites. It seems to me this condition could have been caught by PENTAIR QC but was not. This condition could be the site of my air leak since the seal is only a few mills thick with housing bolts 3/4 turn loose. You might need to consider this possibility when looking for an air leak. I, like you am a homeowner looking for a solution.