Possible leak or a pump issue?

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Texas Splash said:
Please post some pics of your pool and the equipment pad from a couple different angles. Also be sure to check the following:
- Pump clear lid O-ring lubed well with pool silicone. (drain plug(s) too).
- Water level at least 1/2 way up the skimmer(s)
- All 3-way valves in open position. Check for leaks with water.
- Skimmer (weir) door moving easily and not getting stuck closed.

Below is a link that may also help. Let's see if we can get this resolved before you leave. If not, you'll want to see if you can get a submersible pump that can move a little bit of water and help mix the chlorine that someone will be adding for you.

www.troublefreepool.com

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...

-Lid and o-ring are lubed.. got a new one and it was the first thing I checked
-water level is fine
-valves all open
-skimmer doesn't have a weir

I will check out the link! and yes, friend already suggested the submersible pump...
 
Here is the ring from the pump drain that is mentioned in the link you sent... it is indeed a little degraded... Could this possibly be the source of air?? Had to believe! I will replace it today...
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Update:

I replaced both drain plug o-rings at the pump. Hard to believe that two tiny o-rings would be the cause of my problems! And I was right - no difference. I tried "priming" in Quick Clean mode as this bring RPMs to max for an extended period. I've tried numerous times to fill basket with water while the skimmer end is plugged then starting up system. I've done this with the hope that pressure will build up and a good strong vac will develop. I then open the plug at the skimmer end (after 2 min or so). This worked last year. This year not at all except for the one time.

What I am noticing is the when I place the hose down the pump basket, the water seems to fill it up. It actually seems like the water level never actually fills up and keeps. I don't recall this happening last year (but I may be wrong). As well, air bubbles rise up from the inflow pipe (the pipe where water comes in from the pool). So it seems like it it is leaching out somewhere.. and that is not happening at the pump pad site. Could this indicate a leak underground?

So what is next? I am leaving for a 3 week holiday. I have a friend coming to check own it and dump liquid chlorine into the pool every 5 days or so. He's going to run a sump pump to get to to circulate a bit. Should I add a stabilizer? Anything else?

I also want to check the lid that clamps down on the pump. As mentioned above, this is also a potential spot for air leaks. Here are some pics of the clamp. There are four small groves on the Pentair ram clamp. Take a look at three different pics and give me you opinion on whether this could be a source of an air leak. You can see that two appear to be damaged to some degree (no idea how that happened) while the other is in good condition. The fourth groove is also in good condition (but not pictured):


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Splaker said:
So it seems like it it is leaching out somewhere.. and that is not happening at the pump pad site. Could this indicate a leak underground?
Click to expand...
If you have a suction leak underground, water "should" leak outwards when the system is off resulting in the water level falling in the pool. Not sure if you are seeing that at all?

As for the clamps, those indents may just serve as stops when the lid is secured. I would expect if those were the source of a suction side leak you would see a difference in pump performance or air intake if your let water flow over the lid while running.
 
I don't see what level dropping.. but I am not sure I understand your theory. If there is a hole in the line somewhere say just past the pump pad area, how would that result in a loss of water?
 
So I have been thinking about where this darn leak is. I have come up with a possible theory that a friend agrees with. In 2019, I along with a couple of friends reconstructed an area near the intake line. We built a retention wall close to that line. Existing masonry was used to ultimate create a larger patio area (previously, a semi-circle hardscape that I made into a straight wall). Anyhow, details of the specific design aren't important - but what is important is that I did disturb the area and the new "wall" that was realigned is obviously very heavy. I can show a pic (if I can find a before and after, I'll post that). Now the problem didn't appear until 2021 but it could have taken some time for the damage to appear. I could have even started in 2020 (very slowly) and gotten worse over the course of 12-18 months.. keep in mind that I am in Canada and we get major freeze/thaw events.. temps where I live sink to -25C and colder in Jan/Feb and can hit the mid 30s (90s) in July/August oftentimes. This would only make it worse if the line is now exposed closer to the frost line due to our project.

Thoughts?
 

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Splaker said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I was referring to above in post #28. A leak in the suction line "might" present itself with air in the pump or lines, but it probably won't show any water loss unless the pump is off. When ON, water gets pulled through the line quickly without the chance of seeping out of a break, but once the pump is OFF, water just sits in the line and can then seep out of a break in the line. Perhaps that is what happened under the weight of that wall?
 
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