I have a 25k IG pool with salt chlorinator (aqua rite) and Pentair whisperflo pump 1HP. I had the pool opened last week - they forgot to unplug one jet in the shallow end. I think I can figure out how to unscrew that thing. But also noticed my skimmers are not pulling in any surface debris. After much investigation, it looks like maybe my pressure gauge has a slight air leak. Could that cause the skimmer vacuum loss issue? How do I repair the leak at the pressure gauge? It has Teflon tape on the connection. Take the gauge off and redo the tape? Or do I need to replace the gauge?
Pressure gauge has air leak
- Thread starter kbspool
- Start date
How high is the water in the opening of the skimmer? Does the pump strainer pot stay full with no air bubbles when the pump is on? The pressure gauge leak is not going to affect the skimming action. Can you post a closer picture of the filter where you have the leak? Do you see water squirt or drip out?
Water level was high on the skimmer, but through some backwash as the filter was cleaning it is now at just above halfway. I was able to use the vacuum at the skimmer originally so am wondering if there is a clog somewhere in the line? It pulls in water just absolutely nothing else at either skimmer. Debris runs right by.
a little bit of water it spitting out from the leak at the pressure gauge.
How does the return flow into the pool feel? Is it strong or weak? A high water level will prevent a skimmer from working well. If the return flow is strong you might try draining off about an inch of water to see if it improves.
Jets have strong water flow. I can also just pick the basket up while the pump is running. There is no suction holding it down in the skimmer. Last year I definitely wouldn’t be able to just pick up the basket - suction would hold it down
The suction should not be holding an empty skimmer basket so that it is stuck to the bottom of the skimmer. That can happen with a skimmer basket full of debris, because it is restricting the flow of water making the pump work harder to keep the water flowing. Another condition where the basket would be stuck to the bottom of the skimmer is when the water level in the pool is too low or the weir door is stuck laid flat in the skimmer opening which causes water to rush into the skimmer with a lot of turbulence. This would also cause air to collect in the pump pot and filter. What is happening now is normal. A normal functioning skimmer will not catch 100% of the debris that flows by in a single pass. If you could post a video of the pool with the pump running we could make sure that the water level is ok and the skimmer is functioning like it should.
As for the leak at the pressure gauge, is the gauge in finger tight? You don't want to crank too hard on it and strip the threads. Same thing can happen if you use too much teflon plumbing tape. You can try removing the tape and putting some pipe thread dope on the threads of the gauge and screw it in finger tight and see if that helps.
As for the leak at the pressure gauge, is the gauge in finger tight? You don't want to crank too hard on it and strip the threads. Same thing can happen if you use too much teflon plumbing tape. You can try removing the tape and putting some pipe thread dope on the threads of the gauge and screw it in finger tight and see if that helps.
Do you have main drains on the bottom of the pool? If so, is the valve set correctly to pull from both the drain and skimmer?