Should I vent the filter?

[Kes]

For twenty years we had a sand filter with a lid and nothing else, no gauge or air relief valve. Now we have a new filter that has both of these. On startup yesterday I vented the filter to the point of water coming out of the valve. This morning I can see that air has accumulated and I can see the water entering the filter.

Is it normal practice to run the filter with some air in the top, or should I vent it so that the filter is full of water? Backwashing will remove some of the air I guess, but running with some air means that there is no control over the actual water level in the filter. Does it matter?

 

[Msch99]

Not an expert but I would check / tighten any suction side connections. Clamps/O rings etc. A few bubbles shouldn't hurt anything, but the air has to come from somewhere and I would want to find out where.

 

[Kes]

Yes, I appreciate that, but I think a skimmer would always pull in some suspended air. The question is, do people run their filters with a quantity of air present, or do they bleed it off? Wouldn't an airless filter interfere with the distribution of the incoming water over the filter media?

 

[Richard320]

I may go a week without checking my filter for air and it always squirts water. Air in the filter isn't normal. Look for a vortex in the skimmer caused by low water or a sticking weir. Then start looking for other suction side air leaks.