Small air bubbles

[Jonhood]

I had to replace my pool pump due to storm surge for Huuicane Ian - I can see small air bubbles circulating through the cover. They are not coming out of my returns.
I thought itmight be the cover O ring so I replaced it - same thing.
I had to re plumb suction and discharge but can’t find any leaks.
There are a couple of the larger bubbles trapped under the cover - but I saw that with first pump.
Did a really long bleed on the filter - but I still see them.
Replaced Superflo VST with intelliflo VSF
any ideas or is this normal/acceptable?
Jon

 

[Texas Splash]

When you replaced the lid O-ring, did you make sure to lube it well with pool silicone lube?

 

[W.J.Christy]

The intelliflo seem to always have a bubble under the cover at low speeds. At higher speeds the bubble tends to mostly go away.

 

[Jonhood]

I did not - I will get some and try that.
One thing I did notice was that the lid goes all the way until can’t go anymore- my last one only went 3/4 of the way

 

[Texas Splash]

Even with the best of efforts, different model pumps can display very slight variances in their performance, but let's see how that lube works. Hopefully that will do the trick. Even if it doesn't, a few tiny bubbles isn't a deal-breaker. Like noted above, a simple rpm bump once a day or so should help to purge them out.

 

[Jonhood]

The intelliflo seem to always have a bubble under the cover at low speeds. At higher speeds the bubble tends to mostly go away.

Ok - I will increase my speed - right now running at 2500 rpm.
Will the small bubbles damage anything?

 

[Jonhood]

Even with the best of efforts, different model pumps can display very slight variances in their performance, but let's see how that lube works. Hopefully that will do the trick. Even if it doesn't, a few tiny bubbles isn't a deal-breaker. Like noted above, a simple rpm bump once a day or so should help to purge them out.

Ok - increased RPM to 3400 and it’s it’s pretty much the same - it did remove the larger air pockets that were trapped at the top of the lid- next step will be the lube.
It’s almost like the O ring thickness should be a little more but I again I will get the lube and try it 1st.
Jon

 

[Kaylee34]

I changed to a VSP this year and had air bubbles under the lid. That's very rare now.

What I've found:
First thing is check the pump union. I had to retighten mine a few times over the course of a week. One day it nudged a hair tighter and that solved my larger air leak.

Make sure the lid is on the way it likes to be on. Give the clear plastic dome a turn or two. When I pull the lid off to clean the basket, I'll recheck in a hour or two. If I have air, I'll pull the lid, give the dome a twist and reseat the lid. No more air after that.

Make sure the lid and pump are very clean. Even the tiniest piece of trash or leaf litter will cause air leaks at low speeds. I wipe everything down lightly with a clean rag before putting the lid back on.

Don't over lube.

Time is your friend. I think that everything being new the O ring might be just a smidge to big or dry and not seal exactly right. A few on/off cycles and the lid on my pump got to be a LOT easier to take on and off. Seems to fit better and tighten up properly also.

Just taking my time, paying attention to these few things and my air bubbles are gone even at very low speeds. I can run as low as 800 RPM and not have air bubbles in the pump lid.

Another thing I discovered was that if I do have air in the lid, simply ramping up the RPM won't clear it. My system works better if I allow the pump to shut off for just a couple minutes then restart. If I let it do that, it clears any air in seconds. If I'm away for a few days, the pump schedule runs 23 hours per day. Off for an hour in the early AM, then prime at 2300 RPM for 15 minutes, drop to 1500 rpm for 2 hours 45 minutes to skim, drop to 1100 to circulate for 17 hours then back up to 1500 to skim 3 hours before shutting down. I let it shut down for an hour just to make sure it will clear any air and reprime if needed. No problems with this so far.

 

[Jonhood]

Ok everyone that has helped me - I lubed the O ring and added thread sealant to the suction side of the pump even though it had an O ring - - now after 4 hours I only have 1 bubble about the size of 1/2 a dime in the see through cover and more swam of bees mini bubbles - I think problem solved - your thoughts?
Jon

 

[Kaylee34]

I think shut the pump off for a couple minutes and let your bee swarm of bubbles consolidate. Then go ahead and restart to let the air clear. Check it again later. If you've got more bubbles, you've still got an air leak.
Did you lube the pump union O rings? If not, do that.

 

[Jonhood]

I think shut the pump off for a couple minutes and let your bee swarm of bubbles consolidate. Then go ahead and restart to let the air clear. Check it again later. If you've got more bubbles, you've still got an air leak.
Did you lube the pump union O rings? If not, do that.

Sorry - I meant to say NO more swarm of bees after I lubed the O ring and put thread sealant on the pump intake union where it threads into the pump