As the title reads, only have bubbles out of run and in the pump basket/basin when vacuuming. I've always had the bubbles in the pump basin, and assumed it's normal. But recently I started noticing bubbles from the return. It takes several minutes of manually vacuuming before they start. To initiate the vacuum suction, I take the lid off my skimmer and set it down in the skimmer box. After vacuuming I switch off the pump, set the lid back on top and no more issues. No more bubbles anywhere. I thought maybe the vacuum hose was leaking so I replaced it. It arrived today, and same exact issue. I guess it's possible the new hose has a leak, but I doubt it. There is no seal around the skimmer lid so I don't think that's the issue. I did recently replace the lateral umbrella in my s180t92s package filter. Everything seemed to go ok with that, but the problem with the bubbles started right after. Basically the first time I vacuumed after finishing. The only abnormal thing about the repair was when rinsing there was some bubbles in the sight glass and a little sand. Thoughts?
(03/14/21 Update!) Bubbles in pump basin and return when and only when vacuuming.
- Thread starter Baker25
- Start date
- May 3, 2007
- 17,020
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
The vacuum lowers the pressure in the pump basket so a minor leak can become a major leak. But the leak can be anywhere and more likely to be near or at the pump. Pump lid is the first suspect. Remove the pump lid, inspect the gasket and if no cracks, lube and reinstall. If they doesn't work, move to the drain plugs.
I took the gasket out, didn't see anything obvious and lubed it up and reinstalled it. Right after I vacuumed and no bubbles. The next day, went to vacuum again and the bubbles have returned. Does this strongly suggest it is the gasket?
- May 3, 2007
- 17,020
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It's possible it could be the gasket. Cracks are difficult to spot and finding leaks is just about trial and error. They are not always easy to find. One trick is to use a hose and pour water over the pump basket to see if the air goes away while in vacuum mode. This doesn't always work but it can sometimes reveal the location of the leak.
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
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It's possible it could be the gasket. Cracks are difficult to spot and finding leaks is just about trial and error. They are not always easy to find. One trick is to use a hose and pour water over the pump basket to see if the air goes away while in vacuum mode. This doesn't always work but it can sometimes reveal the location of the leak.
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
So I did the hose method. Two things were observed and heard. One, definitely a huge reduction in bubbles. I could control the amount of bubbles simply by putting the hose over the lid and then moving it away. The sound also changed when moving the hose back and forth. I didn't really see anything obvious as to where the water was being pulling in from. I think the cheapest fix is a new o-ring and go from there.
I want to finish dealing with this before the season starts. Back then I replaced the o-ring and the issue remained. I need this problem to go away as eventually the bubbles really start to accumulate and without intervention I believe the pump would lose it's prime. Is there an internal issue I could look at within the pump? I have no problems buying a new pump, but I'm handy so I thought I would see what I could accomplish.
You obviously have an air leak and it rears it's ugly head when you vacuum because while you vacuum there more strain at the pump suction line compared to when it's just the skimmer, at that point it'll look for another source to draw from which in your case is a air leak that is only there when you vacuum. It'll be in one of these, pump basket lid, pump drain plugs, coupling where pvc connects to pump on the suction side or a bit further back on the suction line by a connection. Have seen one other but not sure how to describe. A client had similar issue but all the time and turned out to be some small gizmo on the side of the pump designed for automatic chlorinating which wasn't being used but was introducing slight air. I just used an epoxy and completely sealed it. Problem disappeared.
I run hose vs pvc and they are as tight as they can be. I've replaced the pump basket o-ring. I've tightened the drain plug(s). Could there be anything with the results of the hose test I did earlier in the post? Could the lid of the pump itself be bad?
It is possible the lid has hairline cracks in it if you have replaced the o rings and the water test still shows bubbles stop from lid area during vacuum suction testing.