Very small bubble from pool return

[joshuazzx]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new pool owner. My pool is about 4-5 years old. It is 16000 gal saltwater pool located in Texas.

Basically I found the pool return feeds water to 5 nozzles, one placed at the bottom of the spa, and the other 4 placed around the main pool. Today I noticed very small bubble coming from 3 of the nozzles that are closest to the pump(the one located in the spa and two in the main pool), The bubbles are very small, but they do appear consistently with the pump operating at normal speed.( filter pressure 20psi, pump 2500 rpm)

My questions are:
1. Is this a serious issue? Is it possible that I have underground pipe leaks?
2. I googled and found a lot of posts say it indicates leaking at pump suction side, could it be seal leakage? but if there is seal leakage at the pump or pipe union, why the bubble only shows up in 3 out of 5 nozzles?
3. How to troubleshoot it?

Thank you very much,
Joshua

 

[woodyp]

Welcome to the forum. Is your pump basket staying full of water? You might want to try to put some Lube Tube or some such on the gasket on the lid if the gasket is in good shape. I'd try that first.

 

[JamesW]

The cell makes hydrogen gas, which come out as tiny bubbles.

See if the bubbles go away when the cell is turned off.

 

[joshuazzx]

Welcome to the forum. Is your pump basket staying full of water? You might want to try to put some Lube Tube or some such on the gasket on the lid if the gasket is in good shape. I'd try that first.

It has a small bubble on top while it is running.

 

[joshuazzx]

The cell makes hydrogen gas, which come out as tiny bubbles.

See if the bubbles go away when the cell is turned off.

thanks, I will try that. I do noticed that the bubble is less sometimes.

 

[poolnovice1]

How bad are the bubbles? Lube the o-ring on the pool pump and check that the lid is tight.

It sounds like air is being introduced somewhere on the suction side. As long as your pool pump is priming, I don't think it actually impacts anything. It wouldn't concern me enough to start digging up underground lines.

It's worse if pool is leaking water not air. Try the bucket test if you're worried about that: Leak Detection

 

[joshuazzx]

The cell makes hydrogen gas, which come out as tiny bubbles.

See if the bubbles go away when the cell is turned off.

How bad are the bubbles? Lube the o-ring on the pool pump and check that the lid is tight.

It sounds like air is being introduced somewhere on the suction side. As long as your pool pump is priming, I don't think it actually impacts anything. It wouldn't concern me enough to start digging up underground lines.

It's worse if pool is leaking water not air. Try the bucket test if you're worried about that: Leak Detection

Sorry for the late update. It is confirmed that the bubbles are generated by the Jandy Chlorinator 1400 cell. When I turned it off, bubbles disappear. The cell was running at 75%, but it surprises me how much bubbles it generated.

 

[BowserB]

If you get a propane lighter and hold the flame just above the water where the bubbles reach the top, you should hear the hydrogen explode as little pops. Do this at night, and you might even see little bursts of light from the explosions. Amaze your kids and your friends!