simonjturner

Hi One and All I haven't posted for a while, but I have a new puzzle to solve. My pump room is above pool level and I seem to have developed a new problem. When I run the pump fed from the bottom drain only, there is not enough water feed to the pump and hence the pressure in the system drops. Running off the Vac and also the Skimmers works fine. I first thought I had a hole in the pipe below ground as there was evidence of air in the system, however on further investigation I found the non return valve was blocked. On sorting this problem the air issue went away. The only thing I can think it may be is either; a blockage in the pipe or the pump I have is not pulling enough. I replaced the pump a few months ago but can't be sure if the problem was introduced at the same time. I do know that last year I ran it off the drain without any issues. The pump is a 3/4 hp and the pool is approx 6 foot deep(1.8 metres). Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have replaced the seized pump with a new one and the air problem seems to have gone away.... looks like the old pump seals or the pump drain plug seal were the problem

My pool is in my spain holiday home and I am in the uk at the mo and I rely on local help with pool, so getting the pump rewound is problamatic... My son rewinds motors so I will bring it back and get him to do it, then I get a spare pump in case of future problems! I will try all of the air solution suggestions next time I am out and will post the results. Fingers crossed I will get a result.

Yes I have a sand filter however I cannot tell if it is completely full of water as I don't have a glass dome at the top as you do. I suspect that there could be air in the filter as there are some gurgling noises. The only bleeder valve at the top of the filter is on the pressure gauge, I will try and see if this releases air after it has been standing without the pump running for a time. If it is a problem with a seal on the pump, this will be resolved shortly as my pump has just seized up (motor has burnt out!) and I need to replace it.

No the skimmers are always full and there is no sign of water getting into the skimmer baskets as you described. I am going to undo all of the joints pre pump in the pool cupboard and silicone grease them all up and reassemble, also do the same to the pump top and pump drain plug. Let's hope that this solves the issue. If not I was thinking of connecting a flexi pipe from the pool directly into the pump to isolate all of the suction side pipe work and connections etc to see if the air is still pumped back into the pool. I will post again once I have done all of this!! Thx

Hi All.... I do not have a chlorinator nor a solar. Some great tips regarding the spider... and given the air is pretty much constant (although sometimes is does stop) I think the answer is in the suction side... I will check all the seals (pre pump) etc in the pump room and see if this helps. Given that I have turned off each source(skimmer, drain & vac) in turn and air still comes though to the pool I really think the issue is post shut off valves; does this make sense? Thx

Has anyone heard of air getting into the system due to an old / faulty spider control? I know this is on the return side of the pump so is unlikely, but just wanted to rule it out of the investigation

Yep.... there is always an air gap at the top by the pump lid it is never completely full of water. It is an Astral and does have a drain screw at the bottom, is this worth checking and replacing the o ring seal?

Hi Folks... thanks for your comments.... I need to clarify a few points tho Mark... I do not have a Solar however what do you mean by a vacuum release valve? Is this on the filter or the pump? Also what is an SWG? Guru... When you say the inlet fitting do you mean where the the fitting that connects the pipe to the pump on the suction side? I guess also it it worth checking the pipe fitting of the stop valves (skimmer, drain and vac) as these are on the suction side and could be drawing air. Thx again for your help

Hi All... I hope someone can help with my problem. I have a conventional in ground pool, the pump and filter are about 1 to 2 feet above water level and I have a non retrun valve fitted. The pool has no leaks and no water is lost. There is however a fairly constant stream of small air bubbles coming out of the inlet jets making a popping sound. The amount of bubble varies and gets worse after a bottom vacuum operation. I have changed the filter seal and also the pump top seal. All the pipe joints seem to be tight. I was worried that the spider valve might be letting in air but this is on the pressure side of the pump and not the suck side where I believe most air problems originate. I have isolated the skimmers and the bottom drain separately using the valves to see if one of these might have some pipe work problem but it seems not to make any difference, I even used teh vac port only and again no differnce. To me this indicates that there is no problem in the pipework from the pool and the problem is above ground in the pool room, but I just can't seem to find it. Any ideas? Look forward to your thoughts.