woke up to sand filter pump full of massive air bubbles...Pump in jepardy??????

[charliej]

having a great swim year and clear water so far this year. kids swimming like fish. BUT...I woke up to sand filter basket full of air bubble and after i bleed it they almost go away and then all of a sudden, a massive amount comes back and doesnt calm down. i have checked for leaks and so far cant seem to find any. The only thing i am concerned about, and i dont even know if it could cause a problem, is the fact that the kids didnt get all their toys picked up last night and a small basket ball was stuck in the skimmer. could this have caused damaging problems with the sand filter pump? could it have starved the pump of water if this went on all night? i have an intex pool with added hayward skimmer on the side. HELP PLEASE! Im so worried and i this pump was new at end of season last year. Hate to think of replacing it with the up in the prices this year. THANKS in advance as you guys and gals always help me out so much. I recommend this site to everyone i know that has a pool!

 

[cj133]

When you say the sand filter is full of air, do you mean you see air bubbles blowing out of the return into the pool, or that the pump basket has a bunch of air in it?

If the pump basket has air check the lid and all connections to the skimmer. If it's all leak free the air issue should clear up now that you pulled the toy out of the skimmer.

Personally, I don't see it damaging the pump as long as it wasn't completely run dry. The spring seal needs water to lubricate and cool it so as long as there was some flow through the pump the entire time it was running it should be fine. If all flow stops and it stops pumping it will self destruct.

 

[Pv2]

look for the slightest water leak between the skimmer and pump with pump off. it is sucking air from somewhere and water will seep out from the same spot. also check lid and the air bleeder o-rings as well. my experience with these pumps running in that starved mode has been lucky. it happens on a regular basis for me and often goes hours before I notice. (water level in pool too low, skimmer basket out of place, something blocking skimmer, etc)

 

[charliej]

thanks for your reply. the pump basket was full of bubbles. i did check everything for leaks, but in the meantime, i found a post on this site that said if you put it on recirculate sometimes it helps, then switch back to filter. YAY!!! I did that and sure enough it helped. thanks yall for your awesome help.... AGAIN!!!

 

[charliej]

When you say the sand filter is full of air, do you mean you see air bubbles blowing out of the return into the pool, or that the pump basket has a bunch of air in it?

If the pump basket has air check the lid and all connections to the skimmer. If it's all leak free the air issue should clear up now that you pulled the toy out of the skimmer.

Personally, I don't see it damaging the pump as long as it wasn't completely run dry. The spring seal needs water to lubricate and cool it so as long as there was some flow through the pump the entire time it was running it should be fine. If all flow stops and it stops pumping it will self destruct.

Yes, it was bubles in the pump basket. I found a post on here that said sometimes if you run it on recirculate and then switch back to filter. it will blow the air out better/quicker. well, i did and it did!! thanks to yall for your awewsome.