Pool Pump Strainer Lid O-ring; The pump strainer lid is sealed by a single gasket; which once it loses pliability can provide a direct route to foul your prime. Normal signs of wear are cracking in the rubber, warping or stretching, and the obvious, missing bits
Check the rubber gasket for cracks pinching the gasket into a smaller loop. Cracks will look like striations across the length of the gasket.
Warped or stretched gaskets are evident when the o-ring sits in the groove o-ring, spilling over. The warping of an o-ring can lead to it being pinched creating a gap through which air can enter the plumbing.
If necessary, replace with new gasket, after cleaning the o-ring’s groove of gunk and leftover lube. Apply a new coat of lube, as well.
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InyoPools Product Specialist Matt S. Posted: 7/3/2019
The article mentions checking the pipe joints on the plumbing line. Since you have narrowed it down to the skimmer line, you can start there.Reply
Courtney Posted: 5/11/2019
Hello, my husband and I just bought a home with a pool. We have never had one before. We did everything as we should to open it except we forgot to take out the second plug in the jets. When we turned on the pump the pressure pushed out one of the plugs and a lot water was coming out of the one jet. We turned off the pumped and took out the rest of the plugs but we now have bubbles coming out of all the jets besides the one that pushed the plug out. The pump also has a lot of bubbles. Did we ruin the pipes or is it unrelated? Not sure if it was from that or if there is just an air leak somewhere. Hard to tell since we just bought the house.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 5/14/2019
Hello Courtney - A lot of air in the pump is a sign of an air leak. A common cause of air in the system, when opening the pool, is the absence of the drain plug(s) on the pump. They are removed during winterizing and sometimes placed in the pump basket. If that is not the issue, look for more common causes that are listed in the guide above.Reply
Phil Posted: 5/11/2019
I recently had a new filter installed. The pump is new from the end of last summer. One of the exhaust lines in the pool was shooting out small bubbles. I added too much algaecide I believe, and now the filter PSI fluctuates and large bubbles come out of that exhaust line now and then. While raining now and there being less bubbles, no large bubbles from the line. Is it a algaecide issue do you think or possible piping issues to the exhaust?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 5/14/2019
Some algaecides do create foam and bubbles. If the problem persists, you may have a suction side air leak. The guide above explains where to check for the most common causes of an air leak. Issues on the return side do not cause air bubbles.Reply
Houston Posted: 5/2/2019
Hi there. I recently replaced my filter grids with a complete grid/manifold kit. I did have to remove the whole filter unit so I could also replaced the filter units stripped drain plug. No leaks. Everything is working fine. Since doing that, I have what appears to be DE (cloudy water) in the filter basket at the pool pump. I can tell becuase the water in the pump filter basket gets all cloudy when I first turn on the pump. Also, I can see small traces of DE around my verticle bubblers at the steps too. I cannot see any DE actually blowing out the returns. Could this be a bad spider gasket or something else I could check first? Pentair Intelliflo and Pentrair FNS Plus 60.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 5/2/2019
Hello Houston - It could be a bad spider gasket. I'd also look at the o-ring on the standpipe. DE coming back into the pump could be an air leak or pressure side leak as well.Reply
Anonymous Posted: 5/1/2019
We had a replastering job done on our pool. When pool was refilled and started up, all was fine. I am now dealing with air bubbles coming from the farthest return. Can’t seem to find the problem. This was not an issue before the work was done. Any chance the replastering job damaged something?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Matt S. Posted: 5/2/2019
The replastering and all the work it involves would take place in the pool basin. I'm not sure how that would create an air leak unless the workers fiddled with a valve or two.Reply
Kelsey Posted: 4/30/2019
We recently replaced our pool pump and it primes right off the bat but then fills up with air slowly throughout the day while it's running. I've done the soapy water test and didn't see any obvious spots where it was being pulled in and checked the lid and seal there as well. We even had a professional come look at our equipment and he said it all seems to be running fine (he obviously saw it in the beginning of turning everything on while it was still primed) and that as long as water is always running through the system we are okay. He blew air through our lines and even took the pump apart to check for clogs at the impeller but found nothing. I know the pool is not pulling water in at all efficiently even if it is still pulling it in a little. The water was green (shock fixed that) but is still super cloudy and not filtering out all of the little particles. Am I missing some obvious fix here? I don't want to pay for another company to come look and tell me it's fine again when I know that it isn't actually working properly. Thanks for the help!Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/30/2019
Hello Kelsey - What kind of pool pump did you install (single, dual, or variable)? Do you have the skimmer and main drain lines open? Is the water level halfway up the skimmer door opening?Reply
Kelsey Posted: 4/30/2019
Hi Robert, we bought the pureline 1.5HP single speed pump to replace an old Hayward Super Pump 1HP. Our pool is super old (built in the 80's) so I've never found a valve that switches from the skimmer to the main drain so I'm not really sure on that one to be honest or if they are just both open all the time? And yes, the pool water is more than halfway up the skimmer so I don't think that is the problem.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/30/2019
Usually, the loss of prime is a suction side air leak. Assuming you don't have a suction side air leak, I'd take a look at the filter. A cloudy pool can bind up a filter rather quickly. Try cleaning that and see if your issue improves.Reply
Skip Posted: 4/29/2019
My psi seems to be fine when I first start my pump, but it goes up to 24 after a few hours. When I shut the pump off and release air through the valve on top of the filter, it seems to fix the problem when I turn it back on. I am going to try to go through the steps to find a problem, but do you have a good guess as to where to start?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/30/2019
Hello Skip - We'd be glad to assist you. Is the pool water clear or is it clear/green? What type of filter do you have?Reply
Anonymous Posted: 5/1/2019
It is clear. It is a hayward perflex extended cycle DE filter. I had a high level of phosphates, and that seems to have come down. The filter is running at around 12ish now.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 5/1/2019
A 12 PSI reading is good. If it continues to jump to 24 PSI quickly and the water is clear, you probably need to clean or replace the Perflex fingers. They can collect oils over time and a normal backwash won't work. They need to be soaked in a filter cleaner. If that doesn't work, they should be replaced.Reply
Kimberly Posted: 4/21/2019
I have extremely low suction in my skimmer but really high psi. Normal for my oil is around 10 it’s currently at 25. I’ve cleaned the filter and backwashed and it will stay at 10 for about a half an hour and go right back up and hold at 25psi. Ive blown out the lines through the skimmer but I don’t know what else to do.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/23/2019
Hello Kimberly - We'd be glad to assist you. Is your pool water clear or is it cloudy/green?Reply
Kimberly Posted: 4/23/2019
So I actually took my filter Completely out and cleaned it thoroughly as well as all the sludge at the bottom of the filter (so gross) I put it back in but I’m waiting to run it until my pool is clear of algae and debris. I’m circulating the water and using my Polaris and skimming the top but it is really cloudy still and I think that was making the filter clogged. Also I think the filter is pretty old (I just bought the house last August and the pool was already open then.) I bought a replacement grid and if the old one gets clogged again I’ll just replace it.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/23/2019
The filter is filling up quickly. That is why the PSI is rising and the suction from the skimmer is low. It will continue to do that until the pool is clear.Reply
Anonymous Posted: 4/20/2019
Air bubbles in skimmer return line. Checked for leaks and found nothing, water level ok. Today, we had a heavy rain and water level reached maximum level ( water above skimmer) ..... air bubbles disappeared? Any thoughts? Thanks muchReply
InyoPools Product Specialist Matt S. Posted: 4/24/2019
Two things:1) Your water level was low, allowing your skimmer to gulp air. The heavy rain and raise in water level, fixed the issue.2) The heavy rain or a byproduct of it is now masking the effects of the leak but will eventually return.If you thoroughly checked all these steps mentioned in the guide before the rain, the issue should persist after it.Reply
Mario Posted: 4/12/2019
I've been noticing the last couple of weeks that a gurgling sound would come from my pool every now and again. once I looked further into it. I noticed that it was releasing either air or water through one of the returns. this only happens after the pump is off, and it is through tout that whole down time.Any idea what could be causing it?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/17/2019
Hello Mario - Make sure your water level is halfway up the skimmer opening. Are you noticing air bubbles inside of the pump lid or bubbles coming out of the jets while the pump is running?Reply
Amir Posted: 4/4/2019
I'm having an issue where my pool is only leaking when the pump is running. If I fill it up all the way and turn the pump on the water level stays the same but as soon as the pump is on it drops the water levels. Any suggestions to what is causing the leakage? I suspected the plumbing is bad but I don't really want to go digging if this is something much simpler.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/9/2019
If it only leaks when the pump is running, it must be something in the plumbing. We'd recommend trying a product called Fix-A-Leak.Reply
Anonymous Posted: 6/3/2020
Mine did that and it was my multiport. It was not sealing off the water completely after I backwashed. Had to put in a new one.Reply
Stephen Neal Posted: 3/30/2019
I've tried everything you suggested in all of these excellent troubleshooting steps, including the incense test. I have replaced the plumbing from the pump to the filter and installed a brand new Hayward Super Pump. Air bubbles are still being emitted from the jets.. I observed that there is a mixture of air and water rushing into the pump from the suction side if I only open the ball valve that controls the inflow from my vacuum system. More water flows in if I open the skimmer ball valve and/or the drain ball valve just a little bit Then the water flow seems normal. I pulled the ball valve out of the line that was letting air in I was able to get a snake to pass through from where the ball valve was installed into the pool but encountered no obstruction. There are air bubbles no matter which ball valve I open independently. I'm stumped.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/9/2019
Hello Stephen - It's possible that the pump is not able to pull enough water when you only open the vac line. Try opening the skimmer valve all the way. Does that eliminate the bubbles?Reply
Stephen Posted: 4/9/2019
I've tried each ball valve independently, but air bubbles never go away.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 4/9/2019
Have you tried completely opening all three? This way the pump can pull the water from the skimmer, vac, and drain at the same time.Reply
Nadine Posted: 3/12/2019
Can one stripped Jandy Valve Lid screw cause air to get into the pump system? If so, will replacing the screw fix the problem or do I need to replace the whole valve? If it's a 3 port Jandy Valve, do I need to replace everything ? And if so, can you be explicit as to what I need to replace. I am so confused! Thanks.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Matt S. Posted: 3/13/2019
Nadine - the only way to find out is to actually test the spot for an air leak. The most common methods are by using soapy water, smoke, or shaving cream to check for an air leak. Take a look at this new video that shows you how to apply each method to your suspect valve: How To Find Suction Side Air Leaks In Your Pool. If it is the cause of then we have to figure out if air leak the screw stripped or thread in the valve housing stripped?Reply
Eric Posted: 1/31/2019
I've had DE blowback into the pool when the pump is turned off for several months. I've checked every valve, checked and replaced every o-ring, installed a new manifold and grids, and none of that helped. I don't have any bubbles in the pool. I'm stumped. The one place were there is a leak is a water leak on top of the pump. In Step 1 on this page, the arrow coming from the label "DISCHARGE SIDE" points exactly to where the water is leaking. It's glued, so I can't detach and reattach that PVC to the pump. I've used plumber's goop and pvc cement to try to patch it, which doesn't help much. But that exact point is the discharge side and shouldn't be causing the DE blowback anyway, right?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 1/31/2019
Hello Eric - The leak at the pump could be causing problems. A leak on the suction or discharge side can cause DE to blow back through the lines when the pump turns off. Check out our video titled "Why is DE Powder Coming Through My Skimmer & Main Drain?".Reply
Eric Posted: 1/31/2019
Thanks for the reply and the video, Robert. I'd always heard that the leak had to be before the pump. Now I'm relatively certain it's at the point that's leaking water. I'm going to heat it tonight to see if I can separate the PVC, and go from there.Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 1/31/2019
Your welcome, Eric. Let us know how everything turns out.Reply
Eric Posted: 2/3/2019
Well, I fixed the water leak on the discharge side at the top of the pump, and I still have DE blowback into the pool when I turn off the pump, I see through the pump strainer lid that the water is completely white, presumably with DE that came back from the filter when I turned off the pump. That's not supposed to happen, right? I haven't been able to find an air leak anywhere, including inside the filter where I have a brand new manifold and grids. Does the DE flowing back into the pump immediately after turning off the pump give any hint where the air leak might be?Reply
InyoPools Product Specialist Robert M. Posted: 2/4/2019
The most immediate return of DE does not indicate a source of the leak, only that there is a leak somewhere. I would check the suction side again for any leaks. Do you have an inline chlorinator? Sometimes the lid o-ring will go bad and allow the system to lose prime after the pump shuts off. There wouldn't necessarily be a water leak while the pump is running because some chlorinators do not fill all the way up with water.Reply