I have air bubbles coming into the pool from the return jet. I replaced the O-ring on the filter lid. No dice. I watched the INYO YouTube video about replacing the shafts seal in the pump. I did that and after firing it up there were no air bubbles for about 10 minutes. Then they reappeared. Imitially, after replacing the shaft seal I noticed a lot less air bubbles in the filter basket housing. Then when I saw the bubbles again in the return, there were also air bubbles in the filter basket housing. Any other suggestions?
Air bubbles coming from return jet
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- Last Post 16 June 2020
InyoAlan
posted this
16 September 2016
Hello MSFan73,
It is likely that there is an air leak in one of two remaining places. First the lid to the pump basket will need to be lubricated or, if it is stretched out, replaced. Second, there are valve handles before the pump where the water comes. Very commonly, these have o-rings, and if they are allowing the air to get sucked in, they will need to be replaced as well. Unfortunately, this is a process of elimination but it appears you have approached the light at the end of the tunnel. Also, when lubricating your o-rings, we will recommend you use a pool and spa lubricant formulated for this purpose and not petroleum based lubricants.
msfan73
posted this
16 September 2016
Thanks InyoAlan, I used the lubricant included with my shaft seal replacement kit to lubricate the o-rings in the pump and filter basket lid. On to the next step! What can I expect if I continue to run the pump with air in the lines?
InyoAlan
posted this
16 September 2016
A small amount of air in the lines is more of a headache, but it will not really cause any long term damage. It is likely your pump basket and filter are empty when the pump starts up in the mornings, so the pump works harder to prime. The downside is the times your pump struggles to prime can cause the pump motor to "heat up". There may come a day when the pump will try to prime but it is pulling in more air than water and it will overheat. Finding and solving this problem is great preventative maintenance.
msfan73
posted this
16 September 2016
So I noticed a couple times during this process, that when I filled the pump basket with water before I started the pump that's when it seems to work best. But then after 5 or 10 minutes is when I would start to see the bubbles again. Is the pump losing Prime in that case?
InyoAlan
posted this
23 September 2016
You definitely have an air leak either around the lid to the pump basket or somewhere before. The leak could be where the valves are leading to the pump or somewhere in the lines. This is the cause of your pump loosing prime. You can start by replacing the lid o-ring and the valve o-rings. If that doesn't solve the problem, you may need to contact a leak detection company to locate the problem in your piping.
SereyRN
posted this
16 June 2020
My pump has new seals, new o-ring to the lid, new gasket, new motor, no crack or damage to the impeller, no crack to the pump lid, and new DE filter grids.
Now the return jets have air bubbles. It looks like that scene where Shrek lets loose while bathing in the swamp! What amount of air bubbles coming out of the return jets is considered bad??? I found leaks coming out of the discharge side, from one of the bulkheads to the filter, and the pipes connected to the multiport valve. I replumbed them minus the bulkhead. The multiport valve cover itself also had a leak. Once I opened up the cover, I noticed the spider gasket inside was all twisted. I replaced that. I believe my plumbing was a success as I'm not seeing any leaks. BUT I'm still seeing bubbles in my return jets! They are tiny bubbles! Please, don't tell me the leak is underground!!!! Your help is much appreciated! Thank you!
