Air in system

[roryqueale]

Hello, first post here so i dont even know if its in the right place until I get fully registered or however this works.
Anyways, i have an inground pool with a sand filter, and was wondering if its normal to have air bubbles in the basket just before the pump.
It seems every 4-5 days the pump pressure goes up and nothing comes out the returns unless i backwash and then all seems normal again, with those bubbles in the basket area.
It is spring, so there is more pollen and dust/dirt than normal, but overall the amount of leaves and stuff has decreased to the point that there is nothing significant. Would it be just the filter collecting all the debris thats causing nothing to come out the returns?
On a side note, i just had one of the skimmer elbows repaired for a leak maybe 3-4 weeks ago. Would it be possible for air to enter the system through a "faulty repair"? but would that mean water could also leak out? Pool water level is stable and not dropping (it would drop an inch a week before the repair).
Any direction here would be appreciated, thanks.

[Poconos]

Welcome to the forum. The pressure increase is due to the filter catching stuff and plugging. Simply doing what it is supposed to do. As for the bubbles in the pump basket, they usually should just pass if the flow is high enough. If the flow is reduced for whatever reason, such as a plugged filter or a pump on low speed, there may not be enough flow to clear the air out of the chamber. No big deal. However if there is an ar leak then it is a problem. As for the repair leaking, yes water would leak out with the pump off but with the pump on it would suck air. Keep in mind that even a physically small leak spot will allow a lot of air to enter but maybe not much water to leak out.
Hope this helps.
Al