zkovach-----bubbles in pump problem

[zkovach]

Hello all i have had some problems with my pool from time to time with air swirling around in the pump. When i backwash it it helps but sometimes it just happens to go away and i have no air in the pump. i am thinking it may be a water balancing issue. Is that possible? i have read the beggininer guide to pool chemistry and have bought the items for it. since its on and off i believe its not a leak and the pool level is not low. i think its a balance issue. Any suggestions?

as a side question: when you use bleach do you still have to shock it once a week? how much do you use? i have approx 28,000 gal pool.

Thanks for your help! i look forward to getting my questions answered here!!

Z

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I can't think of any way that a water balancing issue would cause air in the pump basket--I think you need to be looking for a leak of some kind, albeit very small. A common culprit is the seal around the pump strainer basket--are you sure that it's tightened down enough? All the knobs on the filter tight? Any sign of water leaking out the backwash pipe when the pump is on, or water standing in the multiport? It only takes a very, very small leak to cause an air bubble. Are you sure that the water level in the pool is sufficient?

You don't have to shock a pool once a week, whether you use bleach or not--you only really need to shock it if your combined chlorine is over 1 ppm, or if you're losing any chlorine when testing at night and again in the morning before the sun hits the pool. When you do need to shock it, though, the level to which you need to raise your chlorine is dependent on your CYA level. See the "best guess chart" link in my sig for "shock" chlorine levels. In a pool your size, each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach will raise your FC by 1 ppm, so you can use that as a guide when figuring how much you'll need. If you have any other questions, ask away! :)

Janet

[zkovach]

I tightened everything and it didn't work. Weird thing is I get more air in the pump when I need to backwash the filter. It gets better after I backwash. Water level is fine. Not sure what steps I should take next. Any suggestions?

[aylad]

Do you have a multiport? If so, is there any sign of water standing around the handle, like maybe the gasket is needing to be replaced? Other than that, I dunno--some of the equipment experts should be by soon and hopefully can give you better suggestions.

janet