Pump Problem

[RENOPOOL]

I have a Pentair WhisperFlo 1 1/2 HP Model : WF-6 Pump.
I noticed today when my pump turns on it spits
water out between the strainer basket and the motor
(where it bolts together). I thought I was seeing
things so I turned off the pump and then turn it back
on and sure enough it did it again. I also did notice
a some air bubbles through the clear lid when it
turned on. After a few seconds the air bubbles went
away. Has anyone herd of this ?

Also I have some hairline cracks on the cantilever at
every area where there is an expansion joint on the
deck. Is this normal? I just don't want the cracks to
get larger.

Thanks
John

[CanuckPool]

Could it be the pump has losts its prime and takes a few seconds to suck the water back in. I think its normal to have a few bubbles on startup and then they eventually work their way out, especially if your pump is re-priming itself. Does your pump loose prime when you just shut it off or are you taking the pump basket out to clean.

[cschnurr]

Sometimes when I turn on the pump for an instant, I get a bit of water splashing out between the clear cover and the pump casing. I've never been concerned as I figured it was the acceleration of water hitting the cover going from 0 to high lifted the cover slightly beyond the O-Ring compression. Once the pressure in the cover was maintained (acceleration of water =0), the O-Rings did their job. You may be getting the same thing at a different joint.

With respect to the bubbles, assuming your plumbing is on deck (above the waterline), the water in the plumbing wants to flow back to the pool by gravity. This creates a siphon type suction in the plumbing for as long as the pump is off.

If you have a small leak anywhere in the plumbing, and air can get sucked in and settle in the trap of the pump. If a lot of air gets in (either a combination of a larger leak, or long time between the pump running) the pump may loose its prime, and take a minute or so pull the water up enough to re-prime itself.

You said it only takes a couple seconds to get rid of the bubbles, I think this is fairly normal, if it gets to the point the pump has to re-prime itself, you probably should tighten up all the plumbing fittings with Teflon tape.

I don't quite understand your statement about hairline cracks.

[RENOPOOL]

Thank you for the quick reply. My pump loose some prime when you just shut it off then turn it on. I figure some bubbles are normal. My main concern is the water that spits water out between the strainer basket and the motor. I know this is something new and never has happen before.
Maybe some of my bubbles are from this area on the pump that spits out the water when I turn it on.

The cantilever is the edge around the inside of the pool that is part of the decking.

[CanuckPool]

I dont think water spitting out is normal. I assume its just on startup. Maybe its the initial pressure getting past the o-ring seal.I have the pentair superflo 1.0 hp and I dont see any water spitting out anywhere.

[cschnurr]

Canuck is right, my water spitting out of the cover is not an apples to apples comparison of your problem.

You shouldn't be seeing water at a bolted joint.
Depending how comfortable you feel, check the tightness of the bolts at this joint and torque as required. If they are already tight, remove them and examine the O-rings/seal at the joint, and reassemble / retighten.

[RENOPOOL]

Thanks
I have tighten the bolts some and this seems to have fixed my problem.

I did call my builder about the hairline cracks that are at the edge around the inside of the pool were the expansion joints are on the
deck. My builder told me this is normal and the cracks should not get any bigger. Does this sound right?

[CanuckPool]

hairline cracks in concrete are normal, if they start seperating any larger/or one side of the crack is moving up/down from the other then it is need of repair. I would guess anthing less than 1/16 is ok, anything more is not.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Did you keep your concrete deck wet while it was curing?

[cschnurr]

The loose joint you tightened also should explain where the air was getting into your system to have bubbles.

You may want to start a new thread as this thread is listed as a pump problem, which has now changed to concrete problem.

I have similiar cracks, as well as some cracks elsewhere, in my stamped concrete deck. The PB told me the same info
Last year water got into these cracks and froze during winter. The expansion during freezing broke out some small chips which cannot be easily fixed. I don't know if you get freezing weather in the winter, if so, I would make sure I have a good coat of sealant on the concrete especially over the cracks.