Quote Originally Posted by rhosk View Post
Hi Mark,

No trouble with priming, just the air. The pump model number is SP1605 Z1...

Without the washers in the outlets, I get about 17 PSI or so. It's not much of a difference at all with/without restriction, but it does get rid of the air when I increase the pressure slightly.
That is actually the motor number but it is the motor for the SP2605X7 model pump which is a 3/4 HP uprated pump. The SP2607x10, an uprated 1 HP, is actaully closer to the 1/2 HP pump that I have in terms of performance (not all pumps are created equal).

What may be happening is that the pressure at the vacuum release is not high enough to completely close off thereby allowing air into the panels. So the panels go through a cycle of air and purge which is why you see bubbles come out periodically. So the issue could be with the valve itself.

However, 17 PSI should be more than enough pressure to close the VRV and prime the panels unless there is a lot of head loss between the filter and VRV. What size pipe do you have going to the panels? Where is the VRV located? Sometimes you can move the valve to the supply side of the panels so it closes off easier.