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One of the most worrying situations for pool owners is seeing their pool pump struggle priming, not creating enough pressure, or drawing in air all while making strange noises. First thing that most people do in a situation like this is to replace their pool pump to see if that solves the problem. Even though this sometimes takes care of the issue, often it turns out that the problems persist and the new pump works just as bad as the old one.
The second thought that usually comes next to most homeowners’ mind is well since my pump is new than it must be something wrong with my pool filter. Let us remind you that if you have your filter regularly serviced by a professional pool person then your filter should cause no trouble to your pump. Even old, neglected filter doesn’t affect working of your pool pump as much you might think. Bad pool filter will not be cleaning your pool water right, but unless it’s completely clogged with dirt, your pump should still be working fine.
So before springing out money for brand new pump or any other piece of equipment, or falling for entire re-plumbing of pool pipes around the pool pump (yes, we have seen people do that costly repair for nothing) it is smart to call a pool leak detection company like Leak Tech in Phoenix area to pressure test your pool pipes, as well as valves and pipe manifolds and connections on suction side of pool equipment. Often times even a tiny air leak will draw in enough air to cause your pool pump to suffocate. Sometimes a small plumbing job at the pool equipment is all you need, but in other cases you might have a broken pipe underground that needs to be repaired. Either way you will have the information needed to tackle the issue. So, before spending money on a brand-new pump, call a professional who has equipment, knowledge and tools to find all the issues at your pool. You don’t want to spend money buying expensive pool equipment or making repairs that were unnecessary in the first place.
If you are DIY kind of person then you can try these few tricks to see if you have air leaks at pool pump or at the suction side pool plumbing by the pump. On the picture bellow you can see all the weak spots at the pool pump and surrounding plumbing. Sometimes you can hear air hissing when your pump is working on one of these weak spots. You will have to get really close, these pool leaks don’t make too much noise since they are vacuum suction type of leaks, so don’t expect to notice them while you stand few yards away from the pump. Another thing you can try is to look for little water sprays right when you turn your pump off. Back pressure that gets created at the moment when you turn pump off can sometimes cause a little spray of water, or few drips at the connection that is leaking. This will happen for only a second so pay close attention. Another place where air can be drawn is your pool cleaner vacuum hose, to check if this affects your pool pump, take the vacuum hose out and remove the hose adapter from wall fitting, and see how your pump is working without the constraint of the vacuum hose.
Once again, your safest bet is to call pool leak detection professional to diagnose and offer solutions to this pesky problem.
