Call us today at 256-442-1230! Home About Us Services Service Area Maintenance Troubleshooting DO YOU LOOSE SUCTION OR HAVE AIR BUBBLES BLOWING BACK INTO YOUR POOL FROM THE RETURN INLETS ONLY WHEN YOU ATTACH YOUR VACUUM HOSE? How to Troubleshoot Swimming Pool Vacuum hose Leak Problems. A swimming pool vacuum works off the suction of the pump. The vacuum will collect dirt and debris off the bottom of the pool and send it into the pump basket or the skimmer basket. In this respect, it works much like a common vacuum except that water is the medium. When the vacuum hose leaks, the vacuum will have either little or no suction. The leak must be found and repaired before you can successful vacuum your pool. Prime your vacuum hose by holding it over the return and forcing the air out. attach vacuum equipment to the skimmer for vacuuming. Make sure all of the fittings on the vacuum hose are tight. Check the head connection and where the hose connects to the skimmer basket. Make sure the water level is high enough, You may not see any air leaks if they are above water. Any bubbling from the hose or connections underwater is a sure sign of a leak. Check the pump basket that is adjacent to the motor. The basket will be full of water during normal operation, but if it is bubbling or the basket is only partly full of water and refuses to fully prime, that means there is a vacuum leak or commonly referred to as ‘sucking air’. You may have to get into the pool to do this. With the vacuum still hooked up, begin slowly lifting the hose out of the water, always keeping the head of the vacuum submerged. When you reach a point that is above water and leaking, the pump will suck air causing bubbles to form and loss of prime. This is where the leak is. You can reverse this process by holding the end of the hose that is in the skimmer, over the return. When the hose is completely filled up, slowly begin lifting the hose out of the water always keeping the head submerged. If at any point along with the hose you begin to see water spraying, you have found the leak. Place duct tape around any holes in the vacuum hose to seal the leak if you’re looking for a quick fix so you can finish cleaning the pool. This is just a temporary solution, however. Connect a hose coupler made especially for vacuum hoses to stop the leak. Cut the hose in half at the point of the leak with a utility knife. Connect the two hose pieces with the coupler. This repair will potentially last the lifetime of the hose, and it won’t look too bad either. DO YOU HAVE AIR BUBBLES BLOWING BACK INTO YOUR POOL FROM THE RETURN INLETS ALL OR MOST OF THE TIME? This means you are sucking air. The water is pulled from the skimmer on the side of the pool or the main drain in the bottom of the pool through the pump basket into the impeller. The impeller is what actually moves the water. From this point, the water is being pushed through the filter. If you are sucking air, it will always be from the skimmer to the pump basket. Anything after the pump basket you will leak water. CHECK YOUR: Pump basket lid for cracks by holding it up to light. The gasket or o’ring under the pump lid. Cracked, mashed, disfigured, or broken need to be replaced. Always use a water-based lubricant on your o’rings and gaskets will increase their ability to seal for a longer time. petroleum-based lubricants will dry out the rubber and take away their flexibility and sealing ability. The hose or pipe from the skimmer to the return and the connections. NEVER GLUE FITTINGS TO EQUIPMENT. Flex hoses can have pinholes. swap the hose with the one to the return. If it leaks it will shoot water when attached to the return. You may have unions When plumbed with PVC pipe. These contain o’ring that should be checked and lubed. If you have an in-ground pool the problem could be underground. In this, in case a pressure test is required. Sometimes the pump basket housing is cracked and need replacing or the pump plug just was not tightened. Our Brands (256) 442-1230 Monday - CLOSED Tuesday - CLOSED Wednesday - CLOSED Thursday - CLOSED Friday - 10 am until 4 pm Saturday - 10 am until 2 pm Sunday - CLOSED Copyright © 2021 The Pool Center | Designed by Plexamedia