Air Bubbles in Strainer Pot

by Amy
(Westminster, MD)

I have an above ground pool. When I first turn on the pump, a few small air bubbles appear in the strainer pot. Eventually these bubbles go away but every few minutes, I see tiny - almost microscopic - bubbles moving around in the strainer pot. Is this okay? Should I do something about it?
Thanks.



Hi Amy. It doesn’t sound like you have serious problem but you do have a small air leak. The most common place for these air bubbles to come from is the lid to the hair and lint pot. You could try removing it and greasing the o-ring with aqua lube. Most of the time this takes care of the problem. Replacing the o-ring is the next thing you could do.

The fittings on the pump and skimmer should be checked for leaking as well as the hose clamps. The hose from pump to skimmer could also have a very small leak in it. Anything that is drawing air, from the pump to the skimmer, should also leak water when the pump is turned off. With the pump off, look for any signs of water leaking. This could be tiny water drops or possibly calcium deposits from where water has been leaking. It just takes a tiny hole for air to get through when the pump is running.

Another thing to check is the skimmer. With the pump running, look inside and see if there is a funnel in the water that could be drawing air into the system. Something as simple as the flapper not working properly, could cause the skimmer to create a funnel, that would draw air into the system.