How to Get Air Out of a Pool Pump | Tips and Tricks

Are you struggling with air in your pool pump, wondering how to get it out effectively? It’s a common issue many pool owners face, but it often goes unnoticed until it’s too late.

Understanding how to remove air from your pool pump is crucial for maintaining a pristine and functional pool.

In this article, we’ll look into the primary causes of air locks in your pool pump and provide practical solutions to address them.

Once you learn the simple steps of how to get air out of pool pump, you’ll be a pool maintenance whiz in no time.

How to remove air from pool pump

Using a hose in the skimmer

I had problems, after changing the sand in my filter, with removing the air that was trapped in my pool pump and using this method it cleared the air in less than a minute.

If the pool pump still doesn’t prime, then try this:

1. With the pump running, take a hose pipe and push the end into the hole at the bottom of the skimmer that goes to the pump (the one furthest away from the pool if you have two holes at the bottom of your skimmer).
2. Now, turn on the hose with a strong flow. This should push water into the pump and take any air or other blockages with it).
3. Once there is water in the strainer basket, and you can hear the sound change in the pump, showing that it is now pumping water rather than air, switch off the hose and remove it.

How to get air out of sand filter

Step 1. How to get the air out of a sand filter could not be easier than using the air relief valve on the pool filter.

Step 2. Where is the air bleed valve on a pool filter? Look for your pool filter bleeder valve, which you will probably find on top of the pool filter housing, often just below or behind your pressure gauge. The pressure gauge is unlikely to show a reading with air in the system.

Step 3. With the pump running on the filter setting, slowly open the valve. If air is in the filter housing, you will hear air hissing from the valve.

Step 4. Continue with the valve open until water starts to come out of the valve.

Step 5. Close the air relief valve on the pool filter, and that is why the filter bled!

How To Bleed Air From Hayward Sand Filter

To bleed air from a Hayward sand filter, turn off the pump and open the air relief valve. Next, turn on the pump and let it run until water starts flowing steadily from the valve.

Finally, close the valve and ensure proper filtration. Regularly bleeding air ensures optimal performance and longevity of your Hayward sand filter.

How To Remove Air From Intex Pool Pump

To remove air from an Intex pool pump, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the pump and close the skimmer valve.
2. Open the air release valve on top of the filter tank.
3. Turn on the pump and let it run until all air is expelled.
4. Close the air release valve. This process ensures optimal pump performance and prevents airlocks.

How do you know if there is air in the system?

You may see air by looking into the clear lid of your pool pump strainer housing. If you can see water flowing from the inlet into the pool pump basket, it is not full of water (obviously).

How to get air out of pool pump basket? This air will usually work its way out as the pump runs.

If you cannot see any water running, it is either full of water, so no air, or full of air. If water is being pumped back into the pool, it cannot be full of air, so it must be full of water!

• Your pool pump may be making a different noise (usually louder) than it normally does. It will do this when trying to pump air or just a small amount of water and air.
• There may be little or no water coming out of your pool outlets or waterfall if you have one, even though the pump is operating on the filter or recirculate settings. This will probably be caused by an air lock in the system somewhere.
• If you start to vacuum, you may have little or no suction. This can be a sign that you have air in the system. It may clear on its own after a minute or two.

Priming a pool pump when opening a pool

If you have just filled your pool after emptying it for the winter, you may need to prime the pump and filtration system to purge it of air that will inevitably be there.

This is a pretty straightforward operation and I do it this way:

1. With the pump off, move the multiport valve handle to the recirculate setting so water doesn’t flow through the filter but goes straight back to the pool instead.
2. Take off the pump lid to the pool pump strainer housing.
3. Fill the system through the strainer using a garden hose and let it run for a few minutes. This will start to fill the system through to the skimmers, assuming your skimmer valve is open. If you can, push the end of the hose into the opening, where water comes into the strainer from the skimmer. This would be the higher one of the two openings – the lower one goes to the pump. You may see air coming out of the skimmers, which is good.
4. Put the pump lid of the strainer back on firmly.
5. Switch the pump on until you can see no air in the system.
6. Shut off the pump and put the multiport valve to the filter setting before switching the pump back on.

Why does my pool filter keep getting air in it?

The most likely reason for having air in the pool pump or filter will be that you have just cleaned the pool and stopping and starting the pump to backwash and rinse etc has allowed some air into the system.

• You often have it when you first start to vacuum, too. You can help to eliminate this by making sure you remove the air from your vacuum hose before you start.
• If the water level in your pool is low, so it is not covering the bottom of the skimmer, then this will allow air into the system and is an easy fix by just topping up the water level with a hose.
• If you have emptied your pool for the winter, you will likely have air in much of the system. You may need to prime the pump to get it to start pulling water and any other air through the system.
• You may have an air leak in the pump lid of the pump strainer housing, which could be letting in air. This could be because you have not closed it properly when you removed it to empty leaves and other debris from the strainer basket, or the lid’s O-ring may be faulty and need replacing.

The least likely (fortunately) is that air gets in the system somewhere else before it enters the pump.

Check that any pipe fittings are not loose and letting air in. If you can’t find any, it may be a crack or similar in the pipework between the skimmer and the pump. If this is the case, you are probably also losing water from the pool.

Unfortunately, I had this problem, which resulted in lots of digging and the pipework being replaced (see below).

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